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4 @settitle Pterodactyl Gnus Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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265 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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274 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
276 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
277 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
278 are preserved on all copies.
280 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
281 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
282 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
283 permission notice identical to this one.
285 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
286 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
295 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
297 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
299 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
300 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
301 are preserved on all copies.
304 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
305 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
306 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
307 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
310 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
311 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
312 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
313 permission notice identical to this one.
315 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
316 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
322 @title Pterodactyl Gnus Manual
324 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
327 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
328 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
330 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
331 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
332 are preserved on all copies.
334 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
335 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
336 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
337 permission notice identical to this one.
339 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
340 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
349 @top The Gnus Newsreader
353 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
354 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
355 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
358 This manual corresponds to Pterodactyl Gnus .
369 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
370 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
372 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
373 being accused of plagiarism:
375 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
376 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
377 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
378 even read news with it!
380 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
381 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
382 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
383 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
384 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
391 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
392 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
393 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
394 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
395 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
396 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
397 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
398 * Various:: General purpose settings.
399 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
400 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
401 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
402 * Key Index:: Key Index.
406 @chapter Starting Gnus
411 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
412 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
415 @findex gnus-other-frame
416 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
417 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
418 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
420 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
421 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
422 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
424 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
425 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
428 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
429 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
430 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
431 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
432 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
433 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
434 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
435 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
436 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
437 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
438 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
442 @node Finding the News
443 @section Finding the News
446 @vindex gnus-select-method
448 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
449 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
450 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
451 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
454 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
455 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
458 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
461 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
464 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
467 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
468 certainly be much faster.
470 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
472 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
473 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
474 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
475 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
476 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
477 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
479 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
480 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
481 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
482 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
484 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
485 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
486 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
487 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
488 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
489 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
490 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
491 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
492 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
495 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
497 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
498 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
499 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
500 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
501 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
502 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
504 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
506 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
507 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
508 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
509 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
510 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
511 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
514 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
515 would typically set this variable to
518 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
523 @section The First Time
524 @cindex first time usage
526 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
527 be subscribed by default.
529 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
530 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
531 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
532 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
535 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
536 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
537 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
539 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
540 help you with most common problems.
542 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
543 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
547 @node The Server is Down
548 @section The Server is Down
549 @cindex server errors
551 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
552 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
553 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
555 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
556 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
557 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
558 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
559 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
560 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
561 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
563 @findex gnus-no-server
564 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
566 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
567 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
568 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
569 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
570 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
571 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
576 @section Slave Gnusae
579 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
580 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
581 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
582 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
584 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
587 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
588 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
589 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
590 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
591 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
592 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
593 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
595 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
596 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
597 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
598 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
599 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
600 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
601 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
602 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
604 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
605 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
608 @node Fetching a Group
609 @section Fetching a Group
610 @cindex fetching a group
612 @findex gnus-fetch-group
613 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
614 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
615 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
616 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
617 It takes the group name as a parameter.
625 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
626 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
627 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
628 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
629 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
630 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
631 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
632 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
633 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
636 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
637 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
638 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
642 @node Checking New Groups
643 @subsection Checking New Groups
645 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
646 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
647 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
648 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
649 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
650 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
651 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
652 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
653 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
654 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
656 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
657 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
658 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
659 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
660 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
661 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
662 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
663 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
664 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
665 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
666 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
668 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
669 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
670 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
671 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
672 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
673 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
676 @node Subscription Methods
677 @subsection Subscription Methods
679 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
680 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
681 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
683 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
684 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
686 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
690 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
691 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
692 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
693 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
694 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
696 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
697 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
698 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
699 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
701 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
702 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
703 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
705 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
706 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
707 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
708 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
709 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
710 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
711 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
712 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
713 up. Or something like that.
715 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
716 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
717 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
718 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
719 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
721 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
722 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
725 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
726 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
727 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
728 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
729 topic parameter that looks like
735 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
740 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
741 A closely related variable is
742 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
743 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
744 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
745 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
748 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
749 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
750 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
751 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
754 @node Filtering New Groups
755 @subsection Filtering New Groups
757 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
758 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
759 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
762 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
765 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
766 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
767 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
768 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
769 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
770 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
771 subscribing these groups.
772 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
773 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
775 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
776 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
777 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
778 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
779 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
780 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
781 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
782 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
784 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
785 Yet another variable that meddles here is
786 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
787 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
788 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
789 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
790 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
791 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
792 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
793 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
795 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
796 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
799 @node Changing Servers
800 @section Changing Servers
801 @cindex changing servers
803 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
804 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
805 very flaky and you want to use another.
807 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
808 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
812 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
813 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
814 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
815 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
818 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
819 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
820 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
821 functions more than absolutely necessary.
823 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
824 @findex gnus-change-server
825 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
826 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
827 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
828 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
829 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
831 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
832 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
833 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
834 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
835 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
837 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
838 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
839 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
840 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
841 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
842 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
844 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
845 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
846 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
850 @section Startup Files
851 @cindex startup files
856 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
857 information is traditionally stored in this file.
859 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
860 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
861 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
862 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
863 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
864 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
865 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
867 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
868 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
869 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
870 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
871 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
872 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
874 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
875 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
876 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
877 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
878 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
879 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
880 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
881 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
882 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
883 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
885 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
886 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
887 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
888 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
889 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
890 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
891 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
892 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
893 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
894 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
895 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
896 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
898 @vindex gnus-startup-file
899 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
900 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
901 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
903 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
904 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
905 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
906 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
907 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
908 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
909 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
910 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
911 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
912 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
915 (defun turn-off-backup ()
916 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
918 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
919 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
922 @vindex gnus-init-file
923 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
924 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
925 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
926 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
927 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
928 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
929 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
930 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
931 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
940 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
941 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
942 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
943 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
944 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
947 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
948 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
951 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
952 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
953 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
955 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
956 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
957 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
958 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
959 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
960 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
962 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
963 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
964 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
967 @node The Active File
968 @section The Active File
970 @cindex ignored groups
972 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
973 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
974 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
976 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
977 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
978 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
979 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
980 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
981 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
982 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
985 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
986 @c if you set it to anything else.
988 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
990 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
991 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
992 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
994 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
995 you actually subscribe to.
997 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
998 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
999 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1000 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1002 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1003 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1004 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1005 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1006 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1007 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1009 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1010 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1011 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1013 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1014 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1015 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1016 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1017 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1018 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1020 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1021 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1023 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1024 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1026 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1027 secondary select methods.
1030 @node Startup Variables
1031 @section Startup Variables
1035 @item gnus-load-hook
1036 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1037 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1038 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1039 times you start Gnus.
1041 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1042 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1043 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1045 @item gnus-startup-hook
1046 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1047 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1049 @item gnus-started-hook
1050 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1051 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1054 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1055 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1056 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1057 generating the group buffer.
1059 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1060 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1061 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1062 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1063 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1064 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1065 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1066 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1068 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1069 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1070 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1071 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1072 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1073 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1075 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1076 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1077 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1079 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1080 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1081 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1083 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1084 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1085 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1086 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1091 @node The Group Buffer
1092 @chapter The Group Buffer
1093 @cindex group buffer
1095 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1096 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1097 long as Gnus is active.
1101 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1102 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1103 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1104 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1105 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1106 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1107 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1108 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1114 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1115 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1116 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1117 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1118 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1119 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1120 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1121 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1122 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1123 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1124 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1125 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1126 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1127 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1128 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1129 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1130 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1134 @node Group Buffer Format
1135 @section Group Buffer Format
1138 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1139 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1140 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1144 @node Group Line Specification
1145 @subsection Group Line Specification
1146 @cindex group buffer format
1148 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1149 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1151 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1154 25: news.announce.newusers
1155 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1160 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1161 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1162 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1163 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1165 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1166 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1167 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1168 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1169 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1170 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1172 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1174 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1175 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1176 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1177 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1180 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1181 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1182 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1184 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1189 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1192 Whether the group is subscribed.
1195 Level of subscribedness.
1198 Number of unread articles.
1201 Number of dormant articles.
1204 Number of ticked articles.
1207 Number of read articles.
1210 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1211 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1214 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1217 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1226 Newsgroup description.
1229 @samp{m} if moderated.
1232 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1241 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1245 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1248 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1249 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1250 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1251 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1252 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1255 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1257 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1261 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1265 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1266 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1267 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1268 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1269 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1270 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1275 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1276 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1277 group, or a bogus native group.
1280 @node Group Modeline Specification
1281 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1282 @cindex group modeline
1284 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1285 The mode line can be changed by setting
1286 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1287 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1291 The native news server.
1293 The native select method.
1297 @node Group Highlighting
1298 @subsection Group Highlighting
1299 @cindex highlighting
1300 @cindex group highlighting
1302 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1303 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1304 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1305 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1306 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1308 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1312 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1313 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1314 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1315 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1316 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1317 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1318 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1319 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1320 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1321 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1323 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1324 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1325 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1326 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1327 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1328 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1331 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1333 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1340 The number of unread articles in the group.
1344 Whether the group is a mail group.
1346 The level of the group.
1348 The score of the group.
1350 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1352 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1353 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1355 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1356 topic being inserted.
1359 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1360 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1361 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1363 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1364 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1365 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1366 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1367 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1370 @node Group Maneuvering
1371 @section Group Maneuvering
1372 @cindex group movement
1374 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1375 expected, hopefully.
1381 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1382 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1383 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1389 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1390 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1391 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1395 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1396 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1400 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1401 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1405 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1406 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1407 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1411 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1412 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1413 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1416 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1422 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1423 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1424 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1429 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1430 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1431 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1435 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1436 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1437 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1440 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1441 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1442 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1443 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1447 @node Selecting a Group
1448 @section Selecting a Group
1449 @cindex group selection
1454 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1455 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1456 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1457 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1458 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1459 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1460 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1461 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1462 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1463 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1467 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1468 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1469 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1470 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1471 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1475 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1476 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1477 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1478 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1479 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1480 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1481 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1482 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1483 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1484 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1487 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1488 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1489 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1490 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1491 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1494 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1495 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1496 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1497 doing any processing of its contents
1498 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1499 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1500 manner will have no permanent effects.
1504 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1505 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1506 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1507 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1508 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1509 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1510 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1511 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1514 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1515 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1516 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1517 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1522 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1523 full summary buffer.
1526 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1529 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1534 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1535 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1536 Useful functions include:
1539 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
1540 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
1541 don't select the article.
1543 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
1544 Select the first unread article.
1546 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
1547 Select the highest-scored unread article.
1551 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1552 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1553 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1557 @node Subscription Commands
1558 @section Subscription Commands
1559 @cindex subscription
1567 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1568 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1569 Toggle subscription to the current group
1570 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1576 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1577 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1578 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1579 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1585 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1586 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1587 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1593 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1594 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1597 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1598 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1599 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1600 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1601 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1607 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1608 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1612 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1613 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1616 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1617 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1618 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1619 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1620 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1621 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1622 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1623 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1624 @file{.newsrc} file.
1628 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1638 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1639 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1640 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1641 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1642 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1643 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1648 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1649 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1650 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1654 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1655 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1656 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1658 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1659 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1660 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1661 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1662 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1663 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1670 @section Group Levels
1674 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1675 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1676 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1677 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1678 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1680 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1686 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1687 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1688 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1689 prompted for a level.
1692 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1693 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1694 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1695 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1696 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1697 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1698 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1699 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1700 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1701 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1702 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1703 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1704 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1705 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1706 reasons of efficiency.
1708 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1709 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1711 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1712 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1713 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1715 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1716 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1717 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1718 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1719 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1720 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1721 relevant valid ranges.
1723 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1724 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1725 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1726 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1727 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1728 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1731 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1732 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1733 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1736 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1737 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1738 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1739 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1742 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1743 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1744 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1745 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1747 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1748 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1749 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1750 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1751 to 5. The default is 6.
1755 @section Group Score
1760 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1761 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1762 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1765 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
1766 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
1767 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
1768 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
1769 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
1770 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
1771 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
1772 least significant part.))
1774 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1775 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1776 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1777 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1778 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1779 action after each summary exit, you can add
1780 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1781 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1782 slow things down somewhat.
1785 @node Marking Groups
1786 @section Marking Groups
1787 @cindex marking groups
1789 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1790 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1791 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1792 bidding on those groups.
1794 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1795 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1796 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1804 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1805 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1811 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1812 Remove the mark from the current group
1813 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1817 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1818 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1822 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1823 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1827 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1828 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1832 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1833 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1834 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1837 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1839 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1840 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1841 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1842 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1843 the command to be executed.
1846 @node Foreign Groups
1847 @section Foreign Groups
1848 @cindex foreign groups
1850 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1851 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1852 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1853 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1860 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1861 @cindex making groups
1862 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1863 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1864 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1868 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1869 @cindex renaming groups
1870 Rename the current group to something else
1871 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1872 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1878 @findex gnus-group-customize
1879 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1883 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1884 @cindex renaming groups
1885 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1886 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1890 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1891 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1892 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1896 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1897 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1898 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1902 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1904 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1905 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1910 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1911 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1915 @cindex (ding) archive
1916 @cindex archive group
1917 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1918 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1919 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1920 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1921 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1922 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1923 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1927 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1929 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1930 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1931 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1932 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1936 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1938 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1939 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1940 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1944 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1945 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1947 Make a group based on some file or other
1948 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1949 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1950 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1951 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1952 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
1953 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
1954 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1958 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1959 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1960 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1961 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1965 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1970 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1971 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1972 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1973 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1974 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1975 @xref{Web Searches}.
1977 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1978 to a particular group by using a match string like
1979 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1982 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1983 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1984 This function will delete the current group
1985 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1986 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1987 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1988 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1989 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1993 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1994 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1995 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1999 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2000 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2001 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2004 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2007 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2008 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2009 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2010 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2011 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2012 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2016 @node Group Parameters
2017 @section Group Parameters
2018 @cindex group parameters
2020 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2021 Here's an example group parameter list:
2024 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2028 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2029 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2030 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2031 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2033 The following group parameters can be used:
2038 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2041 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2044 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2045 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2046 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2047 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2048 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2050 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2051 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2052 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2053 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2054 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2055 list address instead.
2059 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2062 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2065 It is totally ignored
2066 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2067 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2069 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2070 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2071 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2072 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2073 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2075 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2076 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2077 sending the message.
2081 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2082 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2083 of whether it has any unread articles.
2085 @item broken-reply-to
2086 @cindex broken-reply-to
2087 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2088 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2089 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2090 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2091 broken behavior. So there!
2095 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2096 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2100 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2101 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2102 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2107 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2108 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2109 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2110 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2111 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2112 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2113 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2117 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2118 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2119 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2122 @cindex total-expire
2123 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2124 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2125 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2126 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2131 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2132 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2133 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2134 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2135 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2136 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2139 @cindex score file group parameter
2140 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2141 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2142 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2145 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2146 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2147 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2148 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2151 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2152 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2153 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2154 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2157 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2158 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2162 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2165 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2170 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2171 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2172 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2176 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2177 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2178 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2180 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2181 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2182 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2183 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2184 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2185 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2186 @code{eval}ed there.
2188 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2189 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2190 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2191 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2192 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2195 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2196 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2197 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2198 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2199 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2201 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2202 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2203 like this in the group parameters:
2208 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2213 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2214 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2218 @node Listing Groups
2219 @section Listing Groups
2220 @cindex group listing
2222 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2230 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2231 List all groups that have unread articles
2232 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2233 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2234 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2235 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2242 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2243 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2244 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2245 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2246 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2247 unsubscribed groups).
2251 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2252 List all unread groups on a specific level
2253 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2254 with no unread articles.
2258 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2259 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2260 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2261 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2266 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2267 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2271 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2272 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2273 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2277 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2278 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2282 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2283 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2284 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2285 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2286 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2287 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2288 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2289 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2293 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2294 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2295 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2299 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2300 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2301 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2305 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2306 @cindex visible group parameter
2307 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2308 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2309 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2310 get the same effect.
2312 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2313 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2314 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2315 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2316 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2319 @node Sorting Groups
2320 @section Sorting Groups
2321 @cindex sorting groups
2323 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2324 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2325 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2326 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2327 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2328 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2333 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2334 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2335 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2337 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2338 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2339 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2341 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2342 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2343 Sort by group level.
2345 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2346 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2347 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2349 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2350 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2351 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2352 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2354 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2355 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2356 Sort by number of unread articles.
2358 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2359 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2360 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2365 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2366 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2370 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2371 some sorting criteria:
2375 @kindex G S a (Group)
2376 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2377 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2378 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2381 @kindex G S u (Group)
2382 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2383 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2384 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2387 @kindex G S l (Group)
2388 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2389 Sort the group buffer by group level
2390 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2393 @kindex G S v (Group)
2394 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2395 Sort the group buffer by group score
2396 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2399 @kindex G S r (Group)
2400 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2401 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2402 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2405 @kindex G S m (Group)
2406 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2407 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2408 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2412 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2413 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2415 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2416 commands will sort in reverse order.
2418 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2422 @kindex G P a (Group)
2423 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2424 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2425 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2428 @kindex G P u (Group)
2429 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2430 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2431 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2434 @kindex G P l (Group)
2435 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2436 Sort the groups by group level
2437 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2440 @kindex G P v (Group)
2441 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2442 Sort the groups by group score
2443 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2446 @kindex G P r (Group)
2447 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2448 Sort the groups by group rank
2449 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2452 @kindex G P m (Group)
2453 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2454 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2455 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2461 @node Group Maintenance
2462 @section Group Maintenance
2463 @cindex bogus groups
2468 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2469 Find bogus groups and delete them
2470 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2474 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2475 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2476 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2477 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2478 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2482 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2483 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2484 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2485 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2488 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2489 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2490 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2491 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2496 @node Browse Foreign Server
2497 @section Browse Foreign Server
2498 @cindex foreign servers
2499 @cindex browsing servers
2504 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2505 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2506 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2507 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2510 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2511 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2512 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2513 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2515 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2520 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2521 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2525 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2526 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2529 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2530 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2531 Enter the current group and display the first article
2532 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2535 @kindex RET (Browse)
2536 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2537 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2541 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2542 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2543 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2549 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2550 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2554 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2555 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2556 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2561 @section Exiting Gnus
2562 @cindex exiting Gnus
2564 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2569 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2570 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2571 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2572 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2576 @findex gnus-group-exit
2577 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2578 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2582 @findex gnus-group-quit
2583 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2584 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2587 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2588 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2589 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2590 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2591 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2596 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2597 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2598 trying to customize meta-variables.
2603 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2604 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2605 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2611 @section Group Topics
2614 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2615 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2616 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2617 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2618 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2619 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2623 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2624 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2635 2: alt.religion.emacs
2638 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2640 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2641 13: comp.sources.unix
2644 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2646 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2647 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2648 is a toggling command.)
2650 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2651 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2652 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2653 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2656 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2657 the hook for the group mode:
2660 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2664 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2665 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2666 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2667 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2668 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2672 @node Topic Variables
2673 @subsection Topic Variables
2674 @cindex topic variables
2676 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2677 really neat, I think.
2679 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2680 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2681 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2694 Number of groups in the topic.
2696 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2698 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2701 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2702 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2703 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2706 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2707 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2709 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2710 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2711 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2714 @node Topic Commands
2715 @subsection Topic Commands
2716 @cindex topic commands
2718 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2719 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2720 definitions slightly.
2726 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2727 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2728 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2732 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2733 Move the current group to some other topic
2734 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2735 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2739 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
2740 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
2744 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2745 Copy the current group to some other topic
2746 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2747 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2751 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2752 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2753 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2754 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2755 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2756 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2757 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2760 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2761 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2765 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2766 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2767 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2771 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2772 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2773 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2777 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2778 Toggle hiding empty topics
2779 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2783 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2784 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2785 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2788 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2789 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2790 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2791 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2795 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2797 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2798 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2799 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2800 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2803 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2804 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2805 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2806 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2810 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2812 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2813 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2814 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2815 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2816 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2817 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2820 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
2821 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
2822 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
2823 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
2827 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2828 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2829 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2833 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2834 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2835 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2840 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2841 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2844 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2845 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2846 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2850 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2851 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2852 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2856 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2857 @cindex group parameters
2858 @cindex topic parameters
2860 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2861 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2867 @subsection Topic Sorting
2868 @cindex topic sorting
2870 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2876 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2877 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2878 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2879 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2882 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2883 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2884 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2885 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2888 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2889 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2890 Sort the current topic by group level
2891 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2894 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2895 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2896 Sort the current topic by group score
2897 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2900 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2901 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2902 Sort the current topic by group rank
2903 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2906 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2907 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2908 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2909 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2913 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
2916 @node Topic Topology
2917 @subsection Topic Topology
2918 @cindex topic topology
2921 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2927 2: alt.religion.emacs
2930 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2932 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2933 13: comp.sources.unix
2936 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2937 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2938 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2943 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2944 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2948 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2949 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2950 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2951 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2952 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2953 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2955 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2956 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2957 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2960 @node Topic Parameters
2961 @subsection Topic Parameters
2962 @cindex topic parameters
2964 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2965 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2966 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2968 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2969 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2970 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2971 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2977 2: alt.religion.emacs
2981 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2983 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2984 13: comp.sources.unix
2988 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2989 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2990 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2991 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2992 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2993 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2995 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2996 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2997 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2998 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2999 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3001 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3002 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3003 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3004 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3005 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3006 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3007 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3008 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3011 @node Misc Group Stuff
3012 @section Misc Group Stuff
3015 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3016 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3017 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3018 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3025 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3026 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3027 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3031 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3032 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3033 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3037 @findex gnus-group-mail
3038 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3042 Variables for the group buffer:
3046 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3047 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3048 is called after the group buffer has been
3051 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3052 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3053 is called after the group buffer is
3054 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3057 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3058 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3059 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3060 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3062 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3063 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3064 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3065 whether they are empty or not.
3070 @node Scanning New Messages
3071 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3072 @cindex new messages
3073 @cindex scanning new news
3079 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3080 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3081 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3082 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3083 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3084 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3089 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3090 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3091 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3092 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3093 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3094 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3095 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3097 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3098 @cindex activating groups
3100 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3101 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3106 @findex gnus-group-restart
3107 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3108 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3109 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3113 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3114 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3116 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3117 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3121 @node Group Information
3122 @subsection Group Information
3123 @cindex group information
3124 @cindex information on groups
3131 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3132 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3135 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3136 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3137 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3138 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3139 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3140 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3141 for fetching the file.
3143 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3144 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3148 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3150 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3151 @cindex describing groups
3152 @cindex group description
3153 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3154 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3155 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3159 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3160 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3161 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3168 @findex gnus-version
3169 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3173 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3174 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3177 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3180 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3181 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3185 @node Group Timestamp
3186 @subsection Group Timestamp
3188 @cindex group timestamps
3190 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3191 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3192 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3195 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3198 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3200 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3201 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3204 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3205 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3208 This will result in lines looking like:
3211 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3212 0: custom 19961002T012713
3215 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3216 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3220 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3221 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3226 @subsection File Commands
3227 @cindex file commands
3233 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3234 @vindex gnus-init-file
3235 @cindex reading init file
3236 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3237 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3241 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3242 @cindex saving .newsrc
3243 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3244 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3245 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3248 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3249 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3250 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3255 @node The Summary Buffer
3256 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3257 @cindex summary buffer
3259 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3260 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3262 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3263 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3265 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3268 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3269 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3270 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3271 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3272 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3273 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3274 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3275 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3276 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3277 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3278 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3279 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3280 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3281 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3282 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3283 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3284 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3285 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3286 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3287 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3288 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3289 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3290 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3291 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3292 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3293 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3294 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3295 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3296 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3300 @node Summary Buffer Format
3301 @section Summary Buffer Format
3302 @cindex summary buffer format
3306 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3307 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3308 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3314 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3315 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3316 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3317 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3320 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3321 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3322 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3323 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3324 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3325 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3326 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3327 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3328 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3329 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3330 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3333 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3334 'mail-extract-address-components)
3337 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3338 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3339 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3340 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3343 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3344 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3346 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3347 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3348 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3349 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3350 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3352 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3354 The following format specification characters are understood:
3360 Subject string. List identifiers stripped, @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3362 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3363 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3364 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3366 Full @code{From} header.
3368 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3370 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3371 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3373 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3374 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3375 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3376 may be more thorough.
3378 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3381 Number of lines in the article.
3383 Number of characters in the article.
3385 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3387 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3388 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3390 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3391 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3393 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3394 for adopted articles.
3396 One space for each thread level.
3398 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3403 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3404 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3408 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3410 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3411 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3412 default level. If the difference between
3413 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3414 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3422 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3424 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3430 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3431 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3433 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3434 article has any children.
3440 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3441 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3442 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3443 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3444 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3445 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3448 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3449 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3450 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3451 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3452 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3453 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3455 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3456 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3458 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3461 @node To From Newsgroups
3462 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3466 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3467 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3468 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3469 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3470 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3474 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3475 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3476 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3480 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3481 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3484 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3485 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3488 @findex gnus-extra-header
3489 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3490 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3491 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3494 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3498 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3499 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3500 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3501 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3502 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3503 headers are used instead.
3507 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3508 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3509 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3510 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
3513 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3514 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
3515 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
3516 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
3518 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3521 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3523 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
3524 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
3525 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
3526 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3530 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
3531 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
3538 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
3539 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
3542 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3543 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3545 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3546 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3547 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3548 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3550 Here are the elements you can play with:
3556 Unprefixed group name.
3558 Current article number.
3560 Current article score.
3564 Number of unread articles in this group.
3566 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3569 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3570 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3571 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3572 and no unselected ones.
3574 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3575 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3577 Subject of the current article.
3579 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3581 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3583 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3585 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3587 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3589 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3593 @node Summary Highlighting
3594 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3598 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3599 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3600 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3601 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3602 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3604 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3605 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3606 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3607 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3609 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3610 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3611 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3612 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3614 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3615 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3616 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3617 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
3618 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
3619 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
3622 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3623 ((> score default) . bold))
3625 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3626 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
3630 @node Summary Maneuvering
3631 @section Summary Maneuvering
3632 @cindex summary movement
3634 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3635 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3637 None of these commands select articles.
3642 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3643 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3644 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3645 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3646 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3650 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3651 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3652 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3653 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3654 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3659 @kindex G j (Summary)
3660 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3661 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3662 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3665 @kindex G g (Summary)
3666 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3667 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3668 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3671 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3672 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3673 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3674 to the group buffer.
3676 Variables related to summary movement:
3680 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3681 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3682 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3683 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3684 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3685 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3686 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3687 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3688 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3689 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3690 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3691 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3692 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3693 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3695 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3696 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3697 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3698 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3699 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3700 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3701 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3703 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3705 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3706 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3707 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3708 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3709 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3711 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3712 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3713 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3714 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3715 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3716 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3717 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3718 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3721 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
3722 the given number of lines from the top.
3727 @node Choosing Articles
3728 @section Choosing Articles
3729 @cindex selecting articles
3732 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3733 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3737 @node Choosing Commands
3738 @subsection Choosing Commands
3740 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3741 and they all select and display an article.
3745 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3746 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3747 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3748 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3753 @kindex G n (Summary)
3754 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3755 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3756 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3761 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3762 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3763 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3768 @kindex G N (Summary)
3769 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3770 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3775 @kindex G P (Summary)
3776 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3777 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3780 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3781 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3782 Go to the next article with the same subject
3783 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3786 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3787 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3788 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3789 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3793 @kindex G f (Summary)
3795 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3796 Go to the first unread article
3797 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3801 @kindex G b (Summary)
3803 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3804 Go to the article with the highest score
3805 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3810 @kindex G l (Summary)
3811 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3812 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3815 @kindex G o (Summary)
3816 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3818 @cindex article history
3819 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3820 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3821 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3822 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3823 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3824 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3828 @node Choosing Variables
3829 @subsection Choosing Variables
3831 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3834 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3835 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3836 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3837 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3838 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3839 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3841 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3842 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3843 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3844 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3846 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3847 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3848 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3849 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3850 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3851 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3852 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3853 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3854 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3855 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3856 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3857 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3858 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3859 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3864 @node Paging the Article
3865 @section Scrolling the Article
3866 @cindex article scrolling
3871 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3872 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3873 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3874 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3875 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3878 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3879 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3880 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3883 @kindex RET (Summary)
3884 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3885 Scroll the current article one line forward
3886 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3889 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3890 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3891 Scroll the current article one line backward
3892 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3896 @kindex A g (Summary)
3898 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3899 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3900 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3901 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3902 the way it came from the server.
3907 @kindex A < (Summary)
3908 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3909 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3910 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3915 @kindex A > (Summary)
3916 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3917 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3921 @kindex A s (Summary)
3923 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3924 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3925 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3929 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3930 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3935 @node Reply Followup and Post
3936 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3939 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3940 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3944 @node Summary Mail Commands
3945 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3947 @cindex composing mail
3949 Commands for composing a mail message:
3955 @kindex S r (Summary)
3957 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3958 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3959 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3960 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3961 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3966 @kindex S R (Summary)
3967 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3968 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3969 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3970 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3971 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3974 @kindex S w (Summary)
3975 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3976 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3977 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3978 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3979 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3982 @kindex S W (Summary)
3983 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3984 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3985 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3986 the process/prefix convention.
3989 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3990 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3991 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3992 Forward the current article to some other person
3993 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3994 headers of the forwarded article.
3999 @kindex S m (Summary)
4000 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4001 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4002 Send a mail to some other person
4003 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4006 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4007 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4008 @cindex bouncing mail
4009 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4010 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4011 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4012 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4013 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4014 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4015 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4016 very well fail, though.
4019 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4020 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4021 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4022 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4023 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4024 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4025 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4026 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4027 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4028 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4030 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4031 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4032 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4033 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4034 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4036 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4037 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4040 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4041 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4042 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4043 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4044 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4047 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4048 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4049 @cindex crossposting
4050 @cindex excessive crossposting
4051 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4052 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4054 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4055 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4056 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4057 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4058 command understands the process/prefix convention
4059 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4063 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4066 @node Summary Post Commands
4067 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4069 @cindex composing news
4071 Commands for posting a news article:
4077 @kindex S p (Summary)
4078 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4079 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4080 Post an article to the current group
4081 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4086 @kindex S f (Summary)
4087 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4088 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4089 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4093 @kindex S F (Summary)
4095 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4096 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4097 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4098 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4099 process/prefix convention.
4102 @kindex S n (Summary)
4103 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4104 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4105 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4108 @kindex S N (Summary)
4109 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4110 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4111 message through mail and include the original message
4112 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4113 the process/prefix convention.
4116 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4117 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4118 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4119 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4120 headers of the forwarded article.
4123 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4124 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4126 @cindex making digests
4127 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4128 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4129 process/prefix convention.
4132 @kindex S u (Summary)
4133 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4134 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4135 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4136 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4139 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4142 @node Canceling and Superseding
4143 @section Canceling Articles
4144 @cindex canceling articles
4145 @cindex superseding articles
4147 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4148 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4150 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4152 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4154 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4155 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4156 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4157 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4158 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4159 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4161 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4162 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4165 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4166 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4167 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4169 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4170 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4171 your original article.
4173 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4175 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4176 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4177 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4180 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4181 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4182 have posted almost the same article twice.
4184 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4185 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4186 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4187 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4188 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4189 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4190 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4191 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4192 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4193 canceled/superseded.
4195 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4198 @node Marking Articles
4199 @section Marking Articles
4200 @cindex article marking
4201 @cindex article ticking
4204 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4206 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4207 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4208 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4210 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4213 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4214 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4215 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4219 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4223 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4224 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4225 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4229 @node Unread Articles
4230 @subsection Unread Articles
4232 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4237 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4238 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4240 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4241 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4242 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4243 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4244 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4248 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4249 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4251 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4252 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4253 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4256 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4257 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4259 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4264 @subsection Read Articles
4265 @cindex expirable mark
4267 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4272 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4273 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4274 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4277 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4278 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4281 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4282 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4283 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4286 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4287 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4290 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4291 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4294 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4295 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4298 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4299 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4302 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4303 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4306 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4307 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4310 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4311 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4315 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4316 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4317 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4321 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4322 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4324 One more special mark, though:
4328 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4329 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4331 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4332 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4333 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4334 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4340 @subsection Other Marks
4341 @cindex process mark
4344 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4350 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4351 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4352 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4353 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4354 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4357 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4358 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4359 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4360 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4363 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4364 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4365 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4368 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4369 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4370 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4371 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4374 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4375 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4376 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4377 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4378 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4381 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4382 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4383 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4384 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4385 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4386 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4390 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4391 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4392 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4394 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4395 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4396 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4400 @subsection Setting Marks
4401 @cindex setting marks
4403 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4408 @kindex M c (Summary)
4409 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4410 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4411 @cindex mark as unread
4412 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4413 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4419 @kindex M t (Summary)
4420 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4421 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4422 @xref{Article Caching}.
4427 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4428 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4429 Mark the current article as dormant
4430 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4434 @kindex M d (Summary)
4436 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4437 Mark the current article as read
4438 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4442 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4443 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4444 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4449 @kindex M k (Summary)
4450 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4451 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4452 and then select the next unread article
4453 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4457 @kindex M K (Summary)
4458 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4459 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4460 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4461 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4464 @kindex M C (Summary)
4465 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4466 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4467 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4470 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4471 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4472 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4473 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4476 @kindex M H (Summary)
4477 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4478 Catchup the current group to point
4479 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4482 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4483 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4484 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4485 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4488 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4489 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4490 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4491 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4495 @kindex M e (Summary)
4497 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4498 Mark the current article as expirable
4499 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4502 @kindex M b (Summary)
4503 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4504 Set a bookmark in the current article
4505 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4508 @kindex M B (Summary)
4509 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4510 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4511 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4514 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4515 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4516 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4517 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4520 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4521 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4522 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4523 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4526 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4527 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4528 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4529 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4530 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4533 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4534 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4535 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4536 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4537 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4538 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4539 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4540 The default is @code{t}.
4543 @node Generic Marking Commands
4544 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
4546 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
4547 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
4548 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
4549 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
4550 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
4553 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
4554 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
4557 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
4558 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
4559 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
4560 to list in this manual.
4562 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
4563 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
4564 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
4565 article, you could say something like:
4568 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
4569 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
4570 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
4576 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
4577 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
4581 @node Setting Process Marks
4582 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4583 @cindex setting process marks
4590 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4591 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4592 Mark the current article with the process mark
4593 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4594 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4598 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4599 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4600 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4601 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4604 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4605 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4606 Remove the process mark from all articles
4607 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4610 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4611 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4612 Invert the list of process marked articles
4613 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4616 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4617 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4618 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4619 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4622 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4623 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4624 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4627 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4628 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4629 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4630 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4633 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4634 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4635 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4636 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4639 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4640 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4641 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4642 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4645 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4646 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4647 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4650 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4651 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4652 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4653 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4656 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4657 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4658 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4661 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4662 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4663 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4664 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4667 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4668 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4669 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4670 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4673 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4674 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4675 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4676 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4679 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4680 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4681 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4682 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4691 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4692 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4693 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4696 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4697 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4698 additional articles.
4704 @kindex / / (Summary)
4705 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4706 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4707 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4710 @kindex / a (Summary)
4711 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4712 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4713 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4716 @kindex / x (Summary)
4717 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
4718 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
4719 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
4720 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4724 @kindex / u (Summary)
4726 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4727 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4728 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4729 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4730 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4733 @kindex / m (Summary)
4734 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4735 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4736 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4739 @kindex / t (Summary)
4740 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4741 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4742 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4743 articles younger than that number of days.
4746 @kindex / n (Summary)
4747 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4748 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4749 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4750 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4753 @kindex / w (Summary)
4754 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4755 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4756 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4760 @kindex / v (Summary)
4761 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4762 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4763 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4767 @kindex M S (Summary)
4768 @kindex / E (Summary)
4769 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4770 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4771 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4774 @kindex / D (Summary)
4775 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4776 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4777 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4780 @kindex / * (Summary)
4781 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4782 Include all cached articles in the limit
4783 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4786 @kindex / d (Summary)
4787 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4788 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4789 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4792 @kindex / M (Summary)
4793 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
4794 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
4797 @kindex / T (Summary)
4798 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4799 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4802 @kindex / c (Summary)
4803 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4804 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4805 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4808 @kindex / C (Summary)
4809 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4810 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4811 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4812 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4820 @cindex article threading
4822 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4823 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4824 hierarchical fashion.
4826 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4827 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4828 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4829 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4830 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4831 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4832 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4834 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4838 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4841 A tree-like article structure.
4844 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4847 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4848 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4849 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4850 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4851 called loose threads.
4853 @item thread gathering
4854 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4856 @item sparse threads
4857 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4858 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4864 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4865 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4869 @node Customizing Threading
4870 @subsection Customizing Threading
4871 @cindex customizing threading
4874 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4875 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4876 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4877 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4882 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4885 @cindex loose threads
4888 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4889 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4890 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4891 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4892 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4893 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4895 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4896 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4897 There are four possible values:
4901 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4902 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4903 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4904 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4905 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4910 @cindex adopting articles
4915 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4916 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4917 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4918 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4921 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4922 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4923 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4924 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4925 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4926 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4927 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4930 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4931 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4932 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4936 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4937 display them after one another.
4940 Don't gather loose threads.
4943 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4944 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4945 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4946 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4947 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4948 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4949 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4950 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4951 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4952 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4953 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4955 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4956 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4957 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4960 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4961 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4962 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4963 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4964 simplification is used.
4966 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4967 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4968 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4969 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4971 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4973 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4979 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4980 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4981 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4982 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4987 (mapconcat 'identity
4988 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4990 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4993 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4996 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4997 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4998 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4999 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5000 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5001 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5003 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5006 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5007 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5008 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5010 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5011 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5014 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5015 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5016 Remove excessive whitespace.
5019 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5022 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5023 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5024 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5025 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5026 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5027 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5028 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5029 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5031 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5032 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5033 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5034 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5035 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5036 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5037 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5038 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5039 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5043 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5044 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5045 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5046 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5048 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5049 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5050 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5053 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5057 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5058 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5064 @node Filling In Threads
5065 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5068 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5069 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5070 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5071 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5072 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5073 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5074 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5075 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5076 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5077 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5078 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5079 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5081 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5082 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5083 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5085 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5086 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5087 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5088 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5089 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5090 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5091 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5092 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5093 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5094 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5095 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5096 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5097 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5098 @code{nil} by default.
5103 @node More Threading
5104 @subsubsection More Threading
5107 @item gnus-show-threads
5108 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5109 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5110 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5111 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5112 slower and more awkward.
5114 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5115 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5116 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5119 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5120 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5121 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5122 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5123 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5124 threads are expunged.
5126 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5127 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5128 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5131 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5132 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5133 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5134 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5135 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5138 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5139 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5140 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5143 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5144 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5145 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5146 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5147 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5148 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5149 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to. Setting
5150 this variable to an alternate value
5151 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5152 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5153 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5158 @node Low-Level Threading
5159 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5163 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5164 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5165 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5167 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5168 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5169 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5170 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5171 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5172 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5173 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5174 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5175 meaningful. Here's one example:
5178 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5180 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5181 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5183 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5185 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5192 @node Thread Commands
5193 @subsection Thread Commands
5194 @cindex thread commands
5200 @kindex T k (Summary)
5201 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5202 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5203 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5204 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5205 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5210 @kindex T l (Summary)
5211 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5212 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5213 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5214 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5217 @kindex T i (Summary)
5218 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5219 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5220 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5223 @kindex T # (Summary)
5224 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5225 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5226 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5229 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5230 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5231 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5232 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5235 @kindex T T (Summary)
5236 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5237 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5240 @kindex T s (Summary)
5241 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5242 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5243 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5246 @kindex T h (Summary)
5247 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5248 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5251 @kindex T S (Summary)
5252 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5253 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5256 @kindex T H (Summary)
5257 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5258 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5261 @kindex T t (Summary)
5262 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5263 Re-thread the current article's thread
5264 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5265 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5268 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5269 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5270 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5271 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5275 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5276 understand the numeric prefix.
5281 @kindex T n (Summary)
5282 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5283 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5286 @kindex T p (Summary)
5287 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5288 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5291 @kindex T d (Summary)
5292 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5293 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5296 @kindex T u (Summary)
5297 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5298 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5301 @kindex T o (Summary)
5302 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5303 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5306 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5307 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5308 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5309 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5310 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5311 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5312 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5313 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5314 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5315 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5316 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5317 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5324 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5325 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5326 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5327 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5328 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5329 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5330 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5331 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5332 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5333 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5334 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5336 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5337 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5338 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5339 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5340 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5342 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5343 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5344 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5346 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5347 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5348 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5349 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5350 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5351 ascending article order.
5353 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5354 by number, you could do something like:
5357 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5358 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5359 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5360 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5363 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5364 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5365 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5366 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5367 which the articles arrived.
5369 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5373 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5375 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5376 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5379 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5380 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5381 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5382 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5385 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5386 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5387 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5388 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5389 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5390 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5391 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5392 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5393 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5394 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5395 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5396 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5397 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5399 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5403 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5404 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5405 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5410 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5411 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5412 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5413 @cindex article pre-fetch
5416 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5417 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5418 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5419 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5420 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5422 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5423 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5425 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5426 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5427 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5428 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5429 connection is blocked.
5431 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5432 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5433 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5434 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5436 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5437 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5438 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5439 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5442 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5445 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5446 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5447 happen automatically.
5449 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5450 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5451 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5452 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5453 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5454 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5455 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5457 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5458 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5459 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5460 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5461 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5462 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5463 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5464 data structure as the only parameter.
5466 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5469 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5470 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5471 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5472 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5475 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5478 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5479 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5480 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5482 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5483 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5484 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5485 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5489 Remove articles when they are read.
5492 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5495 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5497 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5498 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5499 @c from the next group.
5502 @node Article Caching
5503 @section Article Caching
5504 @cindex article caching
5507 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5508 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5509 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5510 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5511 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5513 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5515 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5516 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5517 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5518 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5519 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5520 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5521 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5522 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5524 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5525 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5526 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5527 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5528 as dormant, and don't worry.
5530 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5532 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5533 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5534 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5535 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5536 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5537 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5538 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5539 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5540 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5541 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5543 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5544 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5545 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5546 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5547 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5548 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5549 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5550 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5551 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5552 not then be downloaded by this command.
5554 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5555 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5556 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5557 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5558 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5559 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5561 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5562 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5563 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5564 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5565 variables, the group is not cached.
5567 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5568 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5569 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5570 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5571 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5572 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5573 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5574 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5575 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5579 @node Persistent Articles
5580 @section Persistent Articles
5581 @cindex persistent articles
5583 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5584 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5585 useful in my opinion.
5587 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5588 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5589 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5590 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5591 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5592 the expiry going on at the news server.
5594 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5595 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5596 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5602 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5603 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5606 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5607 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5608 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5609 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5613 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5615 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5616 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5617 interested in persistent articles:
5620 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5624 @node Article Backlog
5625 @section Article Backlog
5627 @cindex article backlog
5629 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5630 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5631 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5632 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5633 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5634 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5635 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5636 increase memory usage some.
5638 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5639 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5640 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5641 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5642 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5643 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5644 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5646 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5649 @node Saving Articles
5650 @section Saving Articles
5651 @cindex saving articles
5653 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5654 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5655 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5656 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5657 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5659 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5660 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5661 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5663 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5664 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5665 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5666 deleted before saving.
5672 @kindex O o (Summary)
5674 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5675 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5676 Save the current article using the default article saver
5677 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5680 @kindex O m (Summary)
5681 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5682 Save the current article in mail format
5683 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5686 @kindex O r (Summary)
5687 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5688 Save the current article in rmail format
5689 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5692 @kindex O f (Summary)
5693 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5694 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5695 Save the current article in plain file format
5696 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5699 @kindex O F (Summary)
5700 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5701 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5702 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5705 @kindex O b (Summary)
5706 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5707 Save the current article body in plain file format
5708 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5711 @kindex O h (Summary)
5712 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5713 Save the current article in mh folder format
5714 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5717 @kindex O v (Summary)
5718 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5719 Save the current article in a VM folder
5720 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5723 @kindex O p (Summary)
5724 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5725 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5726 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5729 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5730 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5731 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5732 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5733 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5734 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5735 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5736 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5737 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5738 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5739 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5740 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5744 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5745 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5746 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
5747 functions below, or you can create your own.
5751 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5752 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5753 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5754 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5755 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5756 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5757 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5759 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5760 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5761 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5762 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5763 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5764 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5766 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5767 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5768 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5769 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5770 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5771 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5772 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5774 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5775 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5776 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5777 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5778 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5780 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5781 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5782 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5783 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5784 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5787 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5788 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5789 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5790 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5791 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5793 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5794 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5795 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5796 reader to use this setting.
5799 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5800 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5801 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5802 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5805 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5806 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5807 available functions that generate names:
5811 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5812 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5813 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5815 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5816 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5817 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5819 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5820 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5821 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5823 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5824 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5825 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5828 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5829 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5830 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5831 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5832 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5836 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5837 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5838 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5839 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5842 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5843 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5844 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5845 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5846 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5847 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5848 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5849 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5850 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5852 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5853 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5854 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5855 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5857 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5858 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5859 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5862 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5863 lots of mail groups called things like
5864 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5865 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5866 following will do just that:
5869 (defun my-save-name (group)
5870 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5871 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5873 (setq gnus-split-methods
5874 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5879 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5880 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5881 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5882 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5883 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5884 all the files in the top level directory
5885 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5886 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5887 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5888 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5890 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5891 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5892 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5893 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5894 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5897 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5901 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5902 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5905 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5906 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5907 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5908 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5911 @node Decoding Articles
5912 @section Decoding Articles
5913 @cindex decoding articles
5915 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5916 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5919 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5920 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5921 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5922 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5923 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5924 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5928 @cindex article series
5929 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5930 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5931 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5932 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5933 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5935 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5936 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5937 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5939 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5940 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5941 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5943 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5944 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5945 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5948 @node Uuencoded Articles
5949 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5951 @cindex uuencoded articles
5956 @kindex X u (Summary)
5957 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5958 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5959 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5962 @kindex X U (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5964 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5965 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5968 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5969 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5970 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5973 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5974 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5975 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5976 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5980 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5981 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5982 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5983 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5984 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5986 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5987 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5988 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5989 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5992 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5993 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5994 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5995 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5996 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5997 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6001 @node Shell Archives
6002 @subsection Shell Archives
6004 @cindex shell archives
6005 @cindex shared articles
6007 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6008 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6009 some commands to deal with these:
6014 @kindex X s (Summary)
6015 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6016 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6019 @kindex X S (Summary)
6020 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6021 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6024 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6025 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6026 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6029 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6031 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6032 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6036 @node PostScript Files
6037 @subsection PostScript Files
6043 @kindex X p (Summary)
6044 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6045 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6048 @kindex X P (Summary)
6049 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6050 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6051 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6054 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6055 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6056 View the current PostScript series
6057 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6060 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6061 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6062 View and save the current PostScript series
6063 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6068 @subsection Other Files
6072 @kindex X o (Summary)
6073 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6074 Save the current series
6075 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6078 @kindex X b (Summary)
6079 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6080 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6081 doesn't really work yet.
6085 @node Decoding Variables
6086 @subsection Decoding Variables
6088 Adjective, not verb.
6091 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6092 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6093 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6097 @node Rule Variables
6098 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6099 @cindex rule variables
6101 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6102 variables are of the form
6105 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6112 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6113 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6115 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6116 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6119 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6120 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6123 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6124 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6125 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6126 user and default view rules.
6128 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6129 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6130 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6135 @node Other Decode Variables
6136 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6139 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6141 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6142 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6143 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6144 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6145 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6149 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6150 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6153 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6154 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6155 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6158 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6159 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6160 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6161 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6162 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6165 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6166 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6167 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6169 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6170 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6171 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6172 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6173 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6176 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6177 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6178 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6180 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6181 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6182 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6183 looking for files to display.
6185 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6186 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6187 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6190 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6191 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6192 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6195 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6196 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6197 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6200 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6201 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6202 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6205 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6206 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6207 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6208 decoded articles as unread.
6210 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6211 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6212 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6213 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6215 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6216 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6217 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6219 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6220 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6222 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6223 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6224 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6225 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6227 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6228 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6229 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6230 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6231 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6232 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6233 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6234 simply dropped them.
6239 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6240 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6244 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6245 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6246 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6247 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6248 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6249 for you when you post the article.
6251 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6252 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6253 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6254 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6256 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6257 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6258 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6259 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6260 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6261 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6262 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6264 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6265 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6266 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6267 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6268 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6269 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6270 Default is @code{t}.
6276 @subsection Viewing Files
6277 @cindex viewing files
6278 @cindex pseudo-articles
6280 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6281 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6282 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6283 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6284 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6285 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6286 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6288 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6289 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6290 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6291 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6293 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6294 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6295 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6297 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6298 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6299 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6300 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6301 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6303 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6304 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6305 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6306 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6307 a list of parameters to that command.
6309 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6310 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6311 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6313 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6314 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6315 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6318 @node Article Treatment
6319 @section Article Treatment
6321 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6322 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6323 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6324 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6325 these articles easier.
6328 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6329 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6330 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6331 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6332 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6333 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6334 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6335 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6339 @node Article Highlighting
6340 @subsection Article Highlighting
6341 @cindex highlighting
6343 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6344 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6349 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6350 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6351 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6352 Do much highlighting of the current article
6353 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6354 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6357 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6359 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6360 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6361 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6362 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6363 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6364 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6365 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6366 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6367 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6368 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6371 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6372 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6373 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6375 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6378 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6380 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6381 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6382 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6384 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6385 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6386 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6388 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6389 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6390 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6392 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6393 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6394 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6395 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6396 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6397 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6399 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6400 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6401 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6403 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6404 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6405 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6407 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6408 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6409 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6410 that it's a citation.
6412 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6413 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6414 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6416 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6417 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6418 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6420 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6421 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6422 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6423 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6429 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6430 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6431 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6432 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6433 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6434 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6435 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6436 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6441 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
6444 @node Article Fontisizing
6445 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6447 @cindex article emphasis
6449 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6450 @kindex W e (Summary)
6451 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6452 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
6453 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6454 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6456 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6457 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6458 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6459 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6460 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6461 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6462 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6463 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6467 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6468 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6469 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6478 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6479 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6480 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6481 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6482 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6483 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6484 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6485 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6486 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6487 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6488 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6489 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6490 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6492 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6493 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6494 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6498 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6501 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
6503 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
6504 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
6505 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
6506 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
6508 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
6511 @node Article Hiding
6512 @subsection Article Hiding
6513 @cindex article hiding
6515 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6516 too much cruft in most articles.
6521 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6522 @findex gnus-article-hide
6523 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6524 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6525 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6528 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6529 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6530 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6534 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6535 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6536 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6537 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6540 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6541 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6542 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6546 @kindex W W l (Summary)
6547 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
6548 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
6549 Hide list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. Theese
6550 are strings some list servers add to the beginning of all @code{Subject}
6551 headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}.
6555 @item gnus-list-identifiers
6556 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
6557 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
6558 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
6563 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6564 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6565 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6566 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6567 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6568 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6569 articles that have signatures in them do:
6571 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6573 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
6575 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6576 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6578 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6581 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6586 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6587 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6588 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6589 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6592 @kindex W W B (Summary)
6593 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
6596 @cindex stripping advertisments
6597 @cindex advertisments
6598 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
6599 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
6600 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
6601 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
6602 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
6603 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
6604 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
6605 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
6606 signature should be removed.
6609 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6610 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6611 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6612 customizing the hiding:
6616 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6617 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6618 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6619 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6620 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6621 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6622 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6627 Starting point of the hidden text.
6629 Ending point of the hidden text.
6631 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6633 Number of lines of hidden text.
6636 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6637 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6638 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6643 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6644 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6646 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6647 following two variables:
6650 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6651 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6652 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6653 50), hide the cited text.
6655 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6656 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6657 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6662 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6663 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6664 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6665 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6666 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6667 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6671 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6672 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6673 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6675 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6676 citation customization.
6678 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
6682 @node Article Washing
6683 @subsection Article Washing
6685 @cindex article washing
6687 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6688 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6690 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6691 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6697 @kindex W l (Summary)
6698 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6699 Remove page breaks from the current article
6700 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
6704 @kindex W r (Summary)
6705 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6706 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6707 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6708 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6709 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6710 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6712 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6713 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6714 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6715 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6718 @kindex W t (Summary)
6719 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6720 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6721 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6724 @kindex W v (Summary)
6725 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6726 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6727 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6730 @kindex W o (Summary)
6731 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6732 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6735 @kindex W d (Summary)
6736 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6737 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
6739 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
6741 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
6742 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
6743 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
6744 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
6748 @kindex W w (Summary)
6749 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6750 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
6752 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6756 @kindex W Q (Summary)
6757 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
6758 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
6761 @kindex W C (Summary)
6762 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
6763 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
6764 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
6767 @kindex W c (Summary)
6768 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6769 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
6770 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
6771 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
6772 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6775 @kindex W q (Summary)
6776 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6777 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6778 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
6779 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
6780 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
6781 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
6782 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
6783 header that says that this encoding has been done.
6786 @kindex W f (Summary)
6788 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6789 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6790 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6791 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6797 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6798 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6799 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6800 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6801 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6802 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6803 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6804 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6805 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6806 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6807 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6808 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6809 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6810 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6814 @kindex W b (Summary)
6815 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6816 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6817 @xref{Article Buttons}.
6820 @kindex W B (Summary)
6821 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6822 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6823 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6826 @kindex W W H (Summary)
6827 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
6828 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
6829 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
6832 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6833 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6834 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6835 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6838 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6839 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6840 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6841 lines with a single empty line.
6842 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6845 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6846 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6847 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6848 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6851 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6852 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6853 Do all the three commands above
6854 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6857 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6858 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6859 Remove all blank lines
6860 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6863 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6864 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6865 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6866 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6869 @kindex W E e (Summary)
6870 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
6871 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
6872 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
6876 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
6879 @node Article Buttons
6880 @subsection Article Buttons
6883 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6884 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6885 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6886 button on these references.
6888 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6889 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6890 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6895 @item gnus-button-alist
6896 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6897 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6900 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6906 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6907 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6908 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6911 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6912 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6913 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6916 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6917 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6918 avoid false matches.
6921 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6924 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6925 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6929 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6932 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6935 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6936 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6937 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6938 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6939 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6942 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6945 @var{header} is a regular expression.
6947 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6948 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6949 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6950 default values of the variables above.
6952 @item gnus-article-button-face
6953 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6954 Face used on buttons.
6956 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6957 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6958 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6962 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6966 @subsection Article Date
6968 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6969 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6970 when the article was sent.
6975 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6976 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6977 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6978 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6981 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6982 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6984 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6985 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6988 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6989 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6990 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6993 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6994 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6995 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6996 @findex format-time-string
6997 Display the date using a user-defined format
6998 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6999 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7000 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7001 for a list of possible format specs.
7004 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7005 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7006 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7007 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7008 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7009 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7012 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7015 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7016 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7019 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7020 into wonderful absurdities.
7022 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7025 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7028 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7029 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7033 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7034 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7035 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7036 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7037 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7038 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7039 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7043 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7044 preferred format automatically.
7047 @node Article Signature
7048 @subsection Article Signature
7050 @cindex article signature
7052 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7053 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7054 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7055 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7056 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7057 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7058 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7059 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7060 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7063 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7064 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7065 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7066 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7067 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7068 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7069 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7070 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7073 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7076 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7077 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7078 signature when displaying articles.
7082 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7085 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7088 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7089 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7091 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7092 in question is not a signature.
7095 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7096 listed above. Here's an example:
7099 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7100 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7103 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7104 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7105 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7106 signature after all.
7109 @node Article Miscellania
7110 @subsection Article Miscellania
7114 @kindex A t (Summary)
7115 @findex gnus-article-babel
7116 Translate the article from one language to another
7117 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7123 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7124 @cindex MIME decoding
7126 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7127 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7133 @kindex K b (Summary)
7134 View the @sc{mime} part.
7137 @kindex K o (Summary)
7138 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7141 @kindex K c (Summary)
7142 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7145 @kindex K e (Summary)
7146 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7149 @kindex K i (Summary)
7150 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7153 @kindex K | (Summary)
7154 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7157 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7162 @kindex K b (Summary)
7163 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in from of them.
7166 @kindex K m (Summary)
7167 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7168 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7169 be viewed in a more pleasant manner.
7172 @kindex X m (Summary)
7173 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7174 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7175 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7176 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7179 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7180 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7181 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7182 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7185 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7186 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
7187 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7190 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7191 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7192 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7194 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7195 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7196 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7197 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7198 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7199 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7202 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7203 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7204 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7211 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7212 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7213 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7214 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7217 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7220 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7224 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7225 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7226 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7227 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7228 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7230 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7231 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7232 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7233 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7234 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7235 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7236 save all jpegs into some directory).
7238 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7241 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7242 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7244 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7245 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7246 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7247 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7248 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7251 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7252 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7253 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7262 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7263 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7264 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7265 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7266 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7267 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7268 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7270 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7271 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7272 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7273 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7275 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7276 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7277 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7278 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7279 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7280 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7281 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7282 something some agents insist on having in there.
7285 @node Article Commands
7286 @section Article Commands
7293 @kindex A P (Summary)
7294 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7295 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7296 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7297 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7298 run just before printing the buffer.
7303 @node Summary Sorting
7304 @section Summary Sorting
7305 @cindex summary sorting
7307 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7308 can't really see why you'd want that.
7313 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7314 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7315 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7318 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7319 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7320 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7323 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7324 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7325 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7328 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7329 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7330 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7333 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7334 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7335 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7338 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
7340 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
7343 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7344 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7345 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7348 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7349 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7350 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7351 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7352 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7356 @node Finding the Parent
7357 @section Finding the Parent
7358 @cindex parent articles
7359 @cindex referring articles
7364 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7365 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7366 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7367 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7368 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7369 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7370 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7371 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7372 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7374 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7375 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7376 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
7377 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7378 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7382 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7383 @kindex A R (Summary)
7384 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7385 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7388 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7389 @kindex A T (Summary)
7390 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7391 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7392 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7393 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7394 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7395 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7396 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7398 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7399 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7400 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7401 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7402 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7403 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7406 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7407 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7409 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7410 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7411 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7412 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7413 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7414 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7415 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7418 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7419 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7420 by giving this command a prefix.
7422 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
7423 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
7424 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
7425 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
7426 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
7427 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
7430 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
7431 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
7432 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
7435 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
7436 then ask Deja if that fails:
7439 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
7441 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
7444 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
7445 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
7446 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
7447 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
7448 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
7449 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
7452 @node Alternative Approaches
7453 @section Alternative Approaches
7455 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
7456 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
7459 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
7460 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
7465 @subsection Pick and Read
7466 @cindex pick and read
7468 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
7469 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
7470 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
7471 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
7473 @findex gnus-pick-mode
7474 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
7475 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
7476 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
7477 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
7478 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
7480 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
7485 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
7486 Pick the article or thread on the current line
7487 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7488 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
7489 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
7490 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
7491 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
7492 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7495 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7496 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7497 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7498 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7502 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7503 Unpick the thread or article
7504 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7505 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7506 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7507 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7508 the thread or article at that line.
7512 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7513 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7514 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7515 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7516 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7517 will still be visible when you are reading.
7521 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7522 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7523 which is mapped to the same function
7524 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7526 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7529 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7532 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7533 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7535 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7536 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7537 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7539 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7540 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7541 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7542 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7543 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7544 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7545 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7549 @subsection Binary Groups
7550 @cindex binary groups
7552 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7553 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7554 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7555 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7556 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7557 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7558 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7561 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7562 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7563 command, when you have turned on this mode
7564 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7566 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7567 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7571 @section Tree Display
7574 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7575 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
7576 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7577 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7580 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7583 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7584 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7585 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7587 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7588 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7589 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7590 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7591 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7593 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7594 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7595 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7596 default is @code{modeline}.
7598 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7599 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7600 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7601 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7602 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7603 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7604 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7610 The name of the poster.
7612 The @code{From} header.
7614 The number of the article.
7616 The opening bracket.
7618 The closing bracket.
7623 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7625 Variables related to the display are:
7628 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7629 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7630 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7631 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
7632 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
7633 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7635 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7636 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7637 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7638 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7642 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7643 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7644 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
7645 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
7646 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7647 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7648 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7649 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7650 other windows displayed next to it.
7652 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7653 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7654 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7655 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7656 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7657 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7658 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7662 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7665 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7675 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7679 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7680 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7682 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7684 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7689 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7690 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7691 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7694 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7695 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7696 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7697 (gnus-add-configuration
7701 (summary 0.75 point)
7706 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7709 @node Mail Group Commands
7710 @section Mail Group Commands
7711 @cindex mail group commands
7713 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7714 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7716 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7717 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7722 @kindex B e (Summary)
7723 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7724 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7725 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7728 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7729 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7730 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7731 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7732 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7733 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7736 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7737 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7738 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7739 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7740 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7741 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7744 @kindex B m (Summary)
7746 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7747 Move the article from one mail group to another
7748 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7751 @kindex B c (Summary)
7753 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7754 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7755 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7756 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7759 @kindex B B (Summary)
7760 @cindex crosspost mail
7761 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7762 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7763 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7764 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7765 be properly updated.
7768 @kindex B i (Summary)
7769 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7770 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7771 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7772 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7775 @kindex B r (Summary)
7776 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7777 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7778 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7779 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7780 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7784 @kindex B w (Summary)
7786 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7787 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7788 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7789 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7790 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7791 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7794 @kindex B q (Summary)
7795 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7796 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7797 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7798 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7801 @kindex B t (Summary)
7802 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7803 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7804 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7807 @kindex B p (Summary)
7808 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7809 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7810 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7811 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7812 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7813 article from your news server (or rather, from
7814 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7815 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7816 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7817 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7818 just not have arrived yet.
7822 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7823 @cindex moving articles
7824 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
7825 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7826 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7827 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7828 suggestions you find reasonable.
7831 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7832 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7833 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7834 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7838 @node Various Summary Stuff
7839 @section Various Summary Stuff
7842 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7843 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7844 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7845 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7849 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7850 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7851 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7853 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7854 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7855 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7856 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7857 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7858 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7861 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7862 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7863 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7864 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7865 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7867 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7868 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7869 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7872 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7873 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7874 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7875 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7876 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7877 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7878 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
7879 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7880 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7881 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7886 @node Summary Group Information
7887 @subsection Summary Group Information
7892 @kindex H f (Summary)
7893 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7894 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7895 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7896 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7897 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7898 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7899 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7900 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7901 be used for fetching the file.
7904 @kindex H d (Summary)
7905 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7906 Give a brief description of the current group
7907 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7908 rereading the description from the server.
7911 @kindex H h (Summary)
7912 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7913 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7914 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7917 @kindex H i (Summary)
7918 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7919 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7923 @node Searching for Articles
7924 @subsection Searching for Articles
7929 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7930 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7931 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7932 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7935 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7936 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7937 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7938 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7942 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7943 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7944 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7945 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7949 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7950 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7951 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7952 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7955 @node Summary Generation Commands
7956 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7961 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7962 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7963 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7966 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7967 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7968 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7969 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7974 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7975 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7981 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7982 @kindex A D (Summary)
7983 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7984 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7985 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7986 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7987 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7988 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7989 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7990 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7994 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7995 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7996 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7997 several documents into one biiig group
7998 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7999 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8000 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8001 command understands the process/prefix convention
8002 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8005 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8006 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8007 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8008 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8009 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8010 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8014 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8015 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8016 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8019 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8020 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8021 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8022 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8025 @kindex M-C-g (Summary)
8026 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8027 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8028 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8033 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8034 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8035 @cindex summary exit
8036 @cindex exiting groups
8038 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8039 group and return you to the group buffer.
8045 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8047 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8048 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8049 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8050 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8051 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8052 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8053 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8054 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8055 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8056 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8057 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8061 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8063 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8064 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8065 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8069 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8071 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8072 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8073 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8074 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8077 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8078 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8079 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8080 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8083 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8084 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8085 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8086 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8089 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8090 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8091 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8092 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8093 all articles, both read and unread.
8097 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8098 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8099 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8100 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8101 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8102 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8103 articles, both read and unread.
8106 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8107 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8108 Exit the group and go to the next group
8109 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8112 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8113 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8114 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8115 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8118 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8119 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8120 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8121 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8122 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8123 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8126 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8127 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
8130 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8131 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8132 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8133 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8134 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8135 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8136 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8137 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8138 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8139 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8140 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8141 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8143 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8145 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8146 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8147 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8148 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8149 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8150 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8151 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8152 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8153 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8156 @node Crosspost Handling
8157 @section Crosspost Handling
8161 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8162 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8163 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8164 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8165 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8166 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8169 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8170 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8171 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8172 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8173 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8175 @cindex cross-posting
8178 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8179 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8180 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8181 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8182 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8183 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8184 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8185 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8186 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8187 the cross reference mechanism.
8189 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8190 @cindex overview.fmt
8191 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8192 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8193 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8194 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8195 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8196 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8199 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8200 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8201 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8206 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8209 @node Duplicate Suppression
8210 @section Duplicate Suppression
8212 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8213 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8214 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8215 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8220 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8221 is evil and not very common.
8224 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8225 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8228 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8229 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8232 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8235 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8236 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8238 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8239 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8240 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8241 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8242 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8243 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8244 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8247 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8248 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8249 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8250 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8251 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8255 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8256 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8257 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8259 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8260 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8261 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8262 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8263 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
8264 session are suppressed.
8266 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8267 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8268 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8269 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8271 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8272 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8273 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8274 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8277 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
8278 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8279 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8280 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8281 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
8282 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8283 to you to figure out, I think.
8286 @node The Article Buffer
8287 @chapter The Article Buffer
8288 @cindex article buffer
8290 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8291 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8292 tell Gnus otherwise.
8295 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8296 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
8297 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8298 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8299 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8303 @node Hiding Headers
8304 @section Hiding Headers
8305 @cindex hiding headers
8306 @cindex deleting headers
8308 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8309 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8311 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8312 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8313 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8314 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8315 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8316 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8317 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8318 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8319 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8321 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8325 @item gnus-visible-headers
8326 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8327 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8328 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8329 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8331 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8332 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8335 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8338 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8341 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8342 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8343 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8344 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8345 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8346 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8348 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
8349 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
8352 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8355 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8358 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8359 variable will have no effect.
8363 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8364 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8365 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8366 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8367 the headers are to be displayed.
8369 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8370 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8373 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8376 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8377 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8379 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8380 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8381 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8382 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-header} to @code{head}. What this function
8383 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8384 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8385 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8388 These conditions are:
8391 Remove all empty headers.
8393 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8394 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8396 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8399 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8402 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8405 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8407 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8410 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8413 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8414 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
8417 This is also the default value for this variable.
8421 @section Using @sc{mime}
8424 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
8425 while people stand around yawning.
8427 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
8428 while all newsreaders die of fear.
8430 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
8431 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
8432 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
8434 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
8435 @findex gnus-display-mime
8436 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
8437 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
8438 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
8439 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
8441 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
8445 @findex gnus-article-press-button
8447 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
8448 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
8449 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
8451 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
8452 @item M-RET (Article)
8454 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
8455 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
8457 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
8459 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
8460 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
8462 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
8464 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
8465 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
8467 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
8469 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
8470 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}.
8472 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
8474 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
8477 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
8478 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
8481 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
8482 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
8483 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
8484 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
8485 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
8486 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
8487 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
8488 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
8489 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
8491 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
8493 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
8496 @node Customizing Articles
8497 @section Customizing Articles
8498 @cindex article customization
8500 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
8501 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
8502 called automatically when you select the articles.
8504 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
8505 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
8506 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
8507 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
8509 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
8510 for sensible values.
8514 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
8517 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
8520 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
8523 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
8526 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
8530 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
8531 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
8532 regexps in the list.
8535 A list where the first element is not a string:
8537 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
8538 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
8539 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
8543 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
8548 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
8549 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
8550 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
8551 considered to contain just a single part.
8553 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
8554 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
8555 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
8556 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
8557 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
8558 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
8559 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
8561 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
8562 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
8563 group. Values in brackets are suggested sensible values. Others are possible
8564 but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
8567 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
8568 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
8569 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
8570 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
8571 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
8572 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
8573 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
8574 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
8575 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
8576 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
8577 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
8578 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
8579 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
8580 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
8581 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
8582 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
8583 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
8584 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
8585 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
8586 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
8587 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
8588 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
8589 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
8590 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
8591 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
8592 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
8593 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
8594 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
8595 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
8596 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
8597 @item gnus-treat-translate
8600 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
8601 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
8602 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
8603 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
8604 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
8608 @node Article Keymap
8609 @section Article Keymap
8611 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8612 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8613 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8614 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8617 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8622 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8623 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8624 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8627 @kindex DEL (Article)
8628 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8629 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8632 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8633 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8634 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8635 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8636 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8639 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8640 @findex gnus-article-mail
8641 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8642 given a prefix, include the mail.
8646 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8647 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8648 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8652 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8653 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8654 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8657 @kindex TAB (Article)
8658 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8659 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8660 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8663 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8664 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8665 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8671 @section Misc Article
8675 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8676 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8677 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8678 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8681 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
8682 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
8684 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
8685 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
8687 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8688 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8689 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8690 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8691 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8692 the contents of the article buffer.
8694 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8695 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8696 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8698 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8699 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8700 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8701 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8703 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8704 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8705 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8706 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8707 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8712 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8713 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8716 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
8719 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8721 @item gnus-break-pages
8722 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8723 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8724 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8725 paging will not be done.
8727 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8728 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8729 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8734 @node Composing Messages
8735 @chapter Composing Messages
8736 @cindex composing messages
8739 @cindex sending mail
8744 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8745 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8746 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8747 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8748 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8749 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8750 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8753 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8754 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8755 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8756 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8757 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8758 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8759 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8760 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8763 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8764 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8770 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8773 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8774 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8775 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8776 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8778 @item gnus-add-to-list
8779 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8780 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8781 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8789 Variables for composing news articles:
8792 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8793 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8794 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8795 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8796 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8797 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8798 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8799 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8800 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
8803 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8804 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8805 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8806 file. It is 1000 by default.
8811 @node Posting Server
8812 @section Posting Server
8814 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8815 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8817 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8819 @vindex gnus-post-method
8821 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
8822 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8823 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8824 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8825 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8828 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8831 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8832 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8833 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8834 the ``current'' server for posting.
8836 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8837 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8839 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8840 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8843 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8844 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8845 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8850 @section Mail and Post
8852 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8856 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8857 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8858 @cindex mailing lists
8860 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8861 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8862 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8863 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8864 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8865 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8866 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8867 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8868 still a pain, though.
8872 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8873 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8874 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8877 @findex ispell-message
8879 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8883 @node Archived Messages
8884 @section Archived Messages
8885 @cindex archived messages
8886 @cindex sent messages
8888 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8889 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8890 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8891 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8894 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8895 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
8896 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8900 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8901 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8902 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8903 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8906 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8907 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8908 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8909 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8912 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8913 '(nnfolder "archive"
8914 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8915 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8916 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8919 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8921 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8922 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8923 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8925 This variable can be used to do the following:
8929 Messages will be saved in that group.
8930 @item a list of strings
8931 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8932 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8933 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8935 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8940 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8942 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8945 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8947 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8950 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8952 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8953 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8954 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8955 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8960 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8961 '((if (message-news-p)
8966 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8967 messages in one file per month:
8970 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8971 '((if (message-news-p)
8973 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
8976 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8977 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8979 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8980 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8981 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8982 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8983 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8984 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8985 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8986 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8987 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8988 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8990 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8991 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8992 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8993 this will disable archiving.
8996 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8997 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8998 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8999 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9000 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9003 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9004 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9005 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9008 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9009 but the latter is the preferred method.
9013 @node Posting Styles
9014 @section Posting Styles
9015 @cindex posting styles
9018 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9020 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9021 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9022 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9025 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9026 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9027 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9028 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9029 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9034 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9035 (organization "What me?"))
9037 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9038 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9039 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9042 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9043 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9044 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9045 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9046 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9047 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9048 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9049 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9051 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9052 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9053 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9054 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9055 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9056 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9057 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9058 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9061 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9062 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9063 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9064 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9065 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9066 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9067 article. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated,
9068 and the result is thrown away.
9070 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9071 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9072 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9073 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9074 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9075 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9077 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9078 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9079 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9081 @findex message-mail-p
9082 @findex message-news-p
9084 So here's a new example:
9087 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9089 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9091 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9092 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9094 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9095 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9096 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9098 (signature my-news-signature))
9099 ((header "From.*To" "larsi.*org")
9100 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9101 ((posting-from-work-p)
9102 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9103 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9104 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9105 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9107 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9115 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9116 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9117 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9118 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9119 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9121 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9122 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9123 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9124 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9125 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9129 @vindex nndraft-directory
9130 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9131 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9132 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9133 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9134 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9135 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9137 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9138 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9141 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9142 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9143 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9144 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9145 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9146 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9147 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9148 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9149 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9150 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9151 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9152 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9153 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9154 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9156 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9157 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9158 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9160 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9162 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9163 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9164 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9166 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9169 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9170 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9171 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9172 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9173 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9174 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9175 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9178 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9179 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9180 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9183 @node Rejected Articles
9184 @section Rejected Articles
9185 @cindex rejected articles
9187 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9188 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9189 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9190 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9192 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
9193 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9194 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9195 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
9196 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9198 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9199 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9200 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9203 @node Select Methods
9204 @chapter Select Methods
9205 @cindex foreign groups
9206 @cindex select methods
9208 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9209 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9210 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9211 personal mail group.
9213 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9214 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9215 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9216 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9217 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9218 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9220 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9221 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9223 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9226 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9227 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9228 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9229 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9230 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9232 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9235 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9236 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9237 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9238 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
9239 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9240 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9241 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9245 @node The Server Buffer
9246 @section The Server Buffer
9248 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9249 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9250 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9251 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9252 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9253 backend represents a virtual server.
9255 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9256 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9257 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9258 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9260 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9261 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9262 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9263 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9264 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9265 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9266 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9268 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9269 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9272 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9273 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9274 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9275 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9276 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9277 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9278 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9281 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9282 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9285 @node Server Buffer Format
9286 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9287 @cindex server buffer format
9289 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9290 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9291 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9292 variable, with some simple extensions:
9297 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9300 The name of this server.
9303 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9306 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9309 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9310 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9311 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9312 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9322 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9325 @node Server Commands
9326 @subsection Server Commands
9327 @cindex server commands
9333 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9334 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9338 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9339 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9342 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9343 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9344 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9348 @findex gnus-server-exit
9349 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9353 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9354 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9358 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9359 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9363 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9364 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9368 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9369 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9373 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9374 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9375 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
9380 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
9381 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
9382 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
9383 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
9388 @node Example Methods
9389 @subsection Example Methods
9391 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
9394 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
9397 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
9403 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
9404 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
9407 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
9408 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
9410 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
9411 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
9415 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
9418 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
9419 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
9421 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
9422 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
9423 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
9427 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
9430 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
9433 Here's the method for a public spool:
9437 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
9438 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
9441 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
9442 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
9443 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
9444 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
9445 should probably look something like this:
9449 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
9450 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9451 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9452 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9453 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
9456 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
9457 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
9458 server that would look something like this:
9462 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
9463 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
9464 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9465 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9466 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9467 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
9470 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
9471 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
9472 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
9473 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
9476 @node Creating a Virtual Server
9477 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
9479 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
9480 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
9482 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
9483 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
9484 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
9486 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
9488 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
9489 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
9490 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
9491 will contain the following:
9501 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
9502 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
9503 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
9506 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
9507 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
9508 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
9511 @node Server Variables
9512 @subsection Server Variables
9514 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
9515 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
9516 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
9517 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
9518 won't change the "derived" variables.
9520 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
9521 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
9522 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
9523 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
9524 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
9525 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
9526 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
9527 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
9528 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
9532 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
9533 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
9534 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
9538 @node Servers and Methods
9539 @subsection Servers and Methods
9541 Wherever you would normally use a select method
9542 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
9543 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
9544 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
9548 @node Unavailable Servers
9549 @subsection Unavailable Servers
9551 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
9552 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
9553 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
9554 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
9555 actually the case or not.
9557 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
9558 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
9559 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
9560 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
9561 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
9562 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
9563 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
9564 it will regard that server as ``down''.
9566 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
9567 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
9569 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
9570 with the following commands:
9576 @findex gnus-server-open-server
9577 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
9578 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
9582 @findex gnus-server-close-server
9583 Close the connection (if any) to the server
9584 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
9588 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
9589 Mark the current server as unreachable
9590 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
9593 @kindex M-o (Server)
9594 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
9595 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
9596 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
9599 @kindex M-c (Server)
9600 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
9601 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
9602 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
9606 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
9607 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
9608 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
9614 @section Getting News
9615 @cindex reading news
9616 @cindex news backends
9618 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9619 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9620 or it can read from a local spool.
9623 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9624 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9629 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9632 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9633 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9634 server as the, uhm, address.
9636 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9637 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9638 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9639 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9641 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9642 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9643 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9645 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9650 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9651 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9652 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9654 @cindex authentification
9655 @cindex nntp authentification
9656 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9657 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9658 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9659 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9660 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9661 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9662 present in this hook.
9664 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9665 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9666 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9667 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9668 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9669 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9670 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9671 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9672 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9673 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9674 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9675 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9679 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9682 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9683 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9684 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9685 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9686 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9691 Here's an example file:
9694 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9695 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9698 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9699 have to be first, for instance.
9701 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9702 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9703 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9704 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9705 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9706 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9707 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9709 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9710 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9716 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9717 previously mentioned.
9719 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9721 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9722 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9723 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9724 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9725 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9728 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9732 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9734 The default value is
9737 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9738 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9741 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9742 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9744 @item nntp-maximum-request
9745 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9746 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9747 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9748 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9749 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9750 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9751 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9753 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9754 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9755 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9756 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9757 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9758 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9759 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9760 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9761 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9762 no timeouts are done.
9764 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9765 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9766 @c @cindex PPP connections
9767 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9768 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9769 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9770 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9771 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9772 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9773 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9774 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9775 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9776 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9778 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9779 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9780 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9781 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9784 @item nntp-server-hook
9785 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9786 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9789 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9790 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9791 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9792 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9793 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9794 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9795 functions are supplied:
9798 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9799 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9802 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9803 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9804 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9807 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9811 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9812 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9813 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9814 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9816 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9817 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9818 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9820 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9821 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9822 User name on the remote system.
9826 @item nntp-open-telnet
9827 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9828 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9830 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9833 @item nntp-telnet-command
9834 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9835 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9837 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9838 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9839 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9841 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9842 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9843 User name for log in on the remote system.
9845 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9846 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9847 Password to use when logging in.
9849 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9850 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9851 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9854 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9855 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9856 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9857 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9859 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9860 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9861 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9862 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9863 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9867 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9868 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9869 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9870 you must have SSLay installed
9871 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9872 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9873 define a server as follows:
9876 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9878 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9880 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9881 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9882 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9883 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9888 @item nntp-end-of-line
9889 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9890 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9891 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9892 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9894 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9895 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9896 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9900 @vindex nntp-address
9901 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9903 @item nntp-port-number
9904 @vindex nntp-port-number
9905 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9908 @item nntp-buggy-select
9909 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9910 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9912 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9913 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9914 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9915 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9918 @item nntp-xover-commands
9919 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9922 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9923 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9927 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9928 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9929 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9930 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9931 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9932 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9933 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9934 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9935 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9936 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9937 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9939 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9940 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9941 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9943 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9944 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9945 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9946 server closes connection.
9948 @item nntp-record-commands
9949 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9950 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9951 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9952 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9953 that doesn't seem to work.
9959 @subsection News Spool
9963 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9964 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9965 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9968 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9969 anything else) as the address.
9971 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9972 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9973 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9974 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9978 @item nnspool-inews-program
9979 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9980 Program used to post an article.
9982 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9983 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9984 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9986 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9987 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9988 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9989 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9991 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9992 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9993 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9994 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9996 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9997 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9998 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10000 @item nnspool-active-file
10001 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10002 The path to the active file.
10004 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10005 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10006 The path to the group descriptions file.
10008 @item nnspool-history-file
10009 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10010 The path to the news history file.
10012 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10013 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10014 The path to the active date file.
10016 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10017 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10018 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10021 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10022 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10024 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10025 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10026 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10032 @section Getting Mail
10033 @cindex reading mail
10036 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10040 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10041 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10042 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10043 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10044 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10045 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10046 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10047 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10048 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10049 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10050 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10051 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10052 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10056 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10057 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10059 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10060 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10061 of a culture shock.
10063 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10064 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10066 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10067 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10068 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10069 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10071 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10073 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10074 deleted? How awful!
10076 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10077 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10078 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10079 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10082 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10083 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10084 they want to treat a message.
10086 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10087 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10088 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10089 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10090 archived somewhere else.
10092 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10093 These are transported via NNTP, and are therefore news. But we may need
10094 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10095 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10096 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10098 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10099 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10100 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10102 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10103 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10106 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10107 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10108 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10109 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10110 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
10112 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
10113 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
10114 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
10115 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
10116 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
10117 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
10121 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
10122 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
10124 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
10125 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
10126 and things will happen automatically.
10128 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
10129 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
10132 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10133 '((nnml "private")))
10136 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10137 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10138 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10139 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10140 like any other group.
10142 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10145 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10146 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10147 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10151 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10152 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10153 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10156 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10157 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10158 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10161 @node Splitting Mail
10162 @subsection Splitting Mail
10163 @cindex splitting mail
10164 @cindex mail splitting
10166 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10167 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10168 to be split into groups.
10171 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10172 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10173 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10174 ("mail.other" "")))
10177 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10178 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10179 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10180 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10181 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10182 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10183 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10186 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10189 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10190 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10191 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10192 mail belongs in that group.
10194 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10195 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10196 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10197 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10198 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10199 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10201 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10202 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10203 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10204 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10205 thinks should carry this mail message.
10207 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10208 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10209 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10210 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10212 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10213 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10214 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10215 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10216 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10218 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10221 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10222 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10223 links. If that's the case for you, set
10224 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10225 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10227 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10228 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10229 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10230 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
10232 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10233 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10234 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10235 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10236 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10237 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10238 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10239 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10240 month's rent money.
10244 @subsection Mail Sources
10246 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10247 POP mail server, or from a procmail directory, for instance.
10250 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10251 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10252 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10256 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10257 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10259 @cindex mail server
10262 @cindex mail source
10264 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10265 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
10270 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
10273 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
10274 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
10275 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
10278 The following mail source types are available:
10282 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
10288 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
10289 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
10292 An example file mail source:
10295 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
10298 Or using the default path:
10304 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
10305 use POP or IMAP or the like to fetch the mail. You can not you ange-ftp
10306 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
10309 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
10313 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
10316 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
10320 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
10323 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
10325 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
10328 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
10332 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
10333 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
10339 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
10343 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
10347 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
10348 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
10349 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
10350 predicate are considered.
10354 Script run before/after fetching mail.
10358 An example directory mail source:
10361 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
10366 Get mail from a POP server.
10372 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
10373 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10376 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
10379 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
10383 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
10387 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
10388 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
10391 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
10394 The valid format specifier characters are:
10398 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
10399 included in this string.
10402 The name of the server.
10405 The port number of the server.
10408 The user name to use.
10411 The password to use.
10414 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
10415 corresponding keywords.
10418 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
10419 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
10422 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
10423 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
10426 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
10427 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
10430 @item :authentication
10431 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
10432 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
10437 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
10438 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
10440 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
10441 default user name, and default fetcher:
10447 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
10450 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
10451 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
10454 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
10457 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
10461 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox currently only
10462 supported by qmail, where each file in a special directory contains
10469 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
10470 @samp{~/Maildir/new}.
10472 If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
10473 them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
10474 @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the following example.
10478 An example maildir mail source:
10481 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/cur")
10485 Get mail from a IMAP server. If you don't want to use IMAP as intended,
10486 as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some reason or
10487 other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and fetches
10488 articles from a given IMAP mailbox.
10494 The name of the IMAP server. The default is taken from the
10495 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10498 The port number of the IMAP server. The default is @samp{143}, or
10499 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
10502 The user name to give to the IMAP server. The default is the login
10506 The password to give to the IMAP server. If not specified, the user is
10510 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
10511 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
10512 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
10514 @item :authenticator
10515 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
10516 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this means
10517 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
10521 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
10522 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
10525 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default,
10526 @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people,
10527 but if you sometimes peek in your mailbox with a IMAP client and mark
10528 some articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to
10529 @samp{nil}. Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter
10530 what. For a complete list of predicates, see RFC2060 §6.4.4.
10533 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
10534 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
10535 would simply mark them as read. Theese are the two most likely choices,
10536 but more flags are defined in RFC2060 §2.3.2.
10539 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
10540 after finishing the fetch.
10544 An example IMAP mail source:
10547 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4)
10553 @node Mail Source Customization
10554 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
10556 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
10557 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
10561 @item mail-source-crash-box
10562 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
10563 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
10564 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
10566 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
10567 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
10568 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
10570 @item mail-source-directory
10571 @vindex mail-source-directory
10572 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
10573 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
10574 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
10577 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
10578 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
10579 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
10584 @node Fetching Mail
10585 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
10587 @vindex mail-sources
10588 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
10589 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
10590 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
10591 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
10593 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
10594 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
10597 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
10598 mail server, you'd say something like:
10603 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10604 :password "secret")))
10607 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
10611 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
10612 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10615 :password "secret")))
10619 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
10620 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
10621 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
10622 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
10623 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
10624 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
10628 @node Mail Backend Variables
10629 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
10631 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
10635 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10636 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10637 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
10638 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
10640 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
10641 @item nnmail-split-hook
10642 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
10643 @findex RFC1522 decoding
10644 @findex RFC2047 decoding
10645 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
10646 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
10647 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
10648 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
10649 in the buffer will show up in any files.
10650 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
10653 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10654 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10655 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10656 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10657 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
10658 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
10659 starting to handle the new mail) and
10660 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
10661 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
10662 default file modes the new mail files get:
10665 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10666 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
10668 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
10669 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
10672 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
10673 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
10674 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
10675 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
10676 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
10677 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
10678 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
10680 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
10681 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
10682 @findex delete-file
10683 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
10685 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10686 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10687 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
10688 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
10689 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
10694 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
10695 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
10696 @cindex mail splitting
10697 @cindex fancy mail splitting
10699 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
10700 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
10701 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
10702 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
10703 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
10704 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
10706 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
10709 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
10710 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
10711 ;; from real errors.
10712 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
10714 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
10715 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
10716 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
10717 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
10718 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
10719 ;; Other mailing lists...
10720 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
10721 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
10722 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
10723 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
10724 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
10725 ;; message was really cross-posted.
10726 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
10727 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
10729 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
10730 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
10734 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
10735 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
10736 the five possible split syntaxes:
10741 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
10742 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
10746 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @var{[- restrict [- restrict [@dots{}]]]}
10747 @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the first element of which is a
10748 string, then store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header
10749 @var{field} (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If
10750 @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
10751 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
10752 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
10753 @var{split} is processed.
10756 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
10757 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
10758 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
10759 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
10762 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
10763 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
10766 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
10767 this message. Use with extreme caution.
10770 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
10771 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
10772 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
10773 function should return a @var{split}.
10776 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
10777 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
10778 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
10782 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
10786 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
10787 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
10788 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
10789 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
10790 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
10792 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
10793 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
10794 are expanded as specified by the variable
10795 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
10796 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
10799 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
10800 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
10801 when all this splitting is performed.
10803 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
10804 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
10805 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
10808 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
10811 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
10812 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
10814 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
10815 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
10816 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
10817 groupings 1 through 9.
10820 @node Group Mail Splitting
10821 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
10822 @cindex mail splitting
10823 @cindex group mail splitting
10825 @findex gnus-group-split
10826 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
10827 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
10828 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
10829 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
10830 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
10831 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
10832 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
10833 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
10835 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
10836 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
10837 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
10838 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
10840 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
10841 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
10842 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
10843 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
10844 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
10845 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
10846 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
10848 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
10849 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
10850 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
10851 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
10852 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
10853 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
10854 @code{gnus-group-split}.
10856 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
10857 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
10858 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
10859 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
10860 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
10861 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
10862 that group is used as the catch-all group. Note that, in this case,
10863 there's no cross-posting, as a @code{|} fancy split encloses the
10864 @code{&} split and the catch-all group.
10866 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
10871 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
10872 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
10874 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
10875 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
10876 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
10877 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
10879 ((split-spec . catch-all))
10882 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
10883 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
10884 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
10887 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
10888 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
10889 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
10893 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
10894 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
10895 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
10899 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
10902 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
10903 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
10904 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
10905 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} may be the name
10906 of a group to be used as the default catch-all group. If
10907 @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
10908 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
10909 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
10910 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
10912 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
10913 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
10914 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
10915 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
10916 used to select @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
10917 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
10918 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
10919 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
10920 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
10922 @findex gnus-group-split-update
10923 However, if you change group parameters, you have to update
10924 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
10925 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
10926 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
10927 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
10930 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
10933 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
10934 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
10935 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
10936 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional),
10937 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
10940 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
10941 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
10942 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
10943 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
10945 @node Incorporating Old Mail
10946 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
10948 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
10949 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
10950 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
10953 Doing so can be quite easy.
10955 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
10956 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
10957 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
10958 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
10959 your @code{nnml} groups.
10965 Go to the group buffer.
10968 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
10969 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10972 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
10975 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
10976 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
10979 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
10980 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
10983 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
10984 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
10985 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
10986 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
10987 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
10989 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
10990 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
10991 using the new mail backend.
10994 @node Expiring Mail
10995 @subsection Expiring Mail
10996 @cindex article expiry
10998 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
10999 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
11000 different approach to mail reading.
11002 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
11003 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
11004 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
11005 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
11006 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
11007 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
11010 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
11011 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
11012 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
11013 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
11014 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
11015 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
11016 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
11017 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
11019 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11020 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
11021 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
11022 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
11023 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
11024 column in the summary buffer.
11026 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
11027 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
11028 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
11029 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
11032 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
11034 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
11035 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
11036 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
11039 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
11040 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
11041 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
11042 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
11043 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
11045 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
11046 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
11049 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11050 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
11053 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
11054 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
11056 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
11057 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
11058 don't really mix very well.
11060 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
11061 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
11062 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
11063 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
11066 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
11067 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
11068 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
11069 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
11072 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11074 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11076 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
11078 ((string= group "mail.junk")
11080 ((string= group "important")
11086 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
11087 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
11089 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
11090 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
11091 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
11094 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
11095 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
11097 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
11098 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
11099 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
11100 easier for procmail users.
11102 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
11103 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
11104 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
11105 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
11106 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
11107 caution. Even more dangerous is the
11108 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
11109 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
11110 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
11111 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
11112 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
11113 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
11114 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
11117 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
11119 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
11120 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
11121 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
11122 auto-expire turned on.
11126 @subsection Washing Mail
11127 @cindex mail washing
11128 @cindex list server brain damage
11129 @cindex incoming mail treatment
11131 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
11132 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
11133 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
11134 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
11135 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
11136 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
11138 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
11139 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
11140 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
11143 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
11144 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
11145 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
11146 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
11149 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11150 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11151 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
11152 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
11153 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
11156 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11157 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11158 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
11159 Emacs running on MS machines.
11163 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11164 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11165 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
11166 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
11169 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11170 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11171 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
11172 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
11174 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11175 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11176 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
11177 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
11178 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
11179 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
11180 also be a list of regexp.
11182 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
11183 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
11186 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
11187 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
11190 This can also be done non-destructively with
11191 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
11193 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
11194 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
11195 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
11197 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11198 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11200 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
11201 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
11202 @code{References} headers.
11206 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11207 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11208 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
11212 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
11213 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
11214 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
11221 @subsection Duplicates
11223 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
11224 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
11225 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
11226 @cindex duplicate mails
11227 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
11228 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
11229 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
11230 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
11231 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
11232 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
11233 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
11234 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
11235 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
11236 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
11237 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
11238 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
11239 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
11241 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
11242 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
11243 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
11244 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
11246 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
11249 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
11250 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
11254 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11255 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
11256 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
11257 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
11258 (any mail "mail.misc")
11265 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11266 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
11271 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
11272 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
11273 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
11274 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
11275 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
11278 @node Not Reading Mail
11279 @subsection Not Reading Mail
11281 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
11282 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
11283 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
11285 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
11286 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
11287 mail, which should help.
11289 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11290 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
11291 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11292 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11293 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11294 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
11295 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
11296 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
11297 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
11298 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
11299 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
11301 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
11302 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
11306 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
11307 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
11309 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
11310 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
11311 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
11313 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
11314 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
11315 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
11316 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
11319 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
11320 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
11321 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
11322 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
11323 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
11324 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
11328 @node Unix Mail Box
11329 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
11331 @cindex unix mail box
11333 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
11334 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
11335 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
11336 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
11337 which group it belongs in.
11339 Virtual server settings:
11342 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
11343 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
11344 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
11346 @item nnmbox-active-file
11347 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
11348 The name of the active file for the mail box.
11350 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
11351 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
11352 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
11358 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
11362 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
11363 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
11364 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
11365 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
11366 article to say which group it belongs in.
11368 Virtual server settings:
11371 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
11372 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
11373 The name of the rmail mbox file.
11375 @item nnbabyl-active-file
11376 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
11377 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
11379 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11380 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11381 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
11386 @subsubsection Mail Spool
11388 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
11390 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
11391 format. It should be used with some caution.
11393 @vindex nnml-directory
11394 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
11395 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
11396 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
11397 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
11399 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
11402 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
11403 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
11404 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
11405 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
11406 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
11407 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
11408 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
11409 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
11411 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
11412 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
11413 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
11414 backend when it comes to reading mail.
11416 Virtual server settings:
11419 @item nnml-directory
11420 @vindex nnml-directory
11421 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
11423 @item nnml-active-file
11424 @vindex nnml-active-file
11425 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
11427 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
11428 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
11429 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
11432 @item nnml-get-new-mail
11433 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11434 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
11436 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
11437 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
11438 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
11440 @item nnml-nov-file-name
11441 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
11442 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
11444 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
11445 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
11446 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
11450 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
11451 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
11452 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
11453 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
11454 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
11455 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
11456 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
11461 @subsubsection MH Spool
11463 @cindex mh-e mail spool
11465 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
11466 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
11467 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
11468 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
11470 Virtual server settings:
11473 @item nnmh-directory
11474 @vindex nnmh-directory
11475 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
11477 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
11478 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11479 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
11482 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
11483 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
11484 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
11485 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
11486 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
11487 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
11488 to set this variable to @code{t}.
11493 @subsubsection Mail Folders
11495 @cindex mbox folders
11496 @cindex mail folders
11498 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
11499 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
11500 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
11503 Virtual server settings:
11506 @item nnfolder-directory
11507 @vindex nnfolder-directory
11508 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
11510 @item nnfolder-active-file
11511 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
11512 The name of the active file.
11514 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
11515 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
11516 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
11518 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
11519 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11520 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
11522 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
11523 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
11524 @cindex backup files
11525 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
11526 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
11527 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
11528 your @file{.emacs} file:
11531 (defun turn-off-backup ()
11532 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
11534 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
11537 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
11538 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
11539 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
11540 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
11541 extract some information from it before removing it.
11546 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
11547 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
11548 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
11549 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
11550 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
11551 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
11554 @node Comparing Mail Backends
11555 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
11557 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
11558 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
11559 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
11560 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
11561 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
11563 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
11564 typically done by NNTP these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
11565 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
11566 articles lay (the machine which today we call an NNTP server), and
11567 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
11568 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
11569 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
11570 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
11573 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
11574 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
11575 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
11576 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
11581 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
11582 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
11583 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
11584 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
11585 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
11586 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
11587 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
11588 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
11589 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
11590 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
11591 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
11592 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
11593 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
11598 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
11599 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
11600 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
11601 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
11602 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
11603 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
11604 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
11605 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
11606 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
11607 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
11608 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
11609 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
11610 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
11611 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
11613 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
11614 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
11619 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
11620 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
11621 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
11622 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
11623 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
11624 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
11625 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
11626 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
11627 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
11628 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
11629 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
11630 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
11631 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
11632 provided by the active file and overviews.
11634 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
11635 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
11636 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
11637 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
11638 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
11641 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
11642 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
11647 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
11648 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
11649 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
11650 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
11651 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
11652 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
11653 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
11657 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
11658 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
11659 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
11660 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
11661 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
11662 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
11663 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
11664 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
11665 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
11667 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
11668 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
11669 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
11670 friendly mail backend all over.
11675 @node Browsing the Web
11676 @section Browsing the Web
11678 @cindex browsing the web
11682 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
11683 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
11684 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
11685 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
11686 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
11687 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
11688 even know what a news group is.
11690 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
11691 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
11692 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
11693 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
11694 you mad in the end.
11696 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
11699 Gnus has been getting quite a collection of backends for providing
11700 interfaces to these sources.
11703 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
11704 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
11705 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
11708 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
11709 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
11710 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
11711 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
11712 though, you should be ok.
11714 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
11715 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
11716 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
11717 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
11718 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
11722 @subsection Web Searches
11726 @cindex InReference
11727 @cindex Usenet searches
11728 @cindex searching the Usenet
11730 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11731 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11732 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11733 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11734 searches without having to use a browser.
11736 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11737 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11738 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11739 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11740 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11742 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11743 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11744 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11745 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11746 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11747 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11748 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11749 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11750 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11751 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11754 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11755 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11756 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
11757 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11758 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11759 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11761 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11762 to use @code{nnweb}.
11764 Virtual server variables:
11769 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11770 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11774 @vindex nnweb-search
11775 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11777 @item nnweb-max-hits
11778 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11779 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11782 @item nnweb-type-definition
11783 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11784 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11785 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11790 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11794 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11797 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11800 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11804 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11811 @subsection Slashdot
11815 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
11816 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
11817 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
11819 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
11820 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
11823 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11824 '((nnslashdot "")))
11827 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
11828 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
11829 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
11830 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
11831 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
11834 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
11837 @item nnslashdot-threaded
11838 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
11839 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
11840 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
11841 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
11842 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
11843 but much, much slower than untreaded.
11845 @item nnslashdot-login-name
11846 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
11847 The login name to use when posting.
11849 @item nnslashdot-password
11850 @vindex nnslashdot-password
11851 The password to use when posting.
11853 @item nnslashdot-directory
11854 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
11855 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
11856 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
11858 @item nnslashdot-active-url
11859 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
11860 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
11861 news articles and comments. The default is
11862 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
11864 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
11865 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
11866 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
11868 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
11870 @item nnslashdot-article-url
11871 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
11872 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
11874 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
11876 @item nnslashdot-threshold
11877 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
11878 The score threshold. The default is -1.
11880 @item nnslashdot-group-number
11881 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
11882 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
11883 updated. The default is 0.
11890 @subsection Ultimate
11892 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
11894 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
11895 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
11896 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
11897 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
11899 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
11900 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
11901 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
11902 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
11903 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
11904 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
11905 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
11907 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
11910 @item nnultimate-directory
11911 @vindex nnultimate-directory
11912 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
11913 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
11917 @node Other Sources
11918 @section Other Sources
11920 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
11921 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
11925 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
11926 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
11927 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
11928 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
11929 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
11930 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a IMAP client.
11934 @node Directory Groups
11935 @subsection Directory Groups
11937 @cindex directory groups
11939 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
11940 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
11943 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
11944 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
11945 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
11946 backend to read directories. Big deal.
11948 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
11949 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
11950 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
11951 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
11952 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
11954 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
11956 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
11957 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
11958 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
11959 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
11962 @node Anything Groups
11963 @subsection Anything Groups
11966 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
11967 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
11968 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
11971 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
11972 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
11973 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
11974 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
11975 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
11976 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
11977 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
11978 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
11979 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
11980 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
11983 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
11984 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
11985 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
11986 in the article buffer, just as usual.
11988 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
11989 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
11990 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
11991 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
11993 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
11994 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
11995 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
11996 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
11997 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
11998 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
11999 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
12000 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
12005 @item nneething-map-file-directory
12006 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
12007 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
12008 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
12010 @item nneething-exclude-files
12011 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
12012 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
12013 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
12015 @item nneething-include-files
12016 @vindex nneething-include-files
12017 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
12018 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
12020 @item nneething-map-file
12021 @vindex nneething-map-file
12022 Name of the map files.
12026 @node Document Groups
12027 @subsection Document Groups
12029 @cindex documentation group
12032 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
12033 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
12040 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
12045 The standard Unix mbox file.
12047 @cindex MMDF mail box
12049 The MMDF mail box format.
12052 Several news articles appended into a file.
12055 @cindex rnews batch files
12056 The rnews batch transport format.
12057 @cindex forwarded messages
12060 Forwarded articles.
12063 Netscape mail boxes.
12066 MIME multipart messages.
12068 @item standard-digest
12069 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
12072 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
12075 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
12076 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
12077 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
12080 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
12081 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
12082 group. And that's it.
12084 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
12085 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
12086 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
12087 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
12088 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
12089 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
12090 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
12091 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
12092 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
12093 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
12095 Virtual server variables:
12098 @item nndoc-article-type
12099 @vindex nndoc-article-type
12100 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
12101 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
12102 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
12103 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
12105 @item nndoc-post-type
12106 @vindex nndoc-post-type
12107 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
12108 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
12113 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
12117 @node Document Server Internals
12118 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
12120 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
12121 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
12122 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
12123 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
12125 First, here's an example document type definition:
12129 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
12130 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
12133 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
12134 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
12135 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
12136 types can be defined with very few settings:
12139 @item first-article
12140 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
12141 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
12144 @item article-begin
12145 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
12146 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
12148 @item head-begin-function
12149 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
12152 @item nndoc-head-begin
12153 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
12156 @item nndoc-head-end
12157 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
12158 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
12160 @item body-begin-function
12161 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
12165 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
12168 @item body-end-function
12169 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
12173 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
12176 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
12177 regexp will be totally ignored.
12181 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
12182 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
12183 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
12184 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
12185 something that's palatable for Gnus:
12188 @item prepare-body-function
12189 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
12190 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
12191 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
12193 @item article-transform-function
12194 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
12195 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
12196 body of the article.
12198 @item generate-head-function
12199 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
12200 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
12201 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
12202 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
12206 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
12211 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12212 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12213 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
12214 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
12215 (head-end . "^ ?$")
12216 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
12217 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
12218 (subtype digest guess))
12221 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
12222 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
12223 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
12224 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
12225 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
12227 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
12228 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
12229 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
12230 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
12231 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
12232 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
12233 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
12234 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
12235 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
12236 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
12244 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
12245 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
12246 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
12248 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
12249 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
12250 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
12253 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
12254 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
12255 that interested in doing things properly.
12257 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
12258 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
12261 First some terminology:
12266 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
12267 get news and/or mail from.
12270 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
12271 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
12274 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
12278 @item message packets
12279 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
12280 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
12281 default, where @var{x} is a number.
12283 @item response packets
12284 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
12285 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
12286 default, where @var{x} is a number.
12296 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
12297 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
12298 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
12299 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
12302 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
12305 You put the packet in your home directory.
12308 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
12309 the native or secondary server.
12312 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
12313 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
12316 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
12320 You transfer this packet to the server.
12323 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
12326 You then repeat until you die.
12330 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
12331 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
12334 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
12335 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
12336 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
12340 @node SOUP Commands
12341 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
12343 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
12347 @kindex G s b (Group)
12348 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
12349 Pack all unread articles in the current group
12350 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
12351 process/prefix convention.
12354 @kindex G s w (Group)
12355 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
12356 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
12359 @kindex G s s (Group)
12360 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
12361 Send all replies from the replies packet
12362 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
12365 @kindex G s p (Group)
12366 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
12367 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
12370 @kindex G s r (Group)
12371 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
12372 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
12375 @kindex O s (Summary)
12376 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
12377 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
12378 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
12379 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
12384 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
12389 @item gnus-soup-directory
12390 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
12391 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
12392 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
12394 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
12395 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
12396 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
12397 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
12399 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
12400 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
12401 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
12402 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
12404 @item gnus-soup-packer
12405 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
12406 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
12407 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
12409 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
12410 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
12411 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
12412 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
12414 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
12415 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
12416 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
12418 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
12419 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
12420 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
12421 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
12427 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
12430 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
12431 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
12432 you can read them at leisure.
12434 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
12438 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
12439 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
12440 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
12441 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
12443 @item nnsoup-directory
12444 @vindex nnsoup-directory
12445 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
12446 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
12448 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
12449 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
12450 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
12451 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
12453 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
12454 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
12455 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
12456 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
12457 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
12459 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
12460 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
12461 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
12462 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
12464 @item nnsoup-active-file
12465 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
12466 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
12467 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
12468 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
12469 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
12471 @item nnsoup-packer
12472 @vindex nnsoup-packer
12473 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
12474 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
12476 @item nnsoup-unpacker
12477 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
12478 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
12479 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
12481 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
12482 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
12483 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
12486 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
12487 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
12488 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
12491 @item nnsoup-always-save
12492 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
12493 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
12499 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
12501 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
12502 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
12503 more for that to happen.
12505 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
12506 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
12507 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
12510 In specific, this is what it does:
12513 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
12514 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
12517 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
12518 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
12519 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
12522 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
12523 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
12524 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
12527 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
12528 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
12529 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
12531 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
12537 @item nngateway-address
12538 @vindex nngateway-address
12539 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
12541 @item nngateway-header-transformation
12542 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
12543 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
12544 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
12545 transformation should be called, and defaults to
12546 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
12547 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
12550 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
12551 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
12552 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
12555 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
12558 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
12561 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
12564 The following pre-defined functions exist:
12566 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
12569 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
12570 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
12571 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
12573 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
12575 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
12576 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
12577 @code{nngateway-address}.
12582 (setq gnus-post-method
12583 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
12584 (nngateway-header-transformation
12585 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
12593 So, to use this, simply say something like:
12596 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
12606 IMAP is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...), think of
12607 it as a modernized NNTP. Connecting to a IMAP server is much similar to
12608 connecting to a news server, you just specify the network address of the
12611 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
12616 @item nnimap-address
12617 @vindex nnimap-address
12619 The address of the remote IMAP server. Defaults to the virtual server
12620 name if not specified.
12622 @item nnimap-server-port
12623 @vindex nnimap-server-port
12624 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
12626 @item nnimap-list-pattern
12627 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
12628 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups
12629 to. This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
12630 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via IMAP,
12631 you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in @file{~/Mail/*}
12634 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
12635 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
12636 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
12642 ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*" ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))
12645 @item nnimap-stream
12646 @vindex nnimap-stream
12647 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
12648 will use the most secure stream your server is capable of.
12652 @dfn{kerberos4:} Uses the `imtest' program.
12654 @dfn{ssl:} Uses OpenSSL or SSLeay.
12656 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
12659 @item nnimap-authenticator
12660 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
12662 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap will
12663 use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
12667 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication.
12669 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
12671 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
12673 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
12676 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
12678 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
12679 Unlike Parmenides the IMAP designers has decided that things that
12680 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, IMAP has this
12681 concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually delete
12682 them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what nnimap
12683 does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or similair).
12685 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
12686 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
12687 running in circles yet?
12689 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
12690 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
12693 The possible options are:
12698 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
12701 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing the
12702 articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other IMAP clients may allow
12703 you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command manually,
12704 @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
12706 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
12713 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
12714 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
12715 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
12720 @node Splitting in IMAP
12721 @subsubsection Splitting in IMAP
12722 @cindex splitting imap mail
12724 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
12725 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many IMAP
12726 server has server side splitting and those that have splitting seem to
12727 use some non-standard protocol. This means that IMAP support for Gnus
12728 has to do it's own splitting.
12732 There are three variables of interest:
12736 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
12737 @cindex splitting, crosspost
12739 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
12741 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
12742 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
12744 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
12746 @item nnimap-split-inbox
12747 @cindex splitting, inbox
12749 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
12751 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of IMAP mailboxes
12752 to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is disabled!
12755 (setq nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
12758 No nnmail equivalent.
12760 @item nnimap-split-rule
12761 @cindex Splitting, rules
12762 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
12764 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
12767 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
12768 sublist gives the name of the IMAP mailbox to move articles matching the
12769 regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that? Neither did I, we
12773 (setq nnimap-split-rule
12774 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
12775 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
12776 ("INBOX.private" "")))
12779 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
12780 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
12781 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
12783 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
12784 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
12788 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
12791 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12792 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
12793 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
12794 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
12796 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
12797 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
12798 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
12799 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
12800 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
12801 them every time you fetch new mail.)
12803 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
12804 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
12805 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
12807 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
12809 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
12813 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
12814 @subsubsection Editing IMAP ACLs
12815 @cindex editing imap acls
12816 @cindex Access Control Lists
12817 @cindex Editing IMAP ACLs
12819 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
12821 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in IMAP for limiting
12822 (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all IMAP
12823 servers support this, this function will give an error if it doesn't.
12825 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
12826 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
12827 editing window with detailed instructions.
12829 Some possible uses:
12833 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
12834 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
12835 follow the list without subscribing to it.
12837 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
12838 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
12839 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the IMAP mailbox
12843 @node Expunging mailboxes
12844 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
12848 @cindex Manual expunging
12850 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
12852 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
12853 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
12854 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
12856 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
12861 @node Combined Groups
12862 @section Combined Groups
12864 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
12868 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
12869 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
12873 @node Virtual Groups
12874 @subsection Virtual Groups
12876 @cindex virtual groups
12877 @cindex merging groups
12879 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
12882 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
12883 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
12884 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
12886 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
12887 regexp to match component groups.
12889 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
12890 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
12891 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
12892 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
12893 the virtual group.)
12895 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
12896 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
12899 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
12902 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
12903 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
12905 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
12906 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
12907 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
12908 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
12911 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
12914 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
12915 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
12916 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
12918 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
12919 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
12920 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
12921 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
12922 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
12924 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
12925 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
12926 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
12928 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
12929 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
12930 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
12931 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
12932 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
12933 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
12934 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
12935 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
12936 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
12937 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
12938 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
12940 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
12941 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
12942 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
12943 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
12944 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
12945 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
12946 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
12948 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
12949 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
12953 @node Kibozed Groups
12954 @subsection Kibozed Groups
12958 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
12959 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
12960 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
12961 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
12963 @kindex G k (Group)
12964 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
12967 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
12968 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
12969 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
12970 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
12972 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
12973 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
12974 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
12976 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
12977 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
12978 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
12979 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
12980 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
12981 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
12982 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
12983 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
12985 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
12986 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
12987 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
12988 Stranger things have happened.
12990 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
12991 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
12993 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
12994 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
12995 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
12996 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
12997 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
12998 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
13000 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
13001 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
13004 @node Gnus Unplugged
13005 @section Gnus Unplugged
13010 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
13012 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
13013 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
13014 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
13015 read news. Believe it or not.
13017 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
13018 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
13019 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
13020 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
13021 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
13023 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
13024 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
13025 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
13026 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
13027 reading news on a machine.
13029 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
13033 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
13034 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
13038 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
13039 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13046 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
13048 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
13051 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
13052 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
13053 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
13054 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
13055 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
13056 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
13057 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
13058 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
13059 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
13064 @subsection Agent Basics
13066 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
13068 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
13069 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
13070 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
13071 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
13073 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
13074 connected to the net continuously.
13076 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
13077 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
13079 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
13084 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
13085 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
13086 already fetched while in this mode.
13089 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
13090 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
13091 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
13094 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
13095 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
13096 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
13097 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
13100 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
13101 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
13102 then you read the news offline.
13105 And then you go to step 2.
13108 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
13114 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
13115 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
13116 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
13117 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
13118 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
13119 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
13122 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
13129 @node Agent Categories
13130 @subsection Agent Categories
13132 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
13133 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
13134 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
13135 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
13136 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
13137 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
13138 you're interested in the articles anyway.
13140 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
13141 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
13142 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
13143 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
13144 managing categories.
13147 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
13148 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
13149 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
13153 @node Category Syntax
13154 @subsubsection Category Syntax
13156 A category consists of two things.
13160 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
13161 are eligible for downloading; and
13164 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
13165 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
13166 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
13169 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
13170 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
13171 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
13172 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
13174 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
13175 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
13176 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
13178 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
13179 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
13180 operators sprinkled in between.
13182 Perhaps some examples are in order.
13184 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
13185 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
13191 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
13192 short (for some value of ``short'').
13194 Here's a more complex predicate:
13203 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
13204 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
13207 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
13208 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
13209 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
13211 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
13212 you want to do, you can write your own.
13216 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
13217 lines; default 100.
13220 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
13221 lines; default 200.
13224 True iff the article has a download score less than
13225 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
13228 True iff the article has a download score greater than
13229 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
13232 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
13233 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
13234 checksum and sees whether articles match.
13243 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
13244 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
13245 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
13248 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
13249 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
13250 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
13251 something along the lines of the following:
13254 (defun my-article-old-p ()
13255 "Say whether an article is old."
13256 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
13257 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
13260 with the predicate then defined as:
13263 (not my-article-old-p)
13266 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
13267 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
13268 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
13269 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
13272 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
13273 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
13274 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
13277 and simply specify your predicate as:
13283 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
13284 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
13285 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
13286 just don't give a damm.
13289 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
13290 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
13291 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
13292 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
13293 parameters like so:
13296 (agent-predicate . short)
13299 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category
13300 default. Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this,
13301 the @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair
13304 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
13307 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
13310 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
13311 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
13312 predicate is assumed to be a list.
13315 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
13316 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
13317 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
13318 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
13319 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
13320 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
13322 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
13323 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
13324 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
13325 if it's to be specific to that group.
13327 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
13334 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
13335 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
13341 Category specification
13345 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
13351 Group Parameter specification
13354 (agent-score ("from"
13355 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
13360 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
13366 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
13373 Category specification
13376 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
13382 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
13386 Group Parameter specification
13389 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
13392 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
13397 Use @code{normal} score files
13399 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
13400 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
13401 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
13402 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
13404 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
13405 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
13406 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
13407 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
13411 Category Specification
13418 Group Parameter specification
13421 (agent-score . file)
13426 @node The Category Buffer
13427 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
13429 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
13430 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
13431 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
13433 The following commands are available in this buffer:
13437 @kindex q (Category)
13438 @findex gnus-category-exit
13439 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
13442 @kindex k (Category)
13443 @findex gnus-category-kill
13444 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
13447 @kindex c (Category)
13448 @findex gnus-category-copy
13449 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
13452 @kindex a (Category)
13453 @findex gnus-category-add
13454 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
13457 @kindex p (Category)
13458 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
13459 Edit the predicate of the current category
13460 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
13463 @kindex g (Category)
13464 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
13465 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
13466 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
13469 @kindex s (Category)
13470 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
13471 Edit the download score rule of the current category
13472 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
13475 @kindex l (Category)
13476 @findex gnus-category-list
13477 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
13481 @node Category Variables
13482 @subsubsection Category Variables
13485 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
13486 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
13487 Hook run in category buffers.
13489 @item gnus-category-line-format
13490 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
13491 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
13492 Variables}). Valid elements are:
13496 The name of the category.
13499 The number of groups in the category.
13502 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
13503 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
13504 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
13506 @item gnus-agent-short-article
13507 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
13508 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
13510 @item gnus-agent-long-article
13511 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
13512 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
13514 @item gnus-agent-low-score
13515 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
13516 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
13519 @item gnus-agent-high-score
13520 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
13521 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
13527 @node Agent Commands
13528 @subsection Agent Commands
13530 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
13531 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
13532 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
13536 * Group Agent Commands::
13537 * Summary Agent Commands::
13538 * Server Agent Commands::
13541 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
13542 following incantation:
13544 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
13546 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
13551 @node Group Agent Commands
13552 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
13556 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
13557 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
13558 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
13559 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
13562 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
13563 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
13564 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
13567 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
13568 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
13569 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
13570 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
13573 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
13574 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
13575 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
13576 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
13579 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
13580 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
13581 Add the current group to an Agent category
13582 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
13583 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13586 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
13587 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
13588 Remove the current group from its category, if any
13589 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
13590 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13595 @node Summary Agent Commands
13596 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
13600 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
13601 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
13602 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
13605 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
13606 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
13607 Remove the downloading mark from the article
13608 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
13611 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
13612 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
13613 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
13616 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
13617 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
13618 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
13623 @node Server Agent Commands
13624 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
13628 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
13629 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
13630 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
13631 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
13634 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
13635 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
13636 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
13637 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
13643 @subsection Agent Expiry
13645 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
13646 @findex gnus-agent-expire
13647 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
13648 @cindex Agent expiry
13649 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
13652 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
13653 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
13654 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
13655 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
13656 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
13657 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
13659 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
13660 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
13661 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
13662 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
13663 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
13666 @node Outgoing Messages
13667 @subsection Outgoing Messages
13669 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
13670 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
13671 after posting, and edit them at will.
13673 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
13674 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
13675 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
13676 messages in the draft group.
13680 @node Agent Variables
13681 @subsection Agent Variables
13684 @item gnus-agent-directory
13685 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
13686 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
13687 @file{~/News/agent/}.
13689 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
13690 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
13691 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
13692 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
13693 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
13696 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
13697 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
13698 Hook run when connecting to the network.
13700 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
13701 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
13702 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
13707 @node Example Setup
13708 @subsection Example Setup
13710 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
13711 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
13712 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
13715 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
13716 ;;; from your ISP's server.
13717 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
13719 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
13720 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
13721 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
13723 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
13724 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13726 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
13730 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
13731 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
13734 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
13735 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
13736 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
13737 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
13738 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
13741 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
13742 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
13743 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
13744 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
13745 back all the killed groups.)
13747 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
13748 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
13749 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
13752 @node Batching Agents
13753 @subsection Batching Agents
13755 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
13756 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
13757 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
13761 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
13765 @node Agent Caveats
13766 @subsection Agent Caveats
13768 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
13769 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
13773 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
13778 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
13779 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
13785 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
13786 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
13793 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
13794 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
13795 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
13798 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
13799 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
13800 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
13801 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
13802 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
13804 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
13805 before generating the summary buffer.
13807 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
13808 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
13809 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
13811 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
13812 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
13813 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
13814 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
13817 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
13818 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
13819 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
13820 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
13821 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
13822 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
13823 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
13824 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
13825 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
13826 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
13827 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
13828 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
13829 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
13830 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
13831 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
13832 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
13836 @node Summary Score Commands
13837 @section Summary Score Commands
13838 @cindex score commands
13840 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
13841 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
13842 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
13843 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
13844 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
13846 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
13847 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
13848 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
13849 score file the current one.
13851 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
13856 @kindex V s (Summary)
13857 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
13858 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
13861 @kindex V S (Summary)
13862 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
13863 Display the score of the current article
13864 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
13867 @kindex V t (Summary)
13868 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
13869 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
13870 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
13873 @kindex V R (Summary)
13874 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
13875 Run the current summary through the scoring process
13876 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
13877 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
13878 effect you're having.
13881 @kindex V c (Summary)
13882 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
13883 Make a different score file the current
13884 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
13887 @kindex V e (Summary)
13888 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
13889 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
13890 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
13894 @kindex V f (Summary)
13895 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
13896 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
13897 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
13900 @kindex V F (Summary)
13901 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
13902 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
13903 after editing score files.
13906 @kindex V C (Summary)
13907 @findex gnus-score-customize
13908 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
13909 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
13913 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
13918 @kindex V m (Summary)
13919 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
13920 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
13921 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
13924 @kindex V x (Summary)
13925 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
13926 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
13927 expunge all articles below this score
13928 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
13931 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
13932 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
13935 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
13936 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
13940 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
13941 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
13943 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
13944 keys are available:
13948 Score on the author name.
13951 Score on the subject line.
13954 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
13957 Score on the @code{References} line.
13963 Score on the number of lines.
13966 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
13969 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
13970 the followups to this author.
13984 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
13985 what headers you are scoring on.
13997 Substring matching.
14000 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
14029 Greater than number.
14034 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
14035 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
14036 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
14040 Temporary score entry.
14043 Permanent score entry.
14046 Immediately scoring.
14051 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
14052 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
14053 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
14054 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
14056 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
14057 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
14058 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
14059 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
14060 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
14062 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
14063 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
14064 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
14065 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
14066 current score file.
14068 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
14069 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
14070 pretend they are keymaps or not.
14073 @node Group Score Commands
14074 @section Group Score Commands
14075 @cindex group score commands
14077 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
14082 @kindex W f (Group)
14083 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14084 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
14085 all the time. This command will flush the cache
14086 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
14090 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
14092 @findex gnus-batch-score
14093 @cindex batch scoring
14095 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
14099 @node Score Variables
14100 @section Score Variables
14101 @cindex score variables
14105 @item gnus-use-scoring
14106 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
14107 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
14108 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
14110 @item gnus-kill-killed
14111 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
14112 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
14113 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
14114 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
14115 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
14116 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
14117 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
14119 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
14120 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
14121 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
14122 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
14123 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
14125 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
14126 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
14127 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
14128 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
14130 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14131 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14132 @cindex score cache
14133 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
14134 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
14135 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
14136 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
14137 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
14138 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
14141 @item gnus-save-score
14142 @vindex gnus-save-score
14143 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
14144 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
14145 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
14147 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
14148 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
14149 across group visits.
14151 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14152 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14153 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
14154 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
14155 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
14156 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
14157 manually entered data.
14159 @item gnus-summary-default-score
14160 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
14161 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
14163 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
14164 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
14165 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
14166 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
14167 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
14168 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
14170 @item gnus-score-over-mark
14171 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
14172 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
14173 default. Default is @samp{+}.
14175 @item gnus-score-below-mark
14176 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
14177 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
14178 default. Default is @samp{-}.
14180 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
14181 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
14182 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
14183 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
14185 Predefined functions available are:
14188 @item gnus-score-find-single
14189 @findex gnus-score-find-single
14190 Only apply the group's own score file.
14192 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
14193 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
14194 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
14195 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
14196 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
14197 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
14198 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
14199 then a regexp match is done.
14201 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
14202 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
14204 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
14205 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
14206 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
14207 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
14209 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
14210 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
14211 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
14212 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
14213 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
14216 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
14217 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
14218 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
14219 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
14220 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
14221 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
14224 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
14225 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
14226 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
14227 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
14228 are expired. It's 7 by default.
14230 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
14231 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
14232 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
14233 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
14234 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
14235 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
14236 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
14239 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
14240 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
14241 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
14243 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
14244 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
14245 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
14246 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
14247 threading---according to the current value of
14248 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
14249 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
14250 simplified in this manner.
14255 @node Score File Format
14256 @section Score File Format
14257 @cindex score file format
14259 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
14260 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
14261 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
14263 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
14267 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
14269 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
14271 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
14273 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
14278 (mark-and-expunge -10)
14282 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
14283 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
14284 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
14285 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
14289 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
14290 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
14292 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
14293 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
14294 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
14296 Six keys are supported by this alist:
14301 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
14302 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
14303 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
14304 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
14305 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
14306 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
14307 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
14308 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
14309 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
14310 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
14311 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
14312 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
14313 to articles that matches these score entries.
14315 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
14316 score entry has one to four elements.
14320 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
14321 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
14325 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
14326 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
14327 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
14328 is successful. If this element is not present, the
14329 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
14330 instead. This is 1000 by default.
14333 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
14334 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
14335 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
14336 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
14337 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
14340 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
14341 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
14342 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
14343 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
14346 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
14347 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
14348 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
14349 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
14350 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
14351 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
14352 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
14353 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
14354 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
14355 instead, if you feel like.
14358 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
14359 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
14361 These predicates are true if
14364 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
14367 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
14368 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
14375 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
14376 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
14377 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
14378 it's not. I think.)
14380 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
14381 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
14382 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
14383 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
14386 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
14387 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
14388 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
14389 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
14390 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
14391 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
14392 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
14396 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
14397 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
14398 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
14399 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
14400 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
14401 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
14402 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
14403 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
14406 @item Head, Body, All
14407 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
14411 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
14412 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
14413 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
14414 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
14415 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
14416 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
14417 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
14421 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
14422 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
14423 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
14424 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
14425 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
14426 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
14427 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
14428 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
14429 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
14430 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
14431 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
14435 @cindex Score File Atoms
14437 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
14438 lower than this number will be marked as read.
14441 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
14442 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
14444 @item mark-and-expunge
14445 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
14446 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
14449 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
14450 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
14451 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
14452 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
14453 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
14456 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
14457 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
14460 @item exclude-files
14461 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
14462 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
14466 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
14467 ignored when handling global score files.
14470 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
14471 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
14472 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
14473 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
14476 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
14477 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
14478 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
14479 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
14481 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
14485 (mark-and-expunge -100)
14488 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
14489 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
14490 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
14491 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
14492 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
14494 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
14495 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
14496 ordinary scoring rules.
14499 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
14500 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
14501 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
14502 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
14503 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
14504 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
14505 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
14506 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
14507 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
14508 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
14509 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
14513 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
14514 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
14515 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
14516 file for a number of groups.
14519 @cindex local variables
14520 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
14521 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
14522 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
14523 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
14524 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
14528 @node Score File Editing
14529 @section Score File Editing
14531 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
14532 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
14533 with a mode for that.
14535 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
14536 additional commands:
14541 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
14542 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
14543 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
14544 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
14547 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
14548 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
14549 Insert the current date in numerical format
14550 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
14551 you were wondering.
14554 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
14555 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
14556 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
14557 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
14558 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
14563 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
14565 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
14566 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
14568 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
14569 e} to begin editing score files.
14572 @node Adaptive Scoring
14573 @section Adaptive Scoring
14574 @cindex adaptive scoring
14576 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
14577 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
14578 stupidity, to be precise.
14580 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
14581 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
14582 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
14583 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
14584 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
14585 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
14586 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
14587 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
14588 variable to @code{(word line)}.
14590 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
14591 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
14592 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
14593 might look something like this:
14596 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
14597 '((gnus-unread-mark)
14598 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
14599 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
14600 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
14601 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
14602 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
14603 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
14604 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
14605 (gnus-ancient-mark)
14606 (gnus-low-score-mark)
14607 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
14610 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
14611 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
14612 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
14613 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
14614 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
14615 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
14618 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
14619 will be applied to each article.
14621 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
14622 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
14623 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
14624 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
14626 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
14627 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
14628 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
14629 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
14631 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
14632 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
14633 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
14634 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
14636 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
14637 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
14638 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
14639 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
14640 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
14641 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
14643 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
14644 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
14645 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
14646 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
14647 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
14648 aspirins afterwards.)
14650 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
14651 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
14652 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
14654 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
14655 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
14656 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
14658 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
14659 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
14660 let you use different rules in different groups.
14662 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
14663 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
14664 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
14667 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
14668 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
14669 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
14670 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
14671 the length of the match is less than
14672 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
14673 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
14676 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
14677 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
14678 headers. If you adapt on words, the
14679 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
14680 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
14683 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
14684 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
14685 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
14686 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
14687 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
14690 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
14691 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
14692 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
14693 score with 30 points.
14695 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
14696 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
14697 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
14698 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
14699 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
14701 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
14702 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
14703 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
14704 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
14706 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
14707 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
14708 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
14709 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
14711 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
14712 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
14713 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
14714 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
14715 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
14717 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
14718 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
14719 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
14721 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
14722 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
14723 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
14724 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
14727 @node Home Score File
14728 @section Home Score File
14730 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
14731 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
14732 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
14733 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
14735 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
14736 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
14737 could perhaps use the same home score file.
14739 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
14740 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
14745 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
14749 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
14750 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
14754 A list. The elements in this list can be:
14758 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
14759 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
14762 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
14763 the home score file.
14766 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
14769 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
14774 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
14777 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14778 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
14781 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
14782 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
14784 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
14786 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14787 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
14790 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
14791 Other functions include
14794 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
14795 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
14796 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
14797 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
14801 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
14802 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
14803 their own home score files:
14806 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14807 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
14808 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
14809 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
14810 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
14813 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
14814 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
14815 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
14816 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
14817 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
14819 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
14820 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
14821 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
14822 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
14823 precedence over this variable.
14826 @node Followups To Yourself
14827 @section Followups To Yourself
14829 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
14830 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
14831 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
14832 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
14833 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
14834 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
14838 @item gnus-score-followup-article
14839 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
14840 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
14843 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
14844 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
14845 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
14849 @vindex message-sent-hook
14850 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
14851 @code{message-sent-hook}.
14853 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
14854 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
14858 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
14859 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
14862 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
14863 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
14868 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
14872 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
14873 is system-dependent.
14877 @section Scoring Tips
14878 @cindex scoring tips
14884 @cindex scoring crossposts
14885 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
14886 the @code{Xref} header.
14888 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
14891 @item Multiple crossposts
14892 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
14893 more than, say, 3 groups:
14895 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
14898 @item Matching on the body
14899 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
14900 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
14901 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
14902 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
14903 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
14904 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
14905 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
14908 @item Marking as read
14909 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
14910 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
14911 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
14915 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
14917 @item Negated character classes
14918 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
14919 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
14920 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
14924 @node Reverse Scoring
14925 @section Reverse Scoring
14926 @cindex reverse scoring
14928 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
14929 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
14930 like this in your score file:
14934 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
14939 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
14940 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
14943 @node Global Score Files
14944 @section Global Score Files
14945 @cindex global score files
14947 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
14948 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
14949 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
14951 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
14952 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
14953 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
14955 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
14956 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
14957 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
14958 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
14959 files are applicable to which group.
14961 Say you want to use the score file
14962 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
14963 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
14966 (setq gnus-global-score-files
14967 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
14968 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
14971 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
14972 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
14973 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
14974 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
14975 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
14977 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
14978 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
14980 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
14981 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
14982 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
14983 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
14984 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
14985 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
14987 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
14993 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
14995 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
14997 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
14999 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
15000 lowered out of existence.
15002 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
15003 articles completely.
15006 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
15007 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
15008 old articles for a long time.
15011 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
15012 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
15013 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
15014 holding our breath yet?
15018 @section Kill Files
15021 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
15022 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
15023 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
15025 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
15026 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
15027 files into score files.
15029 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
15030 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
15031 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
15032 that isn't a very good idea.
15034 Normal kill files look like this:
15037 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15038 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
15042 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
15043 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
15045 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
15046 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
15049 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
15054 @kindex M-k (Summary)
15055 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
15056 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
15059 @kindex M-K (Summary)
15060 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
15061 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
15064 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
15069 @kindex M-k (Group)
15070 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
15071 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
15074 @kindex M-K (Group)
15075 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
15076 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
15079 Kill file variables:
15082 @item gnus-kill-file-name
15083 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
15084 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
15085 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
15086 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
15087 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
15088 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
15090 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15091 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15092 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
15093 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
15096 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
15097 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
15098 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
15099 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
15100 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
15101 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
15102 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
15103 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
15104 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
15106 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15107 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15108 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
15113 @node Converting Kill Files
15114 @section Converting Kill Files
15116 @cindex converting kill files
15118 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
15119 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
15120 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
15123 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
15124 You can fetch it from
15125 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
15127 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
15128 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
15129 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
15137 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
15138 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
15139 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
15141 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
15142 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
15143 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
15144 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
15145 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
15146 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
15147 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
15148 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
15152 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
15153 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
15154 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
15155 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
15159 @node Using GroupLens
15160 @subsection Using GroupLens
15162 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
15164 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
15165 better bit in town at the moment.
15167 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
15171 @item gnus-use-grouplens
15172 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
15173 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
15174 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
15176 @item grouplens-pseudonym
15177 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
15178 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
15179 with the Better Bit Bureau.
15181 @item grouplens-newsgroups
15182 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
15183 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
15187 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
15188 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
15189 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
15190 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
15191 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
15192 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
15195 @node Rating Articles
15196 @subsection Rating Articles
15198 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
15199 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
15200 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
15201 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
15204 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
15209 @kindex r (GroupLens)
15210 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
15211 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
15214 @kindex k (GroupLens)
15215 @findex grouplens-score-thread
15216 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
15217 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
15218 threads in rec.humor.
15222 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
15223 the score of the article you're reading.
15228 @kindex n (GroupLens)
15229 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
15230 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
15233 @kindex , (GroupLens)
15234 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
15235 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
15239 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
15240 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
15243 @node Displaying Predictions
15244 @subsection Displaying Predictions
15246 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
15247 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
15248 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
15249 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
15250 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
15252 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
15253 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
15254 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
15255 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
15256 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
15257 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
15258 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
15259 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
15260 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
15261 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
15262 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
15263 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
15264 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
15266 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
15267 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
15268 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
15269 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
15271 The following are valid values for that variable.
15274 @item prediction-spot
15275 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
15278 @item confidence-interval
15279 A numeric confidence interval.
15281 @item prediction-bar
15282 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
15284 @item confidence-bar
15285 Numerical confidence.
15287 @item confidence-spot
15288 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
15290 @item prediction-num
15291 Plain-old numeric value.
15293 @item confidence-plus-minus
15294 Prediction +/- confidence.
15299 @node GroupLens Variables
15300 @subsection GroupLens Variables
15304 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
15305 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
15306 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
15307 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
15310 @item grouplens-bbb-host
15311 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
15314 @item grouplens-bbb-port
15315 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
15317 @item grouplens-score-offset
15318 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
15319 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
15322 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
15323 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
15324 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
15329 @node Advanced Scoring
15330 @section Advanced Scoring
15332 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
15333 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
15334 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
15335 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
15336 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
15338 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
15342 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
15343 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
15344 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
15348 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
15349 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
15351 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
15352 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
15353 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
15354 non-@code{nil} value.
15356 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
15357 operator, and various match operators.
15364 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
15365 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
15366 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
15371 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
15372 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
15373 then this operator will return @code{false}.
15378 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
15379 logical negation of the value of its argument.
15383 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
15384 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
15385 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
15386 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
15387 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
15388 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
15389 the ancestry you want to go.
15391 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
15392 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
15393 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
15394 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
15395 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
15398 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
15399 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
15401 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
15402 when he's talking about Gnus:
15406 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15407 ("subject" "Gnus"))
15413 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
15417 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15424 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
15425 really don't want to read what he's written:
15429 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15430 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
15434 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
15435 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
15436 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
15443 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
15444 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
15445 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
15446 ("body" "white.*socks"))
15450 The possibilities are endless.
15453 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
15454 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
15456 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
15457 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
15458 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
15459 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
15460 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
15461 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
15462 @samp{subject}) first.
15464 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
15465 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
15476 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
15477 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
15483 ("subject" "Gnus")))
15490 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
15491 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
15496 @section Score Decays
15497 @cindex score decays
15500 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
15501 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
15502 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
15503 use them in any sensible way.
15505 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
15506 @findex gnus-decay-score
15507 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
15508 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
15509 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
15510 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
15511 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
15512 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
15513 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
15514 definition of that function:
15517 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
15519 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
15520 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
15523 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
15525 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
15527 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
15530 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
15531 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
15532 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
15533 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
15537 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
15540 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
15543 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
15547 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
15548 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
15549 the new score, which should be an integer.
15551 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
15552 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
15559 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
15560 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
15561 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
15562 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
15563 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
15564 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
15565 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
15566 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
15567 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
15568 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
15569 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
15570 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
15571 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
15572 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
15573 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
15574 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
15575 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
15576 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
15580 @node Process/Prefix
15581 @section Process/Prefix
15582 @cindex process/prefix convention
15584 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
15585 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
15587 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
15588 command to be performed on.
15592 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
15593 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
15594 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
15595 with the current one.
15597 @vindex transient-mark-mode
15598 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
15599 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
15601 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
15602 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
15605 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
15606 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
15608 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
15611 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
15612 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
15613 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
15614 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15616 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
15617 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
15618 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
15619 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
15620 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
15621 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
15622 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
15623 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
15627 @section Interactive
15628 @cindex interaction
15632 @item gnus-novice-user
15633 @vindex gnus-novice-user
15634 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
15635 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
15636 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
15637 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
15640 @item gnus-expert-user
15641 @vindex gnus-expert-user
15642 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
15643 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
15644 matter how strange.
15646 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
15647 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
15648 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
15649 is @code{t} by default.
15651 @item gnus-interactive-exit
15652 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
15653 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
15658 @node Symbolic Prefixes
15659 @section Symbolic Prefixes
15660 @cindex symbolic prefixes
15662 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
15663 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
15664 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
15665 rule of 900 to the current article.
15667 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
15668 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
15669 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
15670 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
15671 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
15672 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
15673 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
15675 @kindex M-i (Summary)
15676 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
15677 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
15678 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
15679 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
15680 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
15681 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
15682 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
15683 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
15685 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
15686 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
15687 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
15689 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
15693 @node Formatting Variables
15694 @section Formatting Variables
15695 @cindex formatting variables
15697 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
15698 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
15699 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
15700 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
15701 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
15704 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
15705 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
15706 lots of percentages everywhere.
15709 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
15710 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
15711 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
15712 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
15713 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
15716 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
15717 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
15718 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
15719 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
15720 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
15721 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
15722 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
15723 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
15725 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
15726 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
15728 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
15729 @findex gnus-update-format
15730 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
15731 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
15732 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
15733 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
15737 @node Formatting Basics
15738 @subsection Formatting Basics
15740 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
15741 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
15742 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
15744 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
15745 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
15746 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
15747 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
15748 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
15751 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
15752 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
15753 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
15754 less than 4 characters wide.
15757 @node Mode Line Formatting
15758 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
15760 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
15761 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
15762 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
15763 with the following two differences:
15768 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
15771 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
15772 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
15773 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
15774 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
15775 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
15776 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
15777 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
15782 @node Advanced Formatting
15783 @subsection Advanced Formatting
15785 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
15786 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
15787 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
15788 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
15790 These are the valid modifiers:
15795 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
15799 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
15804 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
15807 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
15812 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
15815 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
15818 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
15821 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
15825 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
15826 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
15827 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
15828 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
15829 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
15830 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
15831 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
15833 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
15834 last operation, padding.
15836 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
15837 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
15838 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
15839 @xref{Compilation}.
15842 @node User-Defined Specs
15843 @subsection User-Defined Specs
15845 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
15846 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
15847 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
15848 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
15849 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
15850 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
15851 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
15852 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
15853 should protect against that.
15855 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
15856 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
15857 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
15858 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
15862 @node Formatting Fonts
15863 @subsection Formatting Fonts
15865 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
15866 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
15867 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
15868 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
15871 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
15872 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
15873 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
15874 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
15875 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
15876 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
15878 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
15879 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say
15880 @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
15881 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
15882 symbols naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
15883 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
15884 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
15885 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
15887 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
15890 ;; Create three face types.
15891 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
15892 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
15894 ;; We want the article count to be in
15895 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
15896 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
15897 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
15899 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
15900 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
15902 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
15903 (setq gnus-group-line-format
15904 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
15907 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
15908 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
15910 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
15911 mode-line variables.
15914 @node Windows Configuration
15915 @section Windows Configuration
15916 @cindex windows configuration
15918 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
15920 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
15921 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
15922 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
15923 @code{t} by default.
15925 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
15926 glitches. Use at your own peril.
15928 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
15929 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
15930 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
15933 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
15934 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
15935 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
15939 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
15940 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
15941 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
15942 possible names is listed below.
15944 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
15945 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
15948 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
15952 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
15953 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
15954 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
15955 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
15956 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
15957 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
15958 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
15959 size spec per split.
15961 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
15962 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
15963 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
15964 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
15965 present) gets focus.
15967 Here's a more complicated example:
15970 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
15971 (summary 0.25 point)
15972 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
15976 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
15977 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
15978 occupy, not a percentage.
15980 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
15981 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
15982 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
15983 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
15984 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
15987 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
15990 (article (horizontal 1.0
15995 (summary 0.25 point)
16000 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
16001 @code{horizontal} thingie?
16003 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
16004 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
16005 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
16006 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
16007 the screen is to be given to this strip.
16009 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
16010 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
16011 lines from the splits.
16013 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
16017 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
16018 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
16019 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
16020 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
16021 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
16022 size = number | frame-params
16023 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
16026 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
16027 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
16028 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
16029 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
16031 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
16032 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
16033 @cindex window height
16034 @cindex window width
16035 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
16036 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
16037 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
16038 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
16039 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
16040 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
16042 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
16043 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
16044 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
16045 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
16047 @findex gnus-configure-frame
16048 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
16049 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
16050 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
16051 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
16052 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
16053 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
16054 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
16055 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
16056 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
16057 configuration list.
16060 (gnus-configure-frame
16064 (article 0.3 point))
16072 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
16073 @code{frame} split:
16076 (gnus-configure-frame
16079 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
16081 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
16082 (user-position . t)
16083 (left . -1) (top . 1))
16088 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
16089 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
16090 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
16091 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
16092 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
16093 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
16094 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
16095 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
16097 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
16098 be found in its default value.
16100 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
16101 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
16102 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
16106 (message (horizontal 1.0
16107 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
16109 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
16114 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
16115 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
16116 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
16119 (message (frame 1.0
16120 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
16121 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
16122 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
16123 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
16124 (name . "Message"))
16125 (message 1.0 point))))
16128 @findex gnus-add-configuration
16129 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
16130 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
16131 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
16132 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
16135 (gnus-add-configuration
16136 '(article (vertical 1.0
16138 (summary .25 point)
16142 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
16143 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
16144 Gnus has been loaded.
16146 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
16147 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
16148 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
16149 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
16150 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
16152 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
16153 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
16154 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
16158 @node Faces and Fonts
16159 @section Faces and Fonts
16164 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
16165 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
16166 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
16171 @section Compilation
16172 @cindex compilation
16173 @cindex byte-compilation
16175 @findex gnus-compile
16177 Remember all those line format specification variables?
16178 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
16179 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
16180 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
16181 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
16182 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
16185 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
16186 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
16187 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
16188 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
16189 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
16190 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
16191 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
16195 @section Mode Lines
16198 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
16199 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
16200 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
16201 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
16202 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
16203 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
16204 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
16207 @cindex display-time
16209 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
16210 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
16211 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
16212 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
16213 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
16214 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
16215 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
16216 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
16219 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
16221 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
16222 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
16224 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
16225 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
16226 (length display-time-string)))))
16229 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
16230 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
16231 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
16232 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
16233 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
16236 @node Highlighting and Menus
16237 @section Highlighting and Menus
16239 @cindex highlighting
16242 @vindex gnus-visual
16243 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
16244 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
16245 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
16248 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
16249 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
16252 @item group-highlight
16253 Do highlights in the group buffer.
16254 @item summary-highlight
16255 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
16256 @item article-highlight
16257 Do highlights in the article buffer.
16259 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
16261 Create menus in the group buffer.
16263 Create menus in the summary buffers.
16265 Create menus in the article buffer.
16267 Create menus in the browse buffer.
16269 Create menus in the server buffer.
16271 Create menus in the score buffers.
16273 Create menus in all buffers.
16276 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
16277 buffers, you could say something like:
16280 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
16283 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
16286 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
16289 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
16290 in all Gnus buffers.
16292 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
16295 @item gnus-mouse-face
16296 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
16297 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
16298 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
16302 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
16306 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
16307 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
16308 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
16310 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
16311 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
16312 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
16314 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
16315 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
16316 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
16318 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
16319 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
16320 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
16322 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
16323 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
16324 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
16326 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
16327 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
16328 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
16339 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
16340 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
16341 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
16342 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
16343 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
16347 @vindex gnus-carpal
16348 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
16349 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
16350 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
16355 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
16356 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
16357 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
16359 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
16360 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
16361 Face used on buttons.
16363 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
16364 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
16365 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
16367 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
16368 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
16369 Buttons in the group buffer.
16371 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
16372 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
16373 Buttons in the summary buffer.
16375 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
16376 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
16377 Buttons in the server buffer.
16379 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
16380 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
16381 Buttons in the browse buffer.
16384 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
16385 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
16386 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
16394 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
16395 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
16396 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
16397 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
16398 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
16400 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
16401 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
16402 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
16404 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
16405 been idle for thirty minutes:
16408 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
16411 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
16415 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
16418 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
16419 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
16420 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
16422 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
16423 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
16424 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
16425 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
16427 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
16428 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
16429 @var{idle} minutes.
16431 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
16432 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
16435 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
16436 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
16437 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
16439 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
16440 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
16441 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
16442 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
16444 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
16445 your @file{.gnus} file:
16447 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
16449 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
16452 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
16453 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
16454 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
16455 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
16456 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
16457 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
16458 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
16459 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
16460 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
16461 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
16462 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
16464 @findex gnus-demon-init
16465 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
16466 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
16467 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
16468 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
16469 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
16471 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
16472 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
16473 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
16482 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
16483 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
16485 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
16486 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
16487 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
16488 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
16491 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
16492 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
16493 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
16494 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
16496 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
16497 this will make spam disappear.
16499 There are some variables to customize, of course:
16502 @item gnus-use-nocem
16503 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
16504 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
16507 @item gnus-nocem-groups
16508 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
16509 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
16510 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
16511 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
16513 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
16514 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
16515 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
16516 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
16517 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
16518 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
16519 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
16521 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
16524 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
16525 @cindex Chris Lewis
16526 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
16527 usenet abuse than anybody else.
16530 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
16531 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
16532 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
16534 @item jem@@xpat.com;
16536 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
16539 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
16540 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
16541 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
16544 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
16545 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
16546 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
16547 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
16548 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
16549 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
16550 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
16551 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
16552 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
16553 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
16555 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
16556 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
16559 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
16562 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
16563 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
16566 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
16569 The specs are applied left-to-right.
16572 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
16573 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
16575 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
16576 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
16577 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
16578 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
16580 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
16581 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
16584 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
16586 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
16594 This might be dangerous, though.
16596 @item gnus-nocem-directory
16597 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
16598 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
16599 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
16601 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
16602 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
16603 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
16604 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
16605 might then see old spam.
16609 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
16610 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
16611 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
16612 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
16619 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
16620 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
16621 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
16623 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
16624 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
16625 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
16626 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
16627 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
16628 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
16629 @code{undo} function.
16631 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
16632 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
16633 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
16634 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
16635 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
16636 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
16637 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
16638 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
16639 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
16640 never be totally undoable.
16642 @findex gnus-undo-mode
16643 @vindex gnus-use-undo
16645 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
16646 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
16647 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
16648 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
16653 @section Moderation
16656 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
16657 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
16658 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
16661 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
16665 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
16668 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
16670 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
16675 You split your incoming mail by matching on
16676 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
16677 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
16680 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
16681 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
16684 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
16685 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
16689 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
16692 (setq gnus-moderated-list
16693 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
16697 @node XEmacs Enhancements
16698 @section XEmacs Enhancements
16701 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
16705 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
16706 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
16707 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
16708 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
16721 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
16722 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
16723 over your shoulder as you read news.
16726 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
16727 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
16728 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
16729 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
16730 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
16735 @subsubsection Picon Basics
16737 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
16746 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
16747 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
16748 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
16749 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
16750 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
16751 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
16752 @code{GIF} formats.
16755 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16756 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
16757 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
16758 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
16759 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
16761 @vindex gnus-picons-database
16762 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
16763 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
16764 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
16765 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
16766 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
16769 @node Picon Requirements
16770 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
16772 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
16773 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
16776 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
16777 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
16778 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
16780 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
16781 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
16782 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
16783 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
16784 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
16788 @subsubsection Easy Picons
16790 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
16791 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
16794 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
16795 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
16798 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
16799 containing the Picons databases.
16801 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
16804 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16805 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
16810 @subsubsection Hard Picons
16818 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
16819 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
16820 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
16821 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
16822 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
16827 @item gnus-picons-database
16828 @vindex gnus-picons-database
16829 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
16830 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
16831 subdirectories. This is only useful if
16832 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
16833 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
16835 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16836 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16837 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
16838 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
16839 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
16840 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
16841 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
16843 @item gnus-picons-display-where
16844 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
16845 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
16846 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
16847 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
16848 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
16849 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
16850 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
16852 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
16853 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
16854 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
16859 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
16860 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
16862 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
16863 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
16866 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
16868 @item gnus-article-display-picons
16869 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
16870 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
16871 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
16873 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
16874 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
16875 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
16881 @node Picon Useless Configuration
16882 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
16890 The following variables offer further control over how things are
16891 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
16892 don't need to worry about.
16896 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
16897 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
16898 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
16899 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
16901 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
16902 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
16903 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
16904 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
16906 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
16907 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
16908 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
16909 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
16910 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
16912 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
16913 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
16914 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
16915 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
16916 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
16917 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
16918 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
16920 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
16921 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
16922 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
16923 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
16925 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
16926 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
16927 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
16928 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
16929 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
16930 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
16931 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
16933 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
16934 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
16935 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
16936 Defaults to @code{nil}.
16938 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
16939 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
16940 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
16941 Defaults to @code{t}.
16943 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
16944 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
16945 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
16946 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
16948 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
16949 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
16950 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
16952 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
16953 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
16954 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
16955 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
16957 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
16958 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
16960 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
16961 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
16962 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
16963 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
16964 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
16965 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
16966 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
16967 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
16978 @subsection Smileys
16983 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
16988 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
16989 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
16991 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
16992 @file{.gnus.el} file:
16995 (setq gnus-treat-display-smiley t)
16998 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
16999 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
17000 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
17001 text and maps that to file names.
17003 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
17004 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
17005 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
17006 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
17007 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
17008 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
17010 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
17011 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
17013 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
17014 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
17015 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
17017 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
17018 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
17022 @item smiley-data-directory
17023 @vindex smiley-data-directory
17024 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
17026 @item smiley-flesh-color
17027 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
17028 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
17030 @item smiley-features-color
17031 @vindex smiley-features-color
17032 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17034 @item smiley-tongue-color
17035 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
17036 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
17038 @item smiley-circle-color
17039 @vindex smiley-circle-color
17040 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17042 @item smiley-mouse-face
17043 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
17044 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
17050 @subsection Toolbar
17060 @item gnus-use-toolbar
17061 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
17062 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
17063 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
17064 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
17066 @item gnus-group-toolbar
17067 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
17068 The toolbar in the group buffer.
17070 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
17071 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
17072 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
17074 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17075 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17076 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
17082 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
17085 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17086 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17087 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
17088 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
17089 unusual directory structure.
17091 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17092 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17093 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
17094 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
17096 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17097 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17098 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
17099 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
17100 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
17101 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
17103 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17104 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17105 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
17119 @node Fuzzy Matching
17120 @section Fuzzy Matching
17121 @cindex fuzzy matching
17123 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
17124 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
17126 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
17127 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
17128 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
17130 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
17131 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
17132 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
17133 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
17134 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
17137 @node Thwarting Email Spam
17138 @section Thwarting Email Spam
17142 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
17144 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
17145 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
17146 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
17147 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
17148 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
17149 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
17150 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
17151 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
17154 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
17155 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
17156 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
17157 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
17158 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
17159 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
17163 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
17164 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
17166 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
17167 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
17168 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
17169 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
17170 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
17171 part of the mail address.)
17174 (setq message-default-news-headers
17175 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
17178 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
17179 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
17184 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
17185 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
17186 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
17192 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
17193 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
17194 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
17195 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
17197 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
17198 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
17199 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
17200 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
17201 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
17202 your fancy split rule in this way:
17207 (to "larsi" "misc")
17211 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
17212 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
17213 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
17214 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
17215 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
17217 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
17218 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
17219 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
17220 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
17221 cosmic balance somewhat.
17223 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
17224 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
17225 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
17226 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
17229 @node Various Various
17230 @section Various Various
17236 @item gnus-home-directory
17237 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
17238 defaults to @file{~/}.
17240 @item gnus-directory
17241 @vindex gnus-directory
17242 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
17243 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
17244 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
17246 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
17247 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
17248 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
17249 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
17251 @item gnus-default-directory
17252 @vindex gnus-default-directory
17253 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
17254 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
17255 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
17256 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17257 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
17258 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
17261 @vindex gnus-verbose
17262 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
17263 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
17264 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
17265 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
17266 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
17268 @item gnus-verbose-backends
17269 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
17270 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
17271 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
17273 @item nnheader-max-head-length
17274 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
17275 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
17276 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
17277 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
17278 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
17279 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
17280 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
17281 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
17282 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
17284 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
17285 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
17286 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
17287 read when doing the operation described above.
17289 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
17290 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
17292 @cindex invalid characters in file names
17293 @cindex characters in file names
17294 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
17295 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
17296 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
17299 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
17303 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
17304 Windows (phooey) systems.
17306 @item gnus-hidden-properties
17307 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
17308 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
17309 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
17310 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
17312 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
17313 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
17314 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
17315 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
17316 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
17318 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
17319 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
17320 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
17329 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
17330 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
17332 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
17334 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
17340 Not because of victories @*
17343 but for the common sunshine,@*
17345 the largess of the spring.
17349 but for the day's work done@*
17350 as well as I was able;@*
17351 not for a seat upon the dais@*
17352 but at the common table.@*
17357 @chapter Appendices
17360 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
17361 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
17362 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
17363 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
17364 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
17365 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
17366 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
17374 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
17375 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
17377 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
17378 can point your (feh!) web browser to
17379 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
17380 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
17381 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
17383 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
17384 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
17385 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
17386 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
17387 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
17388 appropriate name, don't you think?)
17390 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
17391 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
17392 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
17393 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
17395 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
17396 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
17397 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
17399 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
17400 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
17402 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
17403 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
17405 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
17406 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
17408 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
17409 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
17410 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
17411 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
17412 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
17416 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
17417 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
17418 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
17419 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
17420 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
17421 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
17422 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
17423 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
17430 What's the point of Gnus?
17432 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
17433 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
17434 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
17435 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
17436 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
17437 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
17438 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
17439 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
17440 keep track of millions of people who post?
17442 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
17443 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
17444 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
17445 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
17446 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
17447 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
17448 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
17449 every one of you to explore and invent.
17451 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
17452 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
17455 @node Compatibility
17456 @subsection Compatibility
17458 @cindex compatibility
17459 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
17460 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
17461 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
17466 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
17470 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
17473 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
17476 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
17477 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
17478 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
17479 important variables have their values copied into their global
17480 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
17481 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
17483 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
17484 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
17485 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
17486 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
17487 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
17491 @cindex highlighting
17492 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
17493 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
17494 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
17495 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
17496 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
17497 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
17500 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
17501 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
17502 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
17503 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
17505 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
17506 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
17507 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
17508 to stop doing it the old way.
17510 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
17512 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
17514 @cindex reporting bugs
17516 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
17517 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
17518 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
17520 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
17521 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
17522 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
17523 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
17528 @subsection Conformity
17530 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
17531 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
17538 There are no known breaches of this standard.
17542 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
17544 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
17545 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
17546 We do have some breaches to this one.
17552 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
17553 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
17554 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
17555 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
17556 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
17561 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
17562 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
17563 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
17564 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
17568 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
17569 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
17574 @subsection Emacsen
17580 Gnus should work on :
17588 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
17592 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
17593 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
17596 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
17597 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
17598 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
17602 @node Gnus Development
17603 @subsection Gnus Development
17605 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
17606 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
17607 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
17608 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
17609 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
17610 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
17611 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
17612 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
17614 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
17615 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
17616 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
17617 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
17618 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
17621 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
17622 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
17623 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
17624 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
17625 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
17627 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
17628 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
17629 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
17630 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
17631 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
17632 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
17633 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
17634 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
17635 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
17636 can't be assumed to do so.
17641 @subsection Contributors
17642 @cindex contributors
17644 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
17645 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
17646 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
17647 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
17648 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
17649 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
17650 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
17651 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
17652 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
17653 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
17655 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
17661 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
17664 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
17665 well as numerous other things).
17668 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
17671 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
17674 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el and many other things
17675 connected with @sc{mime} and other types of en/decoding.
17678 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
17679 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
17682 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
17685 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
17686 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
17689 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
17692 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
17695 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
17698 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
17701 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
17702 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
17705 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
17708 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
17711 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
17714 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
17718 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
17721 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
17724 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
17727 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
17728 well as autoconf support.
17732 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
17733 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
17735 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
17744 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
17748 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
17758 Alexei V. Barantsev,
17773 Massimo Campostrini,
17778 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
17779 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
17783 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
17786 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
17792 Michael Welsh Duggan,
17797 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
17801 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
17809 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
17811 Michelangelo Grigni,
17815 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
17817 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
17819 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
17826 François Felix Ingrand,
17827 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
17828 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
17830 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
17841 Peter Skov Knudsen,
17842 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
17844 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
17845 Thor Kristoffersen,
17848 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
17866 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
17867 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
17874 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
17879 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
17883 John McClary Prevost,
17889 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
17894 Christian von Roques,
17897 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
17904 Philippe Schnoebelen,
17906 Randal L. Schwartz,
17921 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
17926 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
17942 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
17947 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
17948 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
17949 (550kB and counting).
17951 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
17954 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
17955 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
17959 @subsection New Features
17960 @cindex new features
17963 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
17964 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
17965 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
17966 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
17969 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
17970 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
17971 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
17975 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
17977 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
17982 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
17983 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
17986 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
17987 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
17990 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
17993 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
17994 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
17995 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
17998 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
17999 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
18000 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
18001 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
18004 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
18005 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18008 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
18009 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
18010 (@pxref{The Active File}).
18013 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
18014 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
18017 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
18018 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
18019 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
18022 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
18023 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
18024 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
18027 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
18028 the @file{.emacs} file.
18031 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
18032 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18035 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
18036 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
18039 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
18040 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18043 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
18044 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
18047 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
18048 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
18051 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
18054 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
18055 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
18058 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
18059 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
18062 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
18063 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
18066 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
18069 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
18070 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
18073 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
18077 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
18081 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
18082 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
18085 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
18091 @node September Gnus
18092 @subsubsection September Gnus
18096 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
18100 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
18105 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
18106 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
18110 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
18111 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
18115 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
18119 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
18120 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
18123 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
18127 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18130 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
18133 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
18136 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
18140 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
18141 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
18144 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
18148 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
18152 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
18156 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
18160 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
18163 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
18164 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
18167 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
18171 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
18172 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
18175 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
18178 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
18179 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
18180 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
18183 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
18187 The Gnus cache is much faster.
18190 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
18194 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
18195 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18198 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
18199 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
18202 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
18203 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18206 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
18207 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
18208 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
18211 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
18212 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
18215 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
18218 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
18221 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
18224 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
18227 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
18228 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
18231 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
18235 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
18238 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
18243 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
18246 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
18250 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18253 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
18257 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
18260 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
18263 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
18264 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
18267 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
18268 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
18272 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
18273 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
18276 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
18280 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
18281 buffer to allow easier treatment.
18284 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
18287 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
18291 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
18295 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
18296 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
18299 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
18303 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
18304 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
18307 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
18308 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
18311 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
18315 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
18318 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
18321 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
18327 @subsubsection Red Gnus
18329 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
18333 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
18340 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
18343 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
18344 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
18347 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
18348 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
18352 Article washing status can be displayed in the
18353 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
18356 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
18359 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
18360 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
18363 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
18367 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
18368 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
18372 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
18373 Server Internals}).
18376 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
18380 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
18383 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
18384 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
18387 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
18388 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
18389 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
18392 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
18393 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
18396 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
18397 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
18400 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
18404 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
18405 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
18408 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
18409 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
18412 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
18416 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
18419 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
18423 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
18424 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
18427 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
18428 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
18431 A new command for reading collections of documents
18432 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
18433 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
18436 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
18440 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
18441 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
18444 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
18445 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
18446 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
18449 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
18450 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
18454 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
18458 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
18462 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
18467 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
18471 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
18475 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
18476 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
18479 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
18485 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
18487 New features in Gnus 5.6:
18492 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
18493 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
18494 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
18497 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
18498 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
18499 group, which is created automatically.
18502 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
18506 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
18509 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
18510 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
18513 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
18517 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
18520 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
18521 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
18524 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
18527 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
18528 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
18531 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
18532 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
18535 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
18536 control over simplification.
18539 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
18542 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
18546 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
18549 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
18552 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
18553 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
18554 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
18557 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
18558 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
18561 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
18565 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
18566 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
18569 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
18570 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
18573 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
18577 A history of where mails have been split is available.
18580 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
18583 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
18584 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
18587 A new function for citing in Message has been
18588 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
18591 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
18594 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
18598 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
18599 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
18602 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
18603 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
18606 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
18609 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
18614 @node Newest Features
18615 @subsection Newest Features
18618 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
18621 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
18623 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
18624 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
18627 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
18632 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
18633 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
18636 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
18639 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
18642 facep is not declared.
18645 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
18646 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
18649 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
18654 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
18655 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
18656 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
18657 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
18658 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
18659 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
18660 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
18665 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
18668 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
18671 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
18673 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
18674 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
18676 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
18678 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
18680 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
18681 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
18683 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
18685 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
18686 be marked as unread.
18688 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
18690 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
18692 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
18693 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
18695 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
18697 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
18699 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
18700 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
18702 topics that contain just groups with ticked
18703 articles aren't displayed.
18705 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
18707 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
18708 make the mail groups killed.
18710 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
18712 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
18713 and articles have to be removed.
18715 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
18718 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
18720 finding short score file names takes forever.
18722 canceling articles in foreign groups.
18724 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
18726 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
18728 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
18730 nnweb doesn't work properly.
18732 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
18734 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
18735 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
18739 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
18741 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
18742 bar and the Gnus bar.
18745 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
18746 `(canonize-message-id id)'
18747 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
18748 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
18749 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
18750 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
18755 nnml .overview directory with splits.
18759 postponed commands.
18761 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
18763 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
18766 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
18767 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
18769 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
18770 inherit copy prompts and save files.
18772 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
18774 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
18775 for backends that support that.
18777 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
18779 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
18780 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
18782 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
18783 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
18785 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
18787 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
18789 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
18791 server mode command: close/open all connections
18793 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
18794 has been changed before using it.
18796 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
18798 hide (sub)threads with low score.
18800 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
18802 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
18804 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
18805 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
18807 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
18808 contain groups that match a regexp.
18810 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
18813 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
18816 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
18817 from subject lines.
18819 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
18821 nntp-ping-before-connect
18823 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
18825 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
18826 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
18828 message annotations.
18830 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
18832 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
18833 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
18835 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
18840 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
18842 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
18844 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
18846 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
18847 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
18849 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
18851 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
18853 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
18854 finds and generate proper active ranges.
18856 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
18857 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
18859 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
18861 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
18863 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
18864 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
18866 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
18868 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
18870 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
18871 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
18874 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
18876 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
18878 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
18879 `C-c C-c' when posting.
18881 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
18884 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
18885 should be marker as expirable.
18887 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
18889 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
18890 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
18892 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
18893 Also consult Date headers.
18895 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
18897 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
18899 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
18900 Message-ID, delete the "original".
18902 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
18903 into a See-Also header.
18905 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
18907 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
18909 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
18910 should be listed as such and not as "K".
18912 generate font names dynamically.
18914 score file mode auto-alist.
18916 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
18917 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
18919 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
18920 absolutely all headers there is.
18922 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
18923 and pipe them to the process.
18925 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
18926 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
18927 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
18929 function for starting to edit a file to put into
18930 the current mail group.
18932 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
18934 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
18935 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
18937 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
18938 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
18940 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
18942 when replying to several process-marked articles,
18943 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
18945 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
18946 groups it has been mailed to.
18948 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
18950 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
18952 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
18954 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
18955 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
18957 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
18958 newlines) should be ignored.
18960 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
18961 groups in subtopics as well.
18963 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
18965 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
18968 add edit and forward secondary marks.
18970 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
18972 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
18974 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
18976 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
18978 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
18980 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
18981 or the formatted article.
18983 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
18985 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
18986 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
18988 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
18990 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
18992 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
18994 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
18995 even unread articles.
18997 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
18999 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
19001 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
19003 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
19005 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19007 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
19010 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
19011 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
19013 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
19014 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
19016 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
19018 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
19020 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
19021 from a particular server? Hm.
19023 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
19024 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
19026 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
19028 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
19029 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
19031 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
19032 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
19034 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
19035 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
19036 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
19039 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
19040 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
19042 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
19044 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
19046 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
19048 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
19051 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
19054 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
19055 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
19057 command to show and edit group scores
19059 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
19062 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
19064 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
19066 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
19067 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
19070 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
19071 that are of that length.
19073 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
19075 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
19077 asynchronous posting under nntp.
19079 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
19081 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
19083 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
19085 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
19086 a score lower than this number.
19088 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
19090 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
19092 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
19093 so that each copy can be edited separately.
19095 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
19097 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
19098 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
19100 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
19103 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
19104 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
19105 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
19106 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
19108 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
19111 command to remove all topic stuff.
19113 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
19114 and splitting the resulting digests.
19116 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
19118 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
19120 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
19121 matches an alist -- before saving.
19123 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
19125 variable to activate each group before entering them
19126 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
19128 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
19129 starting Gnus first if necessary.
19131 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
19132 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
19134 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
19136 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
19137 of several groups at once.
19139 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
19140 matches some regexp(s).
19142 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
19144 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
19146 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
19148 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
19150 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
19152 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
19154 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
19156 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
19157 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
19158 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
19159 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
19161 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
19162 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
19164 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
19166 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
19167 recently cited text.
19169 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
19171 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
19174 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
19175 server and just read the articles in the server
19177 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
19178 value of nnoo variables.
19180 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
19182 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
19183 listed in each group info.
19185 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
19188 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
19189 should only be applied to some groups.
19191 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
19192 mail-copies-to: never.
19194 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
19195 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
19197 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
19199 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
19202 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
19205 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
19207 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
19210 group user-defined meta-parameters.
19214 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
19216 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
19217 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
19218 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
19219 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
19220 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
19222 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
19223 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
19230 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
19231 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
19233 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
19234 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
19236 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
19237 "Return the date the group was last read."
19238 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
19243 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
19244 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
19245 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
19246 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
19250 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
19251 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
19253 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
19256 They could be used like this:
19260 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
19261 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
19262 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
19264 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
19266 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
19269 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
19272 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
19273 affect the summary line format.
19277 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
19279 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
19280 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
19282 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
19285 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
19287 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
19289 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
19291 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
19293 - For other files, just find them normally.
19295 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
19296 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
19299 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
19300 tell him what you are doing.
19303 Currently, I get prompted:
19307 decend into sci.something ?
19311 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
19312 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
19313 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
19314 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
19317 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
19318 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
19319 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
19320 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
19323 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
19324 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
19330 more than n blank lines
19332 more than m identical lines
19333 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
19335 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
19339 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
19340 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
19341 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
19342 "same" subject for threading purposes.
19345 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
19346 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
19347 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
19348 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
19351 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
19354 soup - bowl of soup
19355 score below - dim light bulb
19356 score over - bright light bulb
19359 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
19364 show-list-of-articles-in-group
19365 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
19366 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
19367 if (articles-selected)
19368 start-reading-selected-articles;
19369 junk-unread-articles;
19374 else if (key-pressed = '.')
19375 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
19376 select-thread-under-cursor;
19378 select-article-under-cursor;
19382 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
19383 if (more-pages-in-article)
19385 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
19392 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
19393 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
19394 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
19397 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
19398 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
19399 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
19400 the wildcard expression).
19403 It would be nice if it also handled
19405 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
19407 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
19412 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
19413 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
19414 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
19415 article versions) variable.
19417 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
19419 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
19420 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
19424 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
19427 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
19428 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
19429 (message-sent-hook).
19431 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
19434 * Enhancements to Gnus:
19438 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
19439 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
19442 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
19443 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
19444 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
19447 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
19448 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
19452 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
19455 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
19459 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
19460 the nnmail duplicate checking.
19463 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
19464 value of the signature file.
19467 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
19468 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
19471 (setq message-tab-alist
19472 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
19473 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
19475 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
19479 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
19482 a command to import a buffer into a group.
19485 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
19488 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
19489 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
19492 a command to process mark all unread articles.
19495 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
19496 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
19497 do more gathering by subject.
19500 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
19501 article numerical order.
19504 (gnus-thread-total-score
19505 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
19509 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
19512 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
19513 in the summary buffer.
19516 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
19517 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
19520 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
19521 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
19522 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
19523 and/or newsgroup name.
19526 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
19529 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
19532 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
19535 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
19536 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
19537 will automatically get the process mark.
19540 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
19541 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
19542 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
19545 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
19549 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
19550 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
19553 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
19554 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
19558 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
19559 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
19562 be able to post via DejaNews.
19565 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
19568 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
19569 allow them to be displayed separately.
19572 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
19573 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
19576 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
19577 articles that match a certain From header.
19580 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
19581 saving living summary buffers.
19584 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
19585 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
19588 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
19589 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
19592 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
19593 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
19596 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
19597 (goto-char (point-min))
19598 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
19599 (replace-match "`" t t))
19600 (goto-char (point-min))
19601 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
19602 (replace-match "'" t t))
19603 (goto-char (point-min))
19604 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
19605 (replace-match "\"" t t))
19606 (goto-char (point-min))
19607 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
19608 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
19613 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
19615 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
19616 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
19617 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
19618 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
19622 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
19625 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
19626 numbers and match on the age of the article.
19630 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
19631 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
19632 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
19634 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
19635 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
19637 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
19638 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
19643 all commands that react to the process mark should push
19644 the current process mark set onto the stack.
19647 gnus-article-hide-pgp
19648 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
19650 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
19652 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
19653 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
19656 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
19657 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
19660 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
19664 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
19665 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
19668 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
19671 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
19674 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
19677 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
19681 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
19687 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
19690 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
19694 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
19695 X characters in the body.
19698 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
19701 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
19704 format spec to "tab" to a position.
19707 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
19710 command to display all dormant articles.
19713 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
19716 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
19717 to something someone else has said.
19720 Read Netscape discussion groups:
19721 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
19724 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
19725 the displayed version.
19728 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
19732 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
19735 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
19736 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
19737 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
19741 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
19742 in the head or body.
19745 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
19748 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
19751 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
19752 in a special, unique buffer.
19755 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
19758 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
19759 is less than a certain number of days old.
19762 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
19765 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
19768 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
19769 file, for instance.
19772 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
19773 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
19774 dummy root instead of the first article.
19777 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
19778 topics for displaying.
19781 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
19782 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
19785 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
19788 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
19789 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
19790 summary buffer for each article.
19793 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
19796 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
19800 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
19803 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
19807 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
19810 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
19813 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
19814 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
19817 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
19818 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
19821 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
19822 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
19825 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
19826 timeout for all commands.
19829 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
19830 It should go somewhere else.
19833 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
19834 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
19835 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
19837 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
19838 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
19840 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
19841 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
19848 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
19849 --text follows this line--
19850 Sorry I killfiled you...
19852 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
19854 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
19859 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
19863 - Edit article's summary line.
19865 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
19867 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
19873 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
19877 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
19878 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
19882 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
19885 Solve the halting problem.
19894 @section The Manual
19898 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
19899 either @code{texi2dvi}
19901 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
19902 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
19904 to get what you hold in your hands now.
19906 The following conventions have been used:
19911 This is a @samp{string}
19914 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
19917 This is a @file{file}
19920 This is a @code{symbol}
19924 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
19928 (setq flargnoze "yes")
19931 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
19934 (setq flumphel 'yes)
19937 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
19938 ever get them confused.
19942 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
19943 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
19944 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
19945 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
19946 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
19947 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
19948 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
19956 @section Terminology
19958 @cindex terminology
19963 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
19964 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
19965 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
19966 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
19967 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
19971 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
19972 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
19973 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
19974 not posting, and replying is not following up.
19978 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
19982 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
19987 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
19988 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
19989 is all done by the backends.
19993 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
19994 default, way of getting news.
19998 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
19999 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20004 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20005 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20009 A message that has been posted as news.
20012 @cindex mail message
20013 A message that has been mailed.
20017 A mail message or news article
20021 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20026 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20031 A line from the head of an article.
20035 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20036 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20040 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20041 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20042 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20043 normal @sc{head} format.
20047 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20048 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20049 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20050 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20051 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20052 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20054 @item killed groups
20055 @cindex killed groups
20056 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20057 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20059 @item zombie groups
20060 @cindex zombie groups
20061 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20064 @cindex active file
20065 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20066 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20067 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20070 @cindex bogus groups
20071 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20072 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20073 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20076 @cindex activating groups
20077 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20078 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20079 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20083 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
20085 @item select method
20086 @cindex select method
20087 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
20090 @item virtual server
20091 @cindex virtual server
20092 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
20093 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
20094 whole is a virtual server.
20098 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
20099 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
20102 @item ephemeral groups
20103 @cindex ephemeral groups
20104 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
20105 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
20106 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
20109 @cindex solid groups
20110 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
20111 group buffer are solid groups.
20113 @item sparse articles
20114 @cindex sparse articles
20115 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
20116 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
20120 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
20121 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
20125 @cindex thread root
20126 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
20127 articles in the thread.
20131 An article that has responses.
20135 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
20139 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
20140 specified by RFC1153.
20146 @node Customization
20147 @section Customization
20148 @cindex general customization
20150 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
20151 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
20152 for some quite common situations.
20155 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
20156 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
20157 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
20158 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
20162 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
20163 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
20165 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
20166 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
20167 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
20171 @item gnus-read-active-file
20172 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
20173 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
20174 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20175 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
20176 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
20178 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
20179 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
20180 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
20181 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
20185 @node Slow Terminal Connection
20186 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
20188 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
20189 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
20190 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
20194 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
20195 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
20196 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
20197 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
20198 horizontal and vertical recentering.
20200 @item gnus-visible-headers
20201 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
20202 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
20203 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
20204 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
20206 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
20208 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
20209 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
20210 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
20213 @item gnus-use-full-window
20214 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
20215 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
20216 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
20217 want to read them anyway.
20219 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
20220 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
20223 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
20224 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
20225 lines, which might save some time.
20229 @node Little Disk Space
20230 @subsection Little Disk Space
20233 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
20234 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
20238 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
20239 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
20240 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
20241 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20244 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
20245 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
20246 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
20247 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20250 @item gnus-save-killed-list
20251 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
20252 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
20253 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
20254 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
20260 @subsection Slow Machine
20261 @cindex slow machine
20263 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
20264 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
20266 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20267 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
20269 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
20270 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
20271 summary buffer faster.
20275 @node Troubleshooting
20276 @section Troubleshooting
20277 @cindex troubleshooting
20279 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
20287 Make sure your computer is switched on.
20290 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
20291 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
20295 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
20296 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
20297 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
20298 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
20301 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
20305 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
20306 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
20307 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
20308 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
20309 something like that.
20312 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
20315 @cindex reporting bugs
20317 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20319 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
20320 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
20321 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
20322 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
20324 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
20325 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
20326 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
20327 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
20330 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
20331 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
20332 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
20333 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
20334 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
20335 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
20337 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
20338 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
20339 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
20342 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
20343 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
20345 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
20346 @cindex ding mailing list
20347 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
20348 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
20352 @node Gnus Reference Guide
20353 @section Gnus Reference Guide
20355 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
20356 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
20357 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
20358 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
20361 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
20362 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
20363 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
20364 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
20365 and general methods of operation.
20368 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
20369 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
20370 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
20371 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
20372 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
20373 * Group Info:: The group info format.
20374 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
20375 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
20376 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
20380 @node Gnus Utility Functions
20381 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
20382 @cindex Gnus utility functions
20383 @cindex utility functions
20385 @cindex internal variables
20387 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
20388 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
20389 Below is a list of the most common ones.
20393 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
20394 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
20395 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
20397 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
20398 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
20399 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
20401 @item gnus-group-real-name
20402 @findex gnus-group-real-name
20403 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
20406 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
20407 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
20408 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
20409 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
20411 @item gnus-get-info
20412 @findex gnus-get-info
20413 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
20415 @item gnus-group-unread
20416 @findex gnus-group-unread
20417 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
20421 @findex gnus-active
20422 The active entry for @var{group}.
20424 @item gnus-set-active
20425 @findex gnus-set-active
20426 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
20428 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
20429 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
20430 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
20433 @item gnus-continuum-version
20434 @findex gnus-continuum-version
20435 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
20436 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
20439 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
20440 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
20441 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
20443 @item gnus-news-group-p
20444 @findex gnus-news-group-p
20445 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
20447 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
20448 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
20449 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
20451 @item gnus-server-to-method
20452 @findex gnus-server-to-method
20453 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
20455 @item gnus-server-equal
20456 @findex gnus-server-equal
20457 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
20459 @item gnus-group-native-p
20460 @findex gnus-group-native-p
20461 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
20463 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
20464 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
20465 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
20467 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
20468 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
20469 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
20471 @item group-group-find-parameter
20472 @findex group-group-find-parameter
20473 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
20474 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
20476 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
20477 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
20478 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
20480 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
20481 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
20482 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
20484 @item gnus-check-backend-function
20485 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
20486 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
20487 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
20490 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
20494 @item gnus-read-method
20495 @findex gnus-read-method
20496 Prompts the user for a select method.
20501 @node Backend Interface
20502 @subsection Backend Interface
20504 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
20505 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
20506 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
20507 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
20508 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
20509 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
20511 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
20512 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
20513 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
20514 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
20515 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
20516 been opened, the function should fail.
20518 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
20519 name. Take this example:
20523 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
20524 (nntp-port-number 4324))
20527 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
20528 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
20530 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
20531 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
20532 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
20534 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
20535 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
20536 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
20538 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
20539 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
20540 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
20541 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
20542 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
20543 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
20546 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
20547 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
20548 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
20549 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
20552 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
20555 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
20558 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
20559 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
20560 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
20561 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
20562 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
20563 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
20567 @node Required Backend Functions
20568 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
20572 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
20574 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
20575 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
20576 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
20577 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
20579 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
20580 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
20581 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
20582 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
20584 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
20585 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
20586 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
20587 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
20588 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
20589 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
20590 number, do maximum fetches.
20592 Here's an example HEAD:
20595 221 1056 Article retrieved.
20596 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
20597 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
20598 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
20599 Subject: Re: Something very droll
20600 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
20601 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
20603 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
20604 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
20605 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
20609 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
20610 these in the data buffer.
20612 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
20616 head = error / valid-head
20617 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
20618 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
20619 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
20620 header = <text> eol
20623 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
20624 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
20628 nov-buffer = *nov-line
20629 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
20630 field = <text except TAB>
20633 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
20637 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
20639 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
20640 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
20642 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
20643 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
20644 server. In fact, it should do so.
20646 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
20647 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
20650 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
20652 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
20653 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
20656 There should be no data returned.
20659 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
20661 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
20662 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
20663 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
20664 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
20666 There should be no data returned.
20669 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
20671 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
20672 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
20673 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
20674 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
20676 There should be no data returned.
20679 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
20681 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
20683 There should be no data returned.
20686 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
20688 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
20689 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
20690 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
20691 it would be nice if that were possible.
20693 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
20694 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
20695 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
20696 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
20697 into its article buffer.
20699 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
20700 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
20701 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
20702 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
20703 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
20704 on successful article retrieval.
20707 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
20709 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
20710 making @var{group} the current group.
20712 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
20715 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
20718 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
20721 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
20722 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
20723 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
20724 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
20725 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
20726 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
20727 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
20728 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
20731 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
20732 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
20733 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
20737 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
20739 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
20740 a no-op on most backends.
20742 There should be no data returned.
20745 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
20747 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
20750 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
20753 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
20754 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
20757 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
20758 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
20761 active-file = *active-line
20762 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
20764 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
20767 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
20768 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
20769 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
20772 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
20774 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
20775 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
20776 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
20777 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
20778 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
20779 clear if the posting could not be completed.
20781 There should be no result data from this function.
20786 @node Optional Backend Functions
20787 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
20791 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
20793 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
20794 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
20795 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
20797 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
20798 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
20799 former is in the same format as the data from
20800 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
20801 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
20804 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
20808 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
20810 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
20811 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
20812 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
20813 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
20814 should return the (altered) group info.
20816 There should be no result data from this function.
20819 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
20821 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
20822 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
20823 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
20824 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
20825 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
20826 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
20827 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
20828 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
20830 There should be no result data from this function.
20833 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
20835 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
20836 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
20837 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as IMAP) however carry all
20838 information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to propagate
20839 the mark information to the server.
20841 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
20844 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
20847 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
20848 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
20849 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
20850 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
20851 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a
20852 symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
20853 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
20854 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
20855 not limit itself to theese.
20857 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
20858 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
20859 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
20860 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
20862 An example action list:
20865 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
20866 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
20867 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
20870 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
20871 mark on (currently not used for anything).
20873 There should be no result data from this function.
20875 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
20877 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
20878 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
20879 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
20880 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
20881 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
20883 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
20884 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
20885 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
20888 There should be no result data from this function.
20891 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
20893 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
20894 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
20895 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
20896 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
20897 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
20898 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
20899 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
20901 There should be no result data from this function.
20904 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
20906 The result data from this function should be a description of
20910 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
20912 description = <text>
20915 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
20917 The result data from this function should be the description of all
20918 groups available on the server.
20921 description-buffer = *description-line
20925 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
20927 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
20928 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
20929 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
20932 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
20934 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
20936 There should be no return data.
20939 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
20941 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
20942 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
20943 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
20944 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
20945 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
20948 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
20951 There should be no result data returned.
20954 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
20957 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
20958 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
20960 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
20961 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
20962 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
20963 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
20964 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
20965 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
20967 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
20968 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
20971 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
20972 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
20974 There should be no data returned.
20977 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
20979 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
20980 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
20981 this function in short order.
20983 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
20984 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
20986 There should be no data returned.
20989 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
20991 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
20992 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
20994 There should be no data returned.
20997 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
20999 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21000 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21001 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21003 There should be no data returned.
21006 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21008 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21009 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21011 There should be no data returned.
21016 @node Error Messaging
21017 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21019 @findex nnheader-report
21020 @findex nnheader-get-report
21021 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21022 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21023 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21024 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21025 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21026 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21029 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21031 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21034 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21035 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21036 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21037 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21039 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21040 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21041 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21044 @node Writing New Backends
21045 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21047 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21048 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21049 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21050 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21051 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21054 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21055 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21056 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21058 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21059 package called @code{nnoo}.
21061 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21062 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21068 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21069 parameters. For instance:
21072 (nnoo-declare nndir
21076 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
21077 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
21080 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
21081 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
21082 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
21084 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
21085 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
21086 a function in those backends.
21089 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21090 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21091 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21094 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
21095 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
21096 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
21098 @item nnoo-define-basics
21099 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
21103 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21107 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
21108 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
21109 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
21111 @item nnoo-map-functions
21112 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
21113 functions from the parent backends.
21116 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21117 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21118 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
21121 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
21122 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
21123 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
21124 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
21127 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
21128 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
21129 haven't already been defined.
21135 nnmh-request-newgroups)
21139 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
21140 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
21141 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
21146 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
21149 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
21150 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
21154 (require 'nnheader)
21158 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
21160 (nnoo-declare nndir
21163 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21164 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21165 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21167 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
21168 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
21171 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
21172 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
21173 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
21175 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
21176 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
21178 ;;; Interface functions.
21180 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21182 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
21183 (setq nndir-directory
21184 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
21186 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
21187 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
21188 (push `(nndir-current-group
21189 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
21191 (push `(nndir-top-directory
21192 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
21194 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
21196 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21197 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21198 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21199 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
21200 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
21204 nnmh-status-message
21206 nnmh-request-newgroups))
21212 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
21213 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
21215 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
21216 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
21217 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
21218 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
21220 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
21221 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
21226 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
21229 The abilities can be:
21233 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
21235 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
21237 This backend supports both mail and news.
21239 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
21242 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
21243 articles and groups.
21245 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
21246 true for almost all backends.
21247 @item prompt-address
21248 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
21249 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
21250 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
21254 @node Mail-like Backends
21255 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
21257 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
21258 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
21259 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
21260 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
21263 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
21264 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
21265 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
21268 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
21269 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
21272 This function takes four parameters.
21276 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
21279 @item exit-function
21280 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
21282 @item temp-directory
21283 Where the temporary files should be stored.
21286 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
21287 performed for one group only.
21290 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
21291 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
21292 find the article number assigned to this article.
21294 The function also uses the following variables:
21295 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
21296 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
21297 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
21298 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
21302 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
21303 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
21307 @node Score File Syntax
21308 @subsection Score File Syntax
21310 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
21311 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
21312 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
21314 Here's a typical score file:
21318 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
21325 BNF definition of a score file:
21328 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
21329 element = rule / atom
21330 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
21331 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
21332 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
21333 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
21335 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
21336 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
21337 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
21338 date-header = "date"
21339 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21340 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21341 score = "nil" / <integer>
21342 date = "nil" / <natural number>
21343 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
21344 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
21345 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
21346 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
21347 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21348 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21349 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
21350 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21351 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
21352 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
21353 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
21354 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
21355 exclude-files / read-only / touched
21356 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
21357 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
21358 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
21359 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
21360 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
21361 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
21362 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
21363 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
21364 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
21365 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
21366 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
21367 eval = "eval" space <form>
21368 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
21371 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
21374 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
21375 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
21376 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
21377 one looong line, then that's ok.
21379 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
21380 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21384 @subsection Headers
21386 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
21387 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
21388 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
21389 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
21391 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
21392 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
21393 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
21394 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
21395 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
21396 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
21397 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
21399 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
21400 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
21401 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
21402 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
21403 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
21405 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
21406 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
21412 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
21413 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
21415 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
21416 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
21417 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
21418 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
21420 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
21424 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
21427 is transformed into
21430 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
21433 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
21434 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
21437 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
21440 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
21441 is slightly tricky:
21444 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
21450 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
21453 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
21459 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
21466 and is equal to the previous range.
21468 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
21469 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
21470 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
21474 range = simple-range / normal-range
21475 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
21476 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
21477 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
21478 number *[ " " contents ]
21481 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
21482 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
21483 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
21484 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
21485 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
21490 @subsection Group Info
21492 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
21493 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
21494 describes the group.
21496 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
21497 second is a more complex one:
21500 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
21502 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
21503 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
21505 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
21508 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
21509 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
21510 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
21511 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
21512 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
21513 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
21514 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
21515 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
21516 this section is about.
21518 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
21519 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
21520 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
21522 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
21525 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
21526 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
21527 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21528 group = quote <string> quote
21529 ralevel = rank / level
21530 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
21531 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
21532 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
21534 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
21535 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
21536 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
21537 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
21540 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
21541 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
21544 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
21545 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
21548 @item gnus-info-group
21549 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
21550 @findex gnus-info-group
21551 @findex gnus-info-set-group
21552 Get/set the group name.
21554 @item gnus-info-rank
21555 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
21556 @findex gnus-info-rank
21557 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
21558 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
21560 @item gnus-info-level
21561 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
21562 @findex gnus-info-level
21563 @findex gnus-info-set-level
21564 Get/set the group level.
21566 @item gnus-info-score
21567 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
21568 @findex gnus-info-score
21569 @findex gnus-info-set-score
21570 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
21572 @item gnus-info-read
21573 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
21574 @findex gnus-info-read
21575 @findex gnus-info-set-read
21576 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
21578 @item gnus-info-marks
21579 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
21580 @findex gnus-info-marks
21581 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
21582 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
21584 @item gnus-info-method
21585 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
21586 @findex gnus-info-method
21587 @findex gnus-info-set-method
21588 Get/set the group select method.
21590 @item gnus-info-params
21591 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
21592 @findex gnus-info-params
21593 @findex gnus-info-set-params
21594 Get/set the group parameters.
21597 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
21598 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
21600 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
21601 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
21602 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
21603 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
21606 @node Extended Interactive
21607 @subsection Extended Interactive
21608 @cindex interactive
21609 @findex gnus-interactive
21611 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
21612 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
21613 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
21616 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
21617 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
21622 The best thing to do would have been to implement
21623 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
21624 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
21625 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
21626 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
21627 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
21628 @code{interactive}.
21630 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
21635 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
21636 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
21640 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
21641 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
21642 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
21645 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
21649 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
21653 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
21659 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
21660 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
21664 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
21665 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
21666 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
21668 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
21669 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
21670 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
21671 Gnus, that's very useful.
21673 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
21674 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
21675 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
21676 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
21677 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
21678 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
21679 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
21680 following function:
21683 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
21687 (,function ,@@args))
21691 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
21692 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
21693 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
21696 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
21697 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
21698 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
21700 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
21701 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
21702 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
21705 @node Various File Formats
21706 @subsection Various File Formats
21709 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
21710 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
21714 @node Active File Format
21715 @subsubsection Active File Format
21717 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
21718 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
21721 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
21724 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
21725 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
21726 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
21727 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
21728 no.general 1000 900 y
21731 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
21734 active = *group-line
21735 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
21736 group = <non-white-space string>
21738 high-number = <non-negative integer>
21739 low-number = <positive integer>
21740 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
21743 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
21744 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
21747 @node Newsgroups File Format
21748 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
21750 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
21751 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
21752 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
21755 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
21756 Here's the definition:
21760 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
21761 group = <non-white-space string>
21763 description = <string>
21768 @node Emacs for Heathens
21769 @section Emacs for Heathens
21771 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
21772 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
21773 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
21774 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
21775 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
21776 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
21777 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
21781 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
21782 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
21787 @subsection Keystrokes
21791 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
21794 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
21797 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
21798 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
21799 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
21800 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
21801 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
21802 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
21804 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
21805 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
21806 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
21807 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
21808 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
21809 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
21810 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
21812 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
21813 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
21814 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
21815 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
21816 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
21817 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
21818 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
21820 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
21821 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
21822 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
21823 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
21824 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
21830 @subsection Emacs Lisp
21832 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
21833 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
21834 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
21835 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
21837 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
21838 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
21839 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
21840 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
21841 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
21842 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
21843 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
21846 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
21847 write the following:
21850 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
21853 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
21854 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
21855 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
21858 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
21859 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
21860 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
21861 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
21862 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
21864 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
21865 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
21866 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
21870 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
21874 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
21877 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
21878 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
21881 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
21884 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
21885 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
21888 @include gnus-faq.texi