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14 Copyright @copyright{} 1995-2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
17 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
18 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
19 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
20 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
21 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
22 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
24 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
25 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
26 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
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309 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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324 @dircategory Emacs network features
326 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
335 @title Gnus Manual (DEVELOPMENT VERSION)
337 @ifclear WEBHACKDEVEL
341 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
343 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
351 @top The Gnus Newsreader
355 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
356 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
357 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
360 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
361 This manual corresponds to Ma Gnus v0.4
376 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
377 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
379 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
380 being accused of plagiarism:
382 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
383 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
384 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
385 can even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
394 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
395 This manual corresponds to Ma Gnus v0.4
397 @heading Other related manuals
399 @item Message manual: Composing messages
400 @item Emacs-MIME: Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
401 @item Sieve: Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
402 @item PGG: @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
403 @item SASL: @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
409 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
410 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
411 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
412 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
413 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
414 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
415 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
416 * Searching:: Mail and News search engines.
417 * Various:: General purpose settings.
418 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
419 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
420 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
421 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
422 * Key Index:: Key Index.
424 Other related manuals
426 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
427 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
428 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
429 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
430 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
433 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
437 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
438 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
439 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
440 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
441 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
442 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
443 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
444 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
445 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
446 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
450 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
451 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
452 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
456 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
457 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
458 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
459 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
460 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
461 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
462 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
463 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
464 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
465 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
466 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
467 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
468 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
469 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
470 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
471 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
472 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
473 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
477 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
478 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
479 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
483 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
484 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
485 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
486 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
487 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
491 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
492 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
493 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
494 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
495 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
499 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
500 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
501 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
502 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
503 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
504 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
505 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
506 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
507 * Threading:: How threads are made.
508 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
509 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
510 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
511 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
512 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
513 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
514 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
515 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
516 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
517 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
518 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
519 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
520 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
521 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
522 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
523 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
524 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
525 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
526 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
527 or reselecting the current group.
528 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
529 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
530 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
531 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
533 Summary Buffer Format
535 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
536 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
537 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
538 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
542 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
543 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
545 Reply, Followup and Post
547 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
548 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
549 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
550 * Canceling and Superseding::
554 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
555 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
556 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
557 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
558 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
559 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
563 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
564 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
566 Customizing Threading
568 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
569 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
570 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
571 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
575 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
576 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
577 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
578 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
579 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
580 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
584 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
585 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
586 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
590 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
591 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
592 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
593 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
594 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
595 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
596 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
597 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
598 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys, Gravatars
599 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
600 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
602 Alternative Approaches
604 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
605 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
607 Various Summary Stuff
609 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
610 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
611 * Summary Generation Commands::
612 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
616 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
617 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
618 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
619 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
620 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
624 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
625 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
626 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
627 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
628 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
629 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
630 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
631 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
632 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
636 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
637 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
638 * Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
639 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
640 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
641 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
642 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
643 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
644 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
648 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
649 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
650 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
651 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
652 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
653 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
654 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
658 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
659 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
663 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
664 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
665 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
666 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
670 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
671 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
672 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
673 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
674 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
675 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
676 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
677 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
678 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
679 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
680 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
681 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
682 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
686 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
687 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
688 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
690 Choosing a Mail Back End
692 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
693 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
694 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
695 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
696 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
697 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
698 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
703 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
704 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
705 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
709 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
710 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
711 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
712 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
713 * The Empty Backend:: The backend that never has any news.
717 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
721 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
725 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
726 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
727 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
731 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
732 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
733 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
735 The Gnus Diary Library
737 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
738 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
739 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
740 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
744 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
745 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
746 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
747 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
748 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
749 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
750 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
751 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
752 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
753 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
754 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
755 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
756 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
757 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
761 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
762 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
763 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
767 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
768 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
769 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
773 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
774 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
775 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
776 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
777 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
778 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
779 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
780 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
781 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
782 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
783 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
784 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
785 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
786 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
787 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
788 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
792 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
793 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
794 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
798 * nnir:: Searching with various engines.
799 * nnmairix:: Searching with Mairix.
803 * What is nnir?:: What does nnir do.
804 * Basic Usage:: How to perform simple searches.
805 * Setting up nnir:: How to set up nnir.
809 * Associating Engines:: How to associate engines.
813 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
814 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
815 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
816 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
817 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
818 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
819 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
820 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
821 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
822 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
823 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
824 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
825 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
826 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
827 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
828 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
829 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
830 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
831 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
832 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
836 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
837 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
838 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
839 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
840 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
841 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
842 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
843 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
847 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
848 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
849 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
851 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
852 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
853 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
857 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
858 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
859 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
860 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
864 * Spam Package Introduction::
865 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
866 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
867 * Spam and Ham Processors::
868 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
870 * Extending the Spam package::
871 * Spam Statistics Package::
873 Spam Statistics Package
875 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
876 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
877 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
881 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
882 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
883 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
884 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
885 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
886 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
887 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
888 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
889 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
893 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
894 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
895 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
896 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
897 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
898 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
899 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
900 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
904 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
905 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
906 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
907 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
908 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
909 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
910 * No Gnus:: Very punny. Gnus 5.12/5.13
911 * Ma Gnus:: Celebrating 25 years of Gnus.
915 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
916 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
917 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
918 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
922 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
923 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
924 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
925 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
926 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
927 * Group Info:: The group info format.
928 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
929 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
930 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
934 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
935 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
936 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
937 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
938 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
939 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
943 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
944 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
948 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
949 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
955 @chapter Starting Gnus
958 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
963 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
964 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
965 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
966 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
967 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
968 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
970 @findex gnus-other-frame
971 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
972 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
973 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
975 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
976 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
977 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
979 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
980 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
983 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
984 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
985 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
986 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
987 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
988 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
989 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
990 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
991 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
995 @node Finding the News
996 @section Finding the News
999 First of all, you should know that there is a special buffer called
1000 @code{*Server*} that lists all the servers Gnus knows about. You can
1001 press @kbd{^} from the Group buffer to see it. In the Server buffer,
1002 you can press @kbd{RET} on a defined server to see all the groups it
1003 serves (subscribed or not!). You can also add or delete servers, edit
1004 a foreign server's definition, agentize or de-agentize a server, and
1005 do many other neat things. @xref{Server Buffer}.
1006 @xref{Foreign Groups}. @xref{Agent Basics}.
1008 @vindex gnus-select-method
1010 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
1011 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1012 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1013 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1014 secondary or foreign groups.
1016 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1017 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1020 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1023 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1026 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1029 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1030 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1031 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1032 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1034 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1036 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1037 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1038 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1039 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1040 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1041 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1042 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1044 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1046 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1047 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1048 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1049 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1050 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1051 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1053 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1055 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1056 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1057 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1058 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1059 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1060 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1063 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1064 you would typically set this variable to
1067 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1070 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1071 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1072 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1073 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1076 @node The Server is Down
1077 @section The Server is Down
1078 @cindex server errors
1080 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1081 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1082 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1084 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1085 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1086 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1087 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1088 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1089 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1090 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1092 @findex gnus-no-server
1093 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1095 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1096 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1097 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1098 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1099 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1100 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1101 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1105 @section Slave Gnusae
1108 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1109 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1110 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1111 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1113 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1114 @file{.newsrc} file.
1116 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1117 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1118 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1119 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1120 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1121 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1122 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1125 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1126 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1127 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1128 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1129 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1130 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1131 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1132 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1134 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1135 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1137 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1138 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1139 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1140 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1141 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1148 @cindex subscription
1150 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1151 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1152 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1153 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1154 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1155 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1156 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1157 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1158 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1161 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1162 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1163 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1167 @node Checking New Groups
1168 @subsection Checking New Groups
1170 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing
1171 the list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of
1172 subscribed and dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method.
1173 If @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will
1174 ask the server for new groups since the last time. This is both
1175 faster and cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list
1176 of killed groups (@pxref{Group Levels}) altogether, so you may set
1177 @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to @code{nil}, which will save time both
1178 at startup, at exit, and all over. Saves disk space, too. Why isn't
1179 this the default, then? Unfortunately, not all servers support this
1182 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1183 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1184 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1185 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1186 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1187 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1188 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1189 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1190 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1191 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1192 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1194 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1195 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1196 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1197 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1198 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1199 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1202 @node Subscription Methods
1203 @subsection Subscription Methods
1205 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1206 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1207 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1209 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1210 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1212 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1216 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1217 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1218 Make all new groups zombies (@pxref{Group Levels}). This is the
1219 default. You can browse the zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either
1220 kill them all off properly (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them
1223 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1224 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1225 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1226 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1228 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1229 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1230 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1232 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1234 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1235 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1236 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1237 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1238 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1239 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1240 up. Or something like that.
1242 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1243 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1244 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1245 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1246 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1248 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1250 Kill all new groups.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1254 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1255 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1256 topic parameter that looks like
1262 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1265 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1270 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1271 A closely related variable is
1272 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1273 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1274 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1275 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1278 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1279 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1280 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1281 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1284 @node Filtering New Groups
1285 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1287 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1288 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1289 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1292 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1295 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1296 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1297 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1298 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1299 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1300 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1301 subscribing these groups.
1302 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1303 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1305 The ``options -n'' format is very simplistic. The syntax above is all
1306 that is supports -- you can force-subscribe hierarchies, or you can
1307 deny hierarchies, and that's it.
1309 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1310 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1311 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1312 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1313 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1314 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1315 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1316 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1318 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1319 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1320 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1321 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1322 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1323 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1324 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1325 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1326 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, @code{nnimap}, and
1327 @code{nnmaildir}) subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this
1328 variable to @code{nil}.
1330 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-categories
1331 As if that wasn't enough, @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-categories} also
1332 allows you to specify that new groups should be subscribed based on the
1333 category their select methods belong to. The default is @samp{(mail
1334 post-mail)}, meaning that all new groups from mail-like backends
1335 should be subscribed automatically.
1337 New groups that match these variables are subscribed using
1338 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1341 @node Changing Servers
1342 @section Changing Servers
1343 @cindex changing servers
1345 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1346 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1347 very flaky and you want to use another.
1349 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1350 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1354 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1355 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1356 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1357 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1360 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1361 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1362 You can use the @kbd{M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups}
1363 command to clear out all data that you have on your native groups.
1366 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1367 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1368 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1369 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1371 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1372 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1373 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1374 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1375 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1376 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1377 cache for all groups).
1381 @section Startup Files
1382 @cindex startup files
1387 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1388 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1389 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1392 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1393 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1394 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1395 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1396 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1397 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1398 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1400 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1401 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1402 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1403 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1404 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1405 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1407 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1408 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1409 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1410 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1411 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1412 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1413 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1414 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1415 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1416 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1417 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1420 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1421 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1422 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1423 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1424 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1425 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1426 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1427 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1428 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1429 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1430 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1431 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1433 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1434 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1435 @vindex version-control
1436 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1437 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1438 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1439 If you want to keep multiple numbered backups of this file, set
1440 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1441 @code{version-control} variable.
1443 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1444 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1445 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1446 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1447 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1448 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1449 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1450 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1451 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1452 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1455 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1456 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1458 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1459 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1462 @vindex gnus-init-file
1463 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1464 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1465 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1466 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1467 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1468 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1469 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1470 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1471 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1472 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1473 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1474 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1475 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1480 @cindex dribble file
1483 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1484 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1485 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1486 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1487 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1490 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1491 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1494 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1495 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1496 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1498 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1499 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1500 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1501 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1502 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1503 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1505 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1506 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1507 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1510 @node The Active File
1511 @section The Active File
1513 @cindex ignored groups
1515 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1516 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1517 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1519 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1520 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1521 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1522 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1523 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1524 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1525 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1528 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1529 @c if you set it to anything else.
1531 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1533 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1534 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1535 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1537 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1538 you actually subscribe to.
1540 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1541 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1542 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1543 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1545 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1546 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1547 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1548 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1549 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1550 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1552 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1553 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1554 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1557 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1558 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1559 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1560 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1561 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1562 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1564 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1565 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1567 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1568 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1570 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1571 secondary select methods.
1574 @node Startup Variables
1575 @section Startup Variables
1579 @item gnus-load-hook
1580 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1581 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1582 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1583 times you start Gnus.
1585 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1586 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1587 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is started.
1589 @item gnus-startup-hook
1590 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1591 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1593 @item gnus-started-hook
1594 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1595 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1598 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1599 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1600 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1601 generating the group buffer.
1603 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1604 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1605 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1606 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1607 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1608 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1609 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1610 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1612 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1613 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1614 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1615 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1616 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1617 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1619 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1620 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1621 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1623 @item gnus-use-backend-marks
1624 @vindex gnus-use-backend-marks
1625 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will store article marks both in the
1626 @file{.newsrc.eld} file and in the backends. This will slow down
1627 group operation some.
1633 @chapter Group Buffer
1634 @cindex group buffer
1636 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1638 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1639 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1640 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1641 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1642 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1643 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1644 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1645 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1646 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1647 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1648 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1649 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1650 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1651 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1652 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1653 @c human rights at 9...
1656 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1657 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1658 long as Gnus is active.
1662 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1663 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1664 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1665 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1666 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1667 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1668 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1669 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1675 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1676 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1677 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1678 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1679 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1680 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1681 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1682 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1683 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1684 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1685 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1686 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1687 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1688 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1689 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1690 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1691 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
1692 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1696 @node Group Buffer Format
1697 @section Group Buffer Format
1700 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1701 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1702 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1705 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1706 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1709 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1710 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1711 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1712 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1715 @node Group Line Specification
1716 @subsection Group Line Specification
1717 @cindex group buffer format
1719 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1720 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1722 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1725 25: news.announce.newusers
1726 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1731 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1732 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1733 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1734 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1736 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1737 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1738 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1739 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1740 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1741 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1743 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1745 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1746 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1747 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1748 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1749 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1751 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1752 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1753 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1755 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1760 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1763 Whether the group is subscribed.
1766 Level of subscribedness.
1769 Number of unread articles.
1772 Number of dormant articles.
1775 Number of ticked articles.
1778 Number of read articles.
1781 Number of unseen articles.
1784 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1785 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1787 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1788 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1789 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1790 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1791 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1792 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1793 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1795 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1796 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1797 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1798 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1799 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1800 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1801 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1804 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1807 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1816 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1817 comment element in the group parameters.
1820 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1821 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1822 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1826 @samp{m} if moderated.
1829 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1835 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1841 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1845 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1848 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1849 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1850 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1851 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1852 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1855 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1857 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1861 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1864 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1868 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1869 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1870 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1871 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1874 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1875 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1876 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1877 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1878 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1879 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1884 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1885 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1886 group, or a bogus native group.
1889 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1890 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1891 @cindex group mode line
1893 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1894 The mode line can be changed by setting
1895 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1896 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1900 The native news server.
1902 The native select method.
1906 @node Group Highlighting
1907 @subsection Group Highlighting
1908 @cindex highlighting
1909 @cindex group highlighting
1911 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1912 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1913 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1914 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1915 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1917 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1921 (cond (window-system
1922 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1923 (defface my-group-face-1
1924 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1925 (defface my-group-face-2
1926 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1927 "Second group face")
1928 (defface my-group-face-3
1929 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1930 (defface my-group-face-4
1931 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1932 (defface my-group-face-5
1933 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1935 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1936 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1937 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1938 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1939 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1940 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1943 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1945 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1952 The number of unread articles in the group.
1956 Whether the group is a mail group.
1958 The level of the group.
1960 The score of the group.
1962 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1964 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1965 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1967 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1968 topic being inserted.
1971 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1972 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1973 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1975 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1976 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1977 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1978 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
1981 @node Group Maneuvering
1982 @section Group Maneuvering
1983 @cindex group movement
1985 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1986 expected, hopefully.
1992 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1993 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1994 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2000 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2001 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2002 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2006 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2007 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2011 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2012 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2016 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2017 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2018 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2022 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2023 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2024 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2027 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2033 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2034 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2035 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2040 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2041 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2042 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2046 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2047 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2048 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2051 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2052 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2053 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2054 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2057 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2058 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2059 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2060 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2063 @node Selecting a Group
2064 @section Selecting a Group
2065 @cindex group selection
2070 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2071 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2072 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2073 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2074 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2075 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2076 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2077 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2078 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2079 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2081 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2082 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2083 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2085 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2086 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2091 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2092 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2093 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2094 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2095 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2099 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2100 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2101 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2102 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2103 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2104 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2105 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2106 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2107 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2108 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2111 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2112 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2113 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2114 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2115 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2118 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2119 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2120 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2121 doing any processing of its contents
2122 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2123 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2124 manner will have no permanent effects.
2128 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2129 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2130 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2131 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2132 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2133 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2134 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2135 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2136 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2137 most recently will be fetched.
2139 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2140 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2141 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2144 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles
2145 In groups in some news servers, there might be a big gap between a few
2146 very old articles that will never be expired and the recent ones. In
2147 such a case, the server will return the data like @code{(1 . 30000000)}
2148 for the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, for example. Even if there
2149 are actually only the articles 1-10 and 29999900-30000000, Gnus doesn't
2150 know it at first and prepares for getting 30000000 articles. However,
2151 it will consume hundreds megabytes of memories and might make Emacs get
2152 stuck as the case may be. If you use such news servers, set the
2153 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} to a positive number.
2154 The value means that Gnus ignores articles other than this number of the
2155 latest ones in every group. For instance, the value 10000 makes Gnus
2156 get only the articles 29990001-30000000 (if the latest article number is
2157 30000000 in a group). Note that setting this variable to a number might
2158 prevent you from reading very old articles. The default value of the
2159 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} is @code{nil}, which
2160 means Gnus never ignores old articles.
2162 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2163 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2164 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2165 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2166 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2167 Which article this is controlled by the
2168 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2174 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2177 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2180 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2182 @item unseen-or-unread
2183 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2184 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2188 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2192 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2193 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2195 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2196 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2197 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2198 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2202 @node Subscription Commands
2203 @section Subscription Commands
2204 @cindex subscription
2206 The following commands allow for managing your subscriptions in the
2207 Group buffer. If you want to subscribe to many groups, it's probably
2208 more convenient to go to the @ref{Server Buffer}, and choose the
2209 server there using @kbd{RET} or @kbd{SPC}. Then you'll have the
2210 commands listed in @ref{Browse Foreign Server} at hand.
2218 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2219 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2220 Toggle subscription to the current group
2221 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2227 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2228 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2229 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2230 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2236 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2237 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2238 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2244 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2245 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2248 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2249 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2250 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2251 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2252 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2258 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2259 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2263 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2264 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2267 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2268 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2269 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2270 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2271 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2272 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2273 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2274 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2275 @file{.newsrc} file.
2279 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2289 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2290 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2291 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2292 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2293 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2294 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2299 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2300 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2301 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2305 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2306 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2307 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2309 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2310 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2311 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2312 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2313 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2314 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2321 @section Group Levels
2325 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2326 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2327 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2328 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2329 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2331 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2337 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2338 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2339 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2340 prompted for a level.
2343 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2344 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2345 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2346 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2347 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2348 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2349 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2350 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2351 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2352 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2353 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2354 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2355 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2356 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2357 reasons of efficiency.
2359 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2360 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2362 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2363 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2364 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2365 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2366 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2367 groups are hidden, in a way.
2369 @cindex zombie groups
2370 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2371 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2372 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2373 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2374 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2375 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2377 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2378 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2379 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2380 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2381 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2382 list of killed groups.)
2384 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2385 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2386 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2388 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2389 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2390 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2391 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2392 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2393 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2394 relevant valid ranges.
2396 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2397 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2398 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2399 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2400 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2401 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2404 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2405 one with the best level.
2407 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2408 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2409 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2411 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2412 be called and the result will be used as value.
2415 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2416 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2417 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2418 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2421 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2422 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2423 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2424 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2426 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2427 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2428 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2429 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2430 to 5. The default is 6.
2434 @section Group Score
2439 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2440 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2441 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2444 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2445 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2446 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2447 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2448 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2449 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2450 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2451 least significant part.))
2453 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2454 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2455 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2456 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2457 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2458 action after each summary exit, you can add
2459 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2460 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2461 slow things down somewhat.
2464 @node Marking Groups
2465 @section Marking Groups
2466 @cindex marking groups
2468 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2469 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2470 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2471 bidding on those groups.
2473 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2474 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2475 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2483 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2484 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2490 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2491 Remove the mark from the current group
2492 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2497 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2501 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2502 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2506 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2507 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2511 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2512 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2513 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2516 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2518 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2519 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2520 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2521 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2522 the command to be executed.
2525 @node Foreign Groups
2526 @section Foreign Groups
2527 @cindex foreign groups
2529 If you recall how to subscribe to servers (@pxref{Finding the News})
2530 you will remember that @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} and
2531 @code{gnus-select-method} let you write a definition in Emacs Lisp of
2532 what servers you want to see when you start up. The alternate
2533 approach is to use foreign servers and groups. ``Foreign'' here means
2534 they are not coming from the select methods. All foreign server
2535 configuration and subscriptions are stored only in the
2536 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file.
2538 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2539 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2540 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2541 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2544 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2545 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2546 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2552 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2553 @cindex making groups
2554 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2555 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2556 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2560 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2561 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2562 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2566 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2567 @cindex renaming groups
2568 Rename the current group to something else
2569 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2570 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2576 @findex gnus-group-customize
2577 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2581 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2582 @cindex renaming groups
2583 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2584 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2588 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2589 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2590 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2594 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2595 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2596 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2600 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2602 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2603 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2608 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2609 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2613 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2615 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2616 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2617 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2621 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2622 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2624 Make a group based on some file or other
2625 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2626 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2627 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2628 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2629 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2630 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2631 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2632 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2633 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2637 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2638 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2639 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2640 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2644 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2648 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2649 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2650 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2651 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2652 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2653 @xref{Web Searches}.
2655 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2656 to a particular group by using a match string like
2657 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2661 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2662 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2663 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2667 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2668 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2669 This function will delete the current group
2670 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2671 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2672 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2673 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2674 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2678 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2679 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2680 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2684 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2685 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2686 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2689 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2692 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2693 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2694 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2695 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2696 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2697 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2701 The following commands create ephemeral groups. They can be called not
2702 only from the Group buffer, but in any Gnus buffer.
2705 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2706 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2707 @vindex gnus-gmane-group-download-format
2708 Read an ephemeral group on Gmane.org. The articles are downloaded via
2709 HTTP using the URL specified by @code{gnus-gmane-group-download-format}.
2710 Gnus will prompt you for a group name, the start article number and an
2713 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2714 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2715 This command is similar to @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group}, but
2716 the group name and the article number and range are constructed from a
2717 given @acronym{URL}. Supported @acronym{URL} formats include e.g.
2718 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12300/focus=12399},
2719 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2720 @url{http://article.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2721 @url{http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/}, and
2722 @url{http://news.gmane.org/group/gmane.foo.bar/thread=12345}.
2724 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2725 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2726 Read an Emacs bug report in an ephemeral group. Gnus will prompt for a
2727 bug number. The default is the number at point. The @acronym{URL} is
2728 specified in @code{gnus-bug-group-download-format-alist}.
2730 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2731 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2732 Read a Debian bug report in an ephemeral group. Analog to
2733 @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group}.
2736 Some of these command are also useful for article buttons, @xref{Article
2744 '("#\\([0-9]+\\)\\>" 1
2745 (string-match "\\<emacs\\>" (or gnus-newsgroup-name ""))
2746 gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group 1))
2750 @node Group Parameters
2751 @section Group Parameters
2752 @cindex group parameters
2754 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2756 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2757 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2758 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2759 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2760 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2761 Additionally, you can set group parameters via the
2762 @code{gnus-parameters} variable, see below.
2764 Here's an example group parameter list:
2767 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2771 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2772 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2773 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2774 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2776 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2777 is an alist of regexps and values.
2779 The following group parameters can be used:
2784 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2787 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2790 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2791 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2792 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2793 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2794 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2796 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2797 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2798 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2799 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2800 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2801 list address instead.
2803 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2807 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2810 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2813 It is totally ignored
2814 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2815 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2817 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2818 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2819 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2820 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2821 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2823 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2824 @cindex mail list groups
2825 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2826 entering summary buffer.
2828 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2833 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2834 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2835 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2836 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2837 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2838 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2839 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2840 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2843 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2844 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2847 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2848 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2852 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2853 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2854 of whether it has any unread articles.
2856 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2857 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2859 @item broken-reply-to
2860 @cindex broken-reply-to
2861 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2862 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2863 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2864 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2865 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2866 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2870 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2871 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2875 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2876 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2877 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2882 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2883 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2884 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2885 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2886 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2887 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2888 (@pxref{Archived Messages}), with the exception for messages to resend.
2890 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2891 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2892 doesn't accept articles.
2896 @cindex expiring mail
2897 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2898 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2899 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2901 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2904 @cindex total-expire
2905 @cindex expiring mail
2906 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2907 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2908 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2909 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2912 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2916 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2917 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2918 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2919 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2920 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2921 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2922 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2925 @cindex expiry-target
2926 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2927 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2930 @cindex score file group parameter
2931 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2932 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2933 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2936 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2937 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2938 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2939 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2942 @cindex admin-address
2943 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2944 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2945 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2946 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2950 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2951 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2955 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2958 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2959 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2962 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2966 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2968 Here are some examples:
2972 Display only unread articles.
2975 Display everything except expirable articles.
2977 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2978 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2982 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2983 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2984 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2985 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2986 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, and @code{unseen}.
2990 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2991 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2992 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2996 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2997 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2998 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
3002 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
3003 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
3004 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
3006 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
3008 @item ignored-charsets
3009 @cindex ignored-charset
3010 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
3011 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
3012 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
3014 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
3017 @cindex posting-style
3018 You can store additional posting style information for this group
3019 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
3020 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
3021 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
3022 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
3024 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
3025 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
3026 like this in the group parameters:
3031 ("X-Message-SMTP-Method" "smtp smtp.example.org 587")
3032 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
3033 (signature "Funky Signature"))
3036 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
3037 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
3038 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
3039 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
3040 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3041 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3047 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3048 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3052 If it is set, and the setting of @code{mail-sources} includes a
3053 @code{group} mail source (@pxref{Mail Sources}), the value is a
3054 mail source for this group.
3058 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3059 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3060 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3061 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3062 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3066 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3067 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3068 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3069 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3071 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3072 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3073 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3074 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3077 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3078 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3082 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3083 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3084 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3085 like the following is generated:
3088 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3089 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3093 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3094 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3096 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3097 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3099 @item (agent parameters)
3100 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of its parameters to
3101 control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3102 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3103 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3104 minimize the configuration effort.
3106 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3107 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3108 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3109 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3110 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3111 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3112 @code{eval}ed there.
3114 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer
3115 if and only if @var{variable} has been bound as a variable. Otherwise,
3116 only evaluating the form will take place. So, you may want to bind the
3117 variable in advance using @code{defvar} or other if the result of the
3118 form needs to be set to it.
3120 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3121 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3122 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3123 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3124 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3125 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3126 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3129 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3132 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3133 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3134 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3137 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3140 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3141 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3142 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3143 into the group parameters for the group.
3145 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3146 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3147 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group. If
3148 @code{dummy-variable} has been bound (see above), it will be set to the
3149 (meaningless) result of the @code{(ding)} form.
3151 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3152 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3153 following is added to a group parameter
3156 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3157 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3160 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3165 @vindex gnus-parameters
3166 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3167 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3168 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3172 (setq gnus-parameters
3174 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3175 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3176 (gnus-summary-line-format
3177 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3181 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3185 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3189 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3192 All clauses that matches the group name will be used, but the last
3193 setting ``wins''. So if you have two clauses that both match the
3194 group name, and both set, say @code{display}, the last setting will
3197 Parameters that are strings will be subjected to regexp substitution,
3198 as the @code{to-group} example shows.
3200 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3201 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3202 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3203 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3204 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3205 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3206 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3207 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3208 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3209 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3210 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3211 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3213 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3214 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3215 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3216 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3217 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3218 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3219 weekly news RSS feed
3220 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3226 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3227 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3228 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3229 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3230 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3232 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3233 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3234 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3235 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3236 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3237 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3241 @node Listing Groups
3242 @section Listing Groups
3243 @cindex group listing
3245 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3253 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3254 List all groups that have unread articles
3255 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3256 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3257 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3258 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3265 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3266 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3267 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3268 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3269 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3270 unsubscribed groups).
3274 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3275 List all unread groups on a specific level
3276 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3277 with no unread articles.
3281 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3282 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3283 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3284 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3289 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3290 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3294 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3295 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3296 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3300 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3301 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3305 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3306 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3307 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3308 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3309 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3310 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3311 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3312 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3316 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3317 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3318 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3322 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3323 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3324 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3328 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3329 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3333 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3334 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3338 @findex gnus-group-list-ticked
3339 List all groups with ticked articles (@code{gnus-group-list-ticked}).
3343 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3344 Further limit groups within the current selection
3345 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}). If you've first limited to groups
3346 with dormant articles with @kbd{A ?}, you can then further limit with
3347 @kbd{A / c}, which will then limit to groups with cached articles,
3348 giving you the groups that have both dormant articles and cached
3353 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3354 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3358 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3359 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3363 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3364 @cindex visible group parameter
3365 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3366 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3367 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3368 get the same effect.
3370 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3371 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3372 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3373 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3374 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3377 @node Sorting Groups
3378 @section Sorting Groups
3379 @cindex sorting groups
3381 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3382 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3383 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3384 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3385 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3386 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3391 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3392 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3393 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3395 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3396 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3397 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3399 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3400 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3401 Sort by group level.
3403 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3404 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3405 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3407 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3408 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3409 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3410 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3412 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3413 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3414 Sort by number of unread articles.
3416 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3417 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3418 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3420 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3421 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3422 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3427 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3428 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3432 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3433 some sorting criteria:
3437 @kindex G S a (Group)
3438 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3439 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3440 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3443 @kindex G S u (Group)
3444 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3445 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3446 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3449 @kindex G S l (Group)
3450 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3451 Sort the group buffer by group level
3452 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3455 @kindex G S v (Group)
3456 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3457 Sort the group buffer by group score
3458 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3461 @kindex G S r (Group)
3462 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3463 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3464 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3467 @kindex G S m (Group)
3468 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3469 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3470 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3473 @kindex G S n (Group)
3474 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3475 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3476 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3480 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3481 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3483 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3484 commands will sort in reverse order.
3486 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3490 @kindex G P a (Group)
3491 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3492 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3493 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3496 @kindex G P u (Group)
3497 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3498 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3499 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3502 @kindex G P l (Group)
3503 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3504 Sort the groups by group level
3505 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3508 @kindex G P v (Group)
3509 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3510 Sort the groups by group score
3511 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3514 @kindex G P r (Group)
3515 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3516 Sort the groups by group rank
3517 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3520 @kindex G P m (Group)
3521 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3522 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3523 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3526 @kindex G P n (Group)
3527 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3528 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3529 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3532 @kindex G P s (Group)
3533 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3534 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3538 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3542 @node Group Maintenance
3543 @section Group Maintenance
3544 @cindex bogus groups
3549 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3550 Find bogus groups and delete them
3551 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3555 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3556 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3557 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3558 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3559 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3563 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3564 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3565 @cindex expiring mail
3566 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3567 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3568 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3569 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3572 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3573 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3574 @cindex expiring mail
3575 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3576 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3581 @node Browse Foreign Server
3582 @section Browse Foreign Server
3583 @cindex foreign servers
3584 @cindex browsing servers
3589 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3590 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3591 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3592 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3595 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3596 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3597 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3598 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3600 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3605 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3606 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3610 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3611 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3614 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3615 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3616 Enter the current group and display the first article
3617 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3620 @kindex RET (Browse)
3621 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3622 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3626 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3627 @vindex gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method
3628 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3629 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}). You
3630 can affect the way the new group is entered into the Group buffer
3631 using the variable @code{gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method}. See
3632 @pxref{Subscription Methods} for available options.
3638 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3639 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3643 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3644 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3648 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3649 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3650 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3655 @section Exiting Gnus
3656 @cindex exiting Gnus
3658 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3663 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3664 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3665 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3666 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3670 @findex gnus-group-exit
3671 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3672 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3676 @findex gnus-group-quit
3677 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3678 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3681 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3682 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3683 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3684 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3685 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3686 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3692 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3693 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3694 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3700 @section Group Topics
3703 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3704 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3705 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3706 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3707 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3708 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3712 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3713 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3724 2: alt.religion.emacs
3727 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3729 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3730 13: comp.sources.unix
3733 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3735 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3736 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3737 is a toggling command.)
3739 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3740 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3741 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3742 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3745 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3746 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3747 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3750 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3754 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3755 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3756 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3757 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3758 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3762 @node Topic Commands
3763 @subsection Topic Commands
3764 @cindex topic commands
3766 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3767 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3768 definitions slightly.
3770 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3771 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3772 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3773 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3774 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3775 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3777 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3784 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3785 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3786 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3790 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3792 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3793 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3794 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3795 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3798 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3799 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3800 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3801 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3805 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3806 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3807 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3808 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3814 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3815 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3816 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3820 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3821 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3822 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3825 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3826 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3827 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3828 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3829 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3831 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3832 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3836 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3837 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3844 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3846 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3847 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3848 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3849 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3850 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3851 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3855 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3861 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3862 Move the current group to some other topic
3863 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3864 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3868 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3869 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3873 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3874 Copy the current group to some other topic
3875 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3876 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3880 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3881 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3882 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3886 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3887 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3888 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3892 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3893 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3894 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3895 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3896 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3897 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3898 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3901 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3902 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3906 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3907 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3908 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3912 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3913 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3914 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3918 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3919 Toggle hiding empty topics
3920 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3924 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3925 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3926 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3927 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3930 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3931 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3932 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3933 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3934 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3937 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3938 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3939 @cindex expiring mail
3940 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3941 expiry process (if any)
3942 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3946 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3947 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3950 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3951 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3952 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3956 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3957 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3958 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3961 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3962 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3963 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3966 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3967 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3968 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3972 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3973 @cindex group parameters
3974 @cindex topic parameters
3976 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3977 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3982 @node Topic Variables
3983 @subsection Topic Variables
3984 @cindex topic variables
3986 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3987 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3989 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3990 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3991 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4004 Number of groups in the topic.
4006 Number of unread articles in the topic.
4008 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
4011 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
4012 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
4013 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
4016 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
4017 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
4019 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
4020 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
4021 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
4025 @subsection Topic Sorting
4026 @cindex topic sorting
4028 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
4034 @kindex T S a (Topic)
4035 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
4036 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
4037 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
4040 @kindex T S u (Topic)
4041 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
4042 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
4043 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
4046 @kindex T S l (Topic)
4047 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
4048 Sort the current topic by group level
4049 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
4052 @kindex T S v (Topic)
4053 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
4054 Sort the current topic by group score
4055 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
4058 @kindex T S r (Topic)
4059 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
4060 Sort the current topic by group rank
4061 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4064 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4065 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4066 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4067 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4070 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4071 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4072 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4073 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4076 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4077 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4078 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4079 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4080 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4084 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4085 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4089 @node Topic Topology
4090 @subsection Topic Topology
4091 @cindex topic topology
4094 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4101 2: alt.religion.emacs
4104 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4106 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4107 13: comp.sources.unix
4111 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4112 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4113 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4118 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4119 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4123 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4124 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4125 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4126 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4127 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4128 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4130 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4131 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4132 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4135 @node Topic Parameters
4136 @subsection Topic Parameters
4137 @cindex topic parameters
4139 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4140 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4141 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4142 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4143 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4145 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4150 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4151 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4152 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4155 @item subscribe-level
4156 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4157 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4158 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4162 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4163 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4164 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4165 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4172 2: alt.religion.emacs
4176 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4178 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4179 13: comp.sources.unix
4184 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4185 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4186 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4187 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4188 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4189 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4191 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4192 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4193 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4194 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4195 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4197 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4198 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4199 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4200 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4201 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4202 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4203 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4204 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4207 @node Non-ASCII Group Names
4208 @section Accessing groups of non-English names
4209 @cindex non-ascii group names
4211 There are some news servers that provide groups of which the names are
4212 expressed with their native languages in the world. For instance, in a
4213 certain news server there are some newsgroups of which the names are
4214 spelled in Chinese, where people are talking in Chinese. You can, of
4215 course, subscribe to such news groups using Gnus. Currently Gnus
4216 supports non-@acronym{ASCII} group names not only with the @code{nntp}
4217 back end but also with the @code{nnml} back end and the @code{nnrss}
4220 Every such group name is encoded by a certain charset in the server
4221 side (in an @acronym{NNTP} server its administrator determines the
4222 charset, but for groups in the other back ends it is determined by you).
4223 Gnus has to display the decoded ones for you in the group buffer and the
4224 article buffer, and needs to use the encoded ones when communicating
4225 with servers. However, Gnus doesn't know what charset is used for each
4226 non-@acronym{ASCII} group name. The following two variables are just
4227 the ones for telling Gnus what charset should be used for each group:
4230 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4231 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4232 An alist of select methods and charsets. The default value is
4233 @code{nil}. The names of groups in the server specified by that select
4234 method are all supposed to use the corresponding charset. For example:
4237 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4238 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4241 Charsets specified for groups with this variable are preferred to the
4242 ones specified for the same groups with the
4243 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} variable (see below).
4245 A select method can be very long, like:
4249 (nntp-address "news.gmane.org")
4250 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
4251 (nntp-open-connection-function
4252 nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
4253 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
4254 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
4255 ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
4256 (nntp-via-address @dots{}))
4259 In that case, you can truncate it into @code{(nntp "gmane")} in this
4260 variable. That is, it is enough to contain only the back end name and
4263 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4264 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4265 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4266 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
4267 @code{((".*" . utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported,
4268 otherwise the default is @code{nil}. For example:
4271 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4272 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)
4276 Note that this variable is ignored if the match is made with
4277 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist}.
4280 Those two variables are used also to determine the charset for encoding
4281 and decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} group names that are in the back ends
4282 other than @code{nntp}. It means that it is you who determine it. If
4283 you do nothing, the charset used for group names in those back ends will
4284 all be @code{utf-8} because of the last element of
4285 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4287 There is one more important variable for non-@acronym{ASCII} group
4291 @item nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4292 @vindex nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4293 The value of this variable should be a coding system or @code{nil}. The
4294 default is @code{nil} in Emacs, or is the aliasee of the coding system
4295 named @code{file-name} (a certain coding system of which an alias is
4296 @code{file-name}) in XEmacs.
4298 The @code{nnml} back end, the @code{nnrss} back end, the @acronym{NNTP}
4299 marks feature (@pxref{NNTP marks}), the agent, and the cache use
4300 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names in those files and directories. This
4301 variable overrides the value of @code{file-name-coding-system} which
4302 specifies the coding system used when encoding and decoding those file
4303 names and directory names.
4305 In XEmacs (with the @code{mule} feature), @code{file-name-coding-system}
4306 is the only means to specify the coding system used to encode and decode
4307 file names. On the other hand, Emacs uses the value of
4308 @code{default-file-name-coding-system} if @code{file-name-coding-system}
4309 is @code{nil} or it is bound to the value of
4310 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} which is @code{nil}.
4312 Normally the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system} in Emacs or
4313 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} in XEmacs is initialized according
4314 to the locale, so you will need to do nothing if the value is suitable
4315 to encode and decode non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4317 The value of this variable (or @code{default-file-name-coding-system})
4318 does not necessarily need to be the same value that is determined by
4319 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} and
4320 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4322 If @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable is
4323 initialized by default to @code{iso-latin-1} for example, although you
4324 want to subscribe to the groups spelled in Chinese, that is the most
4325 typical case where you have to customize
4326 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}. The @code{utf-8} coding system is
4327 a good candidate for it. Otherwise, you may change the locale in your
4328 system so that @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable
4329 may be initialized to an appropriate value.
4332 Note that when you copy or move articles from a non-@acronym{ASCII}
4333 group to another group, the charset used to encode and decode group
4334 names should be the same in both groups. Otherwise the Newsgroups
4335 header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
4338 @node Misc Group Stuff
4339 @section Misc Group Stuff
4342 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4343 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4344 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4345 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4346 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4353 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
4354 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
4355 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4358 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
4361 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
4364 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
4365 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
4369 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4370 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4371 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4375 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4376 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4377 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4378 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4379 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4380 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4381 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4385 @findex gnus-group-mail
4386 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4387 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4388 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4389 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4393 @findex gnus-group-news
4394 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4395 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4396 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4398 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4399 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4400 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4401 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4402 for this to work though.
4406 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
4408 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
4409 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
4410 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
4415 Variables for the group buffer:
4419 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4420 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4421 is called after the group buffer has been
4424 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4425 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4426 is called after the group buffer is
4427 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4430 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4431 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4432 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4433 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4435 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4436 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4437 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4438 whether they are empty or not.
4442 @node Scanning New Messages
4443 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4444 @cindex new messages
4445 @cindex scanning new news
4451 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4452 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4453 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4454 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4455 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4456 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4461 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4462 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4463 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4464 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4465 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4466 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4467 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4469 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4470 @cindex activating groups
4472 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4473 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4478 @findex gnus-group-restart
4479 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4480 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4481 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4485 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4486 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4488 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4489 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4493 @node Group Information
4494 @subsection Group Information
4495 @cindex group information
4496 @cindex information on groups
4503 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4505 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4506 @cindex describing groups
4507 @cindex group description
4508 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4509 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4510 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4514 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4515 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4516 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4523 @findex gnus-version
4524 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4528 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4529 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4532 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4535 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4536 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4540 @node Group Timestamp
4541 @subsection Group Timestamp
4543 @cindex group timestamps
4545 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4546 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4547 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4550 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4553 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4555 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4556 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4559 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4560 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4563 This will result in lines looking like:
4566 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4567 0: custom 19961002T012713
4570 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4571 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4575 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4576 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4579 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4580 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4584 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4585 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4586 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4587 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4589 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4595 @subsection File Commands
4596 @cindex file commands
4602 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4603 @vindex gnus-init-file
4604 @cindex reading init file
4605 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4606 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4610 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4611 @cindex saving .newsrc
4612 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4613 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4614 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4617 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4618 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4619 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4624 @node Sieve Commands
4625 @subsection Sieve Commands
4626 @cindex group sieve commands
4628 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4629 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4630 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4631 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4632 script that can be transferred to the server somehow.
4634 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4635 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4636 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4637 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4638 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4639 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4640 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4641 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4642 regenerate the Sieve script.
4644 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4645 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4646 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4647 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4648 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4649 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4650 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4651 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4652 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4653 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4656 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4657 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4662 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4668 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4669 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4670 @cindex generating sieve script
4671 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4672 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4676 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4677 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4678 @cindex updating sieve script
4679 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4680 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4681 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4686 @node Summary Buffer
4687 @chapter Summary Buffer
4688 @cindex summary buffer
4690 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4691 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4693 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4694 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4696 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4698 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
4699 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
4703 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
4704 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
4705 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4707 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
4711 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4712 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4713 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4714 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4715 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4716 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4717 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4718 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4719 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4720 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4721 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4722 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4723 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4724 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
4725 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4726 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4727 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4728 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4729 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4730 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4731 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4732 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4733 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4734 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4735 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4736 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4737 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4738 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4739 or reselecting the current group.
4740 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4741 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4742 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4743 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4747 @node Summary Buffer Format
4748 @section Summary Buffer Format
4749 @cindex summary buffer format
4753 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4754 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4755 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4761 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4762 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4763 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4764 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4767 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4768 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4769 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4770 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4771 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4772 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4773 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4774 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4775 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4776 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4777 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4780 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4781 'mail-extract-address-components)
4784 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4785 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4786 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4787 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4790 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4791 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4793 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4794 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4795 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4796 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4797 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4799 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4800 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4801 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4802 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4803 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4804 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4806 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4808 The following format specification characters and extended format
4809 specification(s) are understood:
4815 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4816 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4818 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4819 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4820 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4822 Full @code{From} header.
4824 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4826 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4829 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4830 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4831 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4832 may be more thorough.
4834 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4837 Number of lines in the article.
4839 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4840 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4842 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4843 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4845 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4847 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4848 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4861 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4862 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4863 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4864 line-drawing glyphs.
4866 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4867 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4868 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4869 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4871 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4872 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4873 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4874 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4876 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4877 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4878 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4879 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4881 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4882 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4883 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4885 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4886 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4887 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4889 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4890 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4891 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4893 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4894 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4895 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4900 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4901 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4903 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4904 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4906 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4907 for adopted articles.
4909 One space for each thread level.
4911 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4913 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4916 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4917 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4918 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4921 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4923 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4924 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4925 default level. If the difference between
4926 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4927 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4935 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4937 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4943 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4944 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4946 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4947 article has any children.
4953 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
4955 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4956 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4958 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4959 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4960 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4961 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4962 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4963 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4966 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4967 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4968 There can only be one such area.
4970 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4971 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4972 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4973 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4974 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4975 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4977 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4978 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4980 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4983 @node To From Newsgroups
4984 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4988 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4989 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4990 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4991 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4992 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4996 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4997 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4998 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
5002 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5003 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
5006 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
5007 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
5010 @findex gnus-extra-header
5011 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
5012 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
5013 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
5016 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
5020 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5021 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
5022 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
5023 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
5024 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
5025 headers are used instead.
5027 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
5028 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
5029 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
5030 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
5031 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
5032 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
5036 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
5037 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
5038 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
5039 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
5040 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
5041 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
5044 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5045 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
5046 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
5047 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
5049 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
5053 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5055 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
5056 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
5057 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
5058 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5062 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
5065 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
5066 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
5069 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
5070 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
5071 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
5077 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
5078 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
5081 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
5082 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
5084 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
5085 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
5086 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
5087 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
5089 Here are the elements you can play with:
5095 Unprefixed group name.
5097 Current article number.
5099 Current article score.
5103 Number of unread articles in this group.
5105 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
5108 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
5109 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
5110 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
5111 and no unselected ones.
5113 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
5114 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
5116 Subject of the current article.
5118 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
5120 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5122 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5124 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5126 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5128 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5132 @node Summary Highlighting
5133 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5137 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5138 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5139 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5140 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5141 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5143 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5144 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5145 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5146 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5148 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5149 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5150 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5151 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5153 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5154 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5155 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5156 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5157 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5158 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5161 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5162 ((> score default) . bold))
5164 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5165 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5169 @node Summary Maneuvering
5170 @section Summary Maneuvering
5171 @cindex summary movement
5173 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5174 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5176 None of these commands select articles.
5181 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5182 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5183 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5184 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5185 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5189 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5190 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5192 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5193 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5196 @kindex G g (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5198 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5199 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5202 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5203 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5204 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5205 to the group buffer.
5207 Variables related to summary movement:
5211 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5212 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5213 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5214 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5215 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5216 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5217 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5218 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5219 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5220 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5221 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5222 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5223 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5224 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5226 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5227 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5228 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5229 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5230 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5231 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5232 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5234 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5236 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5237 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5238 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5239 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5240 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5242 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5243 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5244 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5245 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5246 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5247 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5248 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5249 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5252 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5253 the given number of lines from the top.
5255 @item gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5256 @vindex gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5257 If non-@code{nil}, don't go to the next article when hitting
5258 @kbd{SPC}, and you're at the end of the article.
5263 @node Choosing Articles
5264 @section Choosing Articles
5265 @cindex selecting articles
5268 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5269 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5273 @node Choosing Commands
5274 @subsection Choosing Commands
5276 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5277 and they all select and display an article.
5279 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5280 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5284 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5286 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5287 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5289 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5290 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5291 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5296 @kindex G n (Summary)
5297 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5298 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5299 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5304 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5305 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5306 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5311 @kindex G N (Summary)
5312 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5313 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5318 @kindex G P (Summary)
5319 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5320 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5323 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5324 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5325 Go to the next article with the same subject
5326 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5329 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5330 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5331 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5332 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5336 @kindex G f (Summary)
5338 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5339 Go to the first unread article
5340 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5344 @kindex G b (Summary)
5346 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5347 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5348 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5349 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5354 @kindex G l (Summary)
5355 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5356 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5359 @kindex G o (Summary)
5360 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5362 @cindex article history
5363 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5364 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5365 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5366 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5367 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5368 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5373 @kindex G j (Summary)
5374 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5375 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5376 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5381 @node Choosing Variables
5382 @subsection Choosing Variables
5384 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5387 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5388 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5389 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5390 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5391 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5392 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5394 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5395 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5396 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5397 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5398 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5401 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5402 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5403 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5404 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5405 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5406 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5407 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5408 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5409 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5410 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5411 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5412 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5413 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5414 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5419 @node Paging the Article
5420 @section Scrolling the Article
5421 @cindex article scrolling
5426 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5427 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5428 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5429 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5430 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5432 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5433 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5434 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5435 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5436 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5437 what is considered uninteresting with
5438 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5439 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5442 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5443 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5444 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5447 @kindex RET (Summary)
5448 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5449 Scroll the current article one line forward
5450 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5453 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5454 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5455 Scroll the current article one line backward
5456 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5460 @kindex A g (Summary)
5462 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5463 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5464 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5465 given a prefix, show a completely ``raw'' article, just the way it
5466 came from the server. If given a prefix twice (i.e., @kbd{C-u C-u
5467 g'}), fetch the current article, but don't run any of the article
5468 treatment functions.
5470 @cindex charset, view article with different charset
5471 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5472 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5473 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5476 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5481 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5486 @kindex A < (Summary)
5487 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5488 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5489 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5494 @kindex A > (Summary)
5495 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5496 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5500 @kindex A s (Summary)
5502 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5503 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5504 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5508 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5509 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5514 @node Reply Followup and Post
5515 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5518 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5519 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5520 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5521 * Canceling and Superseding::
5525 @node Summary Mail Commands
5526 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5528 @cindex composing mail
5530 Commands for composing a mail message:
5536 @kindex S r (Summary)
5538 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5539 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5540 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5541 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5542 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5547 @kindex S R (Summary)
5548 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5549 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5550 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5551 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5552 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5555 @kindex S w (Summary)
5556 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5557 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5558 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5559 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5560 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5561 present, that's used instead.
5564 @kindex S W (Summary)
5565 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5566 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5567 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5568 the process/prefix convention, but only uses the headers from the
5569 first article to determine the recipients.
5572 @kindex S L (Summary)
5573 @findex gnus-summary-reply-to-list-with-original
5574 When replying to a message from a mailing list, send a reply to that
5575 message to the mailing list, and include the original message
5576 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-to-list-with-original}).
5579 @kindex S v (Summary)
5580 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5581 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5582 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5583 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5584 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5585 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5588 @kindex S V (Summary)
5589 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5590 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5591 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5592 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5595 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5596 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5597 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5598 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5599 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5600 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5601 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5602 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5605 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5606 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5607 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5608 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5609 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5613 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5614 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5615 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5616 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5617 Forward the current article to some other person
5618 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5619 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5620 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5621 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5622 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5623 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5624 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5625 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5626 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5632 @kindex S m (Summary)
5633 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5634 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5635 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5636 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5637 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5640 @kindex S i (Summary)
5641 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5642 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5643 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5644 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5646 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5647 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5648 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5649 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5650 for this to work though.
5653 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5654 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5655 @cindex bouncing mail
5656 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5657 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5658 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5659 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5660 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5661 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5662 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5663 very well fail, though.
5666 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5667 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5668 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5669 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5670 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5671 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5672 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5673 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5674 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5675 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5677 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5678 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5679 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5680 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5681 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5683 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5684 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5687 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5688 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5690 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5691 if it were a new message before resending.
5694 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5695 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5696 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5697 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5698 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5701 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5702 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5703 @cindex crossposting
5704 @cindex excessive crossposting
5705 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5706 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5708 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5709 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5710 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5711 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5712 command understands the process/prefix convention
5713 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5717 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5718 Manual}, for more information.
5721 @node Summary Post Commands
5722 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5724 @cindex composing news
5726 Commands for posting a news article:
5732 @kindex S p (Summary)
5733 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5734 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5735 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5736 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5737 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5742 @kindex S f (Summary)
5743 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5744 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5745 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5749 @kindex S F (Summary)
5751 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5752 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5753 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5754 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5755 process/prefix convention.
5758 @kindex S n (Summary)
5759 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5760 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5761 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5764 @kindex S N (Summary)
5765 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5766 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5767 message through mail and include the original message
5768 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5769 the process/prefix convention.
5772 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5773 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5774 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5775 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5776 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5777 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5778 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5779 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5780 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5781 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5782 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5783 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5784 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5787 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5788 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5790 @cindex making digests
5791 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5792 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5793 process/prefix convention.
5796 @kindex S u (Summary)
5797 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5798 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5799 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5800 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5803 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5804 Manual}, for more information.
5807 @node Summary Message Commands
5808 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5812 @kindex S y (Summary)
5813 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5814 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5815 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5816 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5817 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5822 @node Canceling and Superseding
5823 @subsection Canceling Articles
5824 @cindex canceling articles
5825 @cindex superseding articles
5827 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5828 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5830 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5832 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5834 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5835 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5836 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5837 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5838 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5839 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5841 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5842 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5845 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5846 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5847 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5849 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5850 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5851 message, Message Manual}).
5853 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5854 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5855 your original article.
5857 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5859 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5860 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5861 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5864 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5865 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5866 have posted almost the same article twice.
5868 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5869 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5870 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5871 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5872 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5873 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5874 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5875 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5876 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5877 canceled/superseded.
5879 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5881 @node Delayed Articles
5882 @section Delayed Articles
5883 @cindex delayed sending
5884 @cindex send delayed
5886 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5887 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5888 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5889 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5892 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5895 @findex gnus-delay-article
5896 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5897 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5898 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5899 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5903 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5904 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5905 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5906 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5909 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5910 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5911 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5914 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5915 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5916 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5917 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5918 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5919 that means a time tomorrow.
5922 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5923 couple of variables:
5926 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5927 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5928 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5929 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5931 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5932 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5933 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5934 formats described above.
5936 @item gnus-delay-group
5937 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5938 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5939 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5940 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5942 @item gnus-delay-header
5943 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5944 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5945 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5946 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5949 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5950 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5951 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5952 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5953 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5955 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5956 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5957 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5958 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5959 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5960 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5961 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5964 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5965 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5966 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5967 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5968 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5969 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5970 argument is ignored.
5972 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5973 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5974 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5977 When delaying an article with @kbd{C-c C-j}, Message mode will
5978 automatically add a @code{"Date"} header with the current time. In
5979 many cases you probably want the @code{"Date"} header to reflect the
5980 time the message is sent instead. To do this, you have to delete
5981 @code{Date} from @code{message-draft-headers}.
5984 @node Marking Articles
5985 @section Marking Articles
5986 @cindex article marking
5987 @cindex article ticking
5990 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5992 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5993 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5994 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5996 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5999 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
6003 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
6004 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
6005 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
6006 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
6007 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
6008 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
6012 @node Unread Articles
6013 @subsection Unread Articles
6015 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
6020 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
6021 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
6023 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
6024 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
6025 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
6026 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
6027 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
6028 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
6029 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
6032 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
6033 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
6035 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
6036 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
6037 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
6038 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
6042 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
6043 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
6045 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
6050 @subsection Read Articles
6051 @cindex expirable mark
6053 All the following marks mark articles as read.
6058 @vindex gnus-del-mark
6059 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
6060 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
6063 @vindex gnus-read-mark
6064 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
6067 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
6068 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
6069 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
6072 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
6073 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
6076 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
6077 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
6080 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
6081 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
6084 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
6085 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
6088 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
6089 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
6092 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
6093 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
6097 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
6098 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
6099 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6103 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
6104 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
6106 One more special mark, though:
6110 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
6111 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
6113 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
6114 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
6115 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
6116 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
6122 @subsection Other Marks
6123 @cindex process mark
6126 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
6132 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
6133 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
6134 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
6135 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
6136 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6139 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6140 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6141 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6142 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6145 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6146 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6147 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6150 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6151 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6152 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6155 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6156 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6157 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6158 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6161 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6162 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6163 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6166 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6167 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6168 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6169 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6170 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6174 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6175 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6176 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6177 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6178 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6179 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6182 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6183 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6184 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6185 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6186 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6187 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6191 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6192 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6193 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6194 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6195 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6198 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6199 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6200 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6201 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6202 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6203 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6207 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6208 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6209 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6211 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6212 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6213 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6217 @subsection Setting Marks
6218 @cindex setting marks
6220 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6225 @kindex M c (Summary)
6226 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6227 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6228 @cindex mark as unread
6229 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6230 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6236 @kindex M t (Summary)
6237 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6238 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6239 @xref{Article Caching}.
6244 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6245 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6246 Mark the current article as dormant
6247 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6251 @kindex M d (Summary)
6253 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6254 Mark the current article as read
6255 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6259 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6260 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6261 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6266 @kindex M k (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6268 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6269 and then select the next unread article
6270 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6274 @kindex M K (Summary)
6275 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6276 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6277 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6278 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6281 @kindex M C (Summary)
6282 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6283 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6284 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6287 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6288 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6289 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6290 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6293 @kindex M H (Summary)
6294 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6295 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6296 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6299 @kindex M h (Summary)
6300 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6301 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6302 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6305 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6306 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6307 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6308 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6311 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6312 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6313 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6314 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6318 @kindex M e (Summary)
6320 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6321 Mark the current article as expirable
6322 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6325 @kindex M b (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6327 Set a bookmark in the current article
6328 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6331 @kindex M B (Summary)
6332 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6333 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6334 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6337 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6338 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6339 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6340 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6343 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6344 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6345 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6346 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6349 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6350 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6351 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6352 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6353 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6356 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6357 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6358 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6359 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6360 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6361 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6362 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6363 The default is @code{t}.
6366 @node Generic Marking Commands
6367 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6369 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6370 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6371 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6372 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6373 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6376 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6377 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6380 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6381 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6382 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6383 to list in this manual.
6385 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6386 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6387 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6388 article, you could say something like:
6392 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6393 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6394 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6402 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6403 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6407 @node Setting Process Marks
6408 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6409 @cindex setting process marks
6411 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6412 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6413 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6414 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6415 articles into the cache. For more information,
6416 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6423 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6424 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6425 Mark the current article with the process mark
6426 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6427 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6431 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6432 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6433 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6434 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6437 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6438 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6439 Remove the process mark from all articles
6440 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6443 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6444 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6445 Invert the list of process marked articles
6446 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6449 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6450 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6451 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6452 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6455 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6456 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6457 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6458 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6461 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6462 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6463 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6466 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6467 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6468 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6471 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6472 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6473 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6474 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6477 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6478 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6479 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6480 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6483 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6484 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6485 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6486 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6489 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6490 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6491 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6494 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6495 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6496 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6497 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6500 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6501 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6502 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6505 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6506 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6507 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6508 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6511 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6512 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6513 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6514 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6517 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6518 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6519 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6520 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6523 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6524 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6525 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6526 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6530 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6531 set process marks based on article body contents.
6538 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6539 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6540 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6543 Limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched from
6544 the servers. These commands don't query the server for additional
6551 @kindex / / (Summary)
6552 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6553 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6554 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6558 @kindex / a (Summary)
6559 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6560 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6561 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6565 @kindex / R (Summary)
6566 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6567 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6568 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6572 @kindex / A (Summary)
6573 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
6574 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
6575 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
6576 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
6579 @kindex / S (Summary)
6580 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
6581 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
6582 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
6583 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
6586 @kindex / x (Summary)
6587 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6588 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6589 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6590 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6595 @kindex / u (Summary)
6597 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6598 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6599 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6600 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6601 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6604 @kindex / m (Summary)
6605 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6606 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6607 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6610 @kindex / t (Summary)
6611 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6612 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6613 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6614 articles younger than that number of days.
6617 @kindex / n (Summary)
6618 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6619 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
6620 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
6621 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
6624 @kindex / w (Summary)
6625 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6626 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6627 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6631 @kindex / . (Summary)
6632 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6633 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6634 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6637 @kindex / v (Summary)
6638 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6639 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6640 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6643 @kindex / p (Summary)
6644 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6645 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6646 group parameter predicate
6647 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6648 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6651 @kindex / r (Summary)
6652 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6653 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6654 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6659 @kindex M S (Summary)
6660 @kindex / E (Summary)
6661 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6662 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6663 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6666 @kindex / D (Summary)
6667 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6668 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6669 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6672 @kindex / * (Summary)
6673 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6674 Include all cached articles in the limit
6675 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6678 @kindex / d (Summary)
6679 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6680 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6681 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6684 @kindex / M (Summary)
6685 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6686 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6689 @kindex / T (Summary)
6690 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6691 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6694 @kindex / c (Summary)
6695 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6696 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6697 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6700 @kindex / C (Summary)
6701 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6702 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6703 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6704 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6707 @kindex / b (Summary)
6708 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
6709 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
6710 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
6711 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
6712 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
6715 @kindex / h (Summary)
6716 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
6717 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
6718 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
6723 The following commands aren't limiting commands, but use the @kbd{/}
6728 @kindex / N (Summary)
6729 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6730 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6731 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6734 @kindex / o (Summary)
6735 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6736 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6737 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6745 @cindex article threading
6747 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6748 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6749 hierarchical fashion.
6751 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6752 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6753 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6754 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6755 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6756 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6757 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6759 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6763 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6766 A tree-like article structure.
6769 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6772 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6773 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6774 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6775 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6776 called loose threads.
6778 @item thread gathering
6779 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6781 @item sparse threads
6782 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6783 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6789 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6790 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6794 @node Customizing Threading
6795 @subsection Customizing Threading
6796 @cindex customizing threading
6799 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6800 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6801 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6802 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6807 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6810 @cindex loose threads
6813 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6814 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6815 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6816 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6817 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6818 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6820 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6821 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6822 There are four possible values:
6826 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6827 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6828 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6829 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6830 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6835 @cindex adopting articles
6840 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6841 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6842 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6843 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6846 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6847 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6848 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6849 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6850 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6851 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6852 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6853 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6854 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6855 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6858 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6859 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6860 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6864 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6865 display them after one another.
6868 Don't gather loose threads.
6871 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6872 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6873 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6874 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6875 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6876 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6877 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6878 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6879 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6880 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6881 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6883 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6884 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6885 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6888 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6889 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6890 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6891 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6892 simplification is used.
6894 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6895 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6896 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6897 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6899 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6901 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6907 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6908 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6909 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6910 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6915 (mapconcat 'identity
6916 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6918 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6921 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6924 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6925 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6926 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6927 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6928 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6929 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6931 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6934 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6935 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6936 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6938 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6939 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6942 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6943 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6944 Remove excessive whitespace.
6946 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6947 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6948 Remove all whitespace.
6951 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6954 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6955 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6956 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6957 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6958 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6959 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6960 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6961 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6963 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6964 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6965 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6966 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6967 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6968 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6969 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6970 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6971 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6975 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6976 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6977 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6978 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6980 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6981 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6982 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6985 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6989 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6990 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6996 @node Filling In Threads
6997 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
7000 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
7001 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
7002 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
7003 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
7004 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
7005 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
7006 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
7007 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
7008 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
7009 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
7010 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
7011 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
7014 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
7015 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
7016 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
7018 The server has to support @acronym{NOV} for any of this to work.
7020 @cindex Gmane, gnus-fetch-old-headers
7021 This feature can seriously impact performance it ignores all locally
7022 cached header entries. Setting it to @code{t} for groups for a server
7023 that doesn't expire articles (such as news.gmane.org), leads to very
7024 slow summary generation.
7026 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7027 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7028 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
7031 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
7032 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
7033 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
7034 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
7035 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
7036 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
7037 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
7038 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
7039 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
7040 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
7041 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
7042 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
7043 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
7044 @code{nil} by default.
7046 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
7047 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
7048 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
7049 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
7050 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
7051 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
7054 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
7055 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
7056 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
7061 @node More Threading
7062 @subsubsection More Threading
7065 @item gnus-show-threads
7066 @vindex gnus-show-threads
7067 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
7068 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
7069 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
7070 slower and more awkward.
7072 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7073 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7074 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
7077 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
7078 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
7079 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
7084 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7085 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
7086 gnus-article-unseen-p))
7089 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
7090 unread, but you get my drift.)
7093 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
7094 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
7095 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
7096 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
7097 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
7098 threads are expunged.
7100 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
7101 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
7102 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
7105 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7106 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7107 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
7108 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
7109 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
7110 result in a new thread.
7112 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
7113 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
7114 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
7117 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7118 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7119 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
7120 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
7121 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
7122 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
7123 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
7124 Setting this variable to an alternate value
7125 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
7126 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
7127 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
7132 @node Low-Level Threading
7133 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
7137 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
7138 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
7139 Hook run before parsing any headers.
7141 @item gnus-alter-header-function
7142 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7143 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7144 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7145 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7146 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7147 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7148 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7149 meaningful. Here's one example:
7152 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7154 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7155 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7157 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7159 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7166 @node Thread Commands
7167 @subsection Thread Commands
7168 @cindex thread commands
7174 @kindex T k (Summary)
7175 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7176 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7177 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7178 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7179 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7184 @kindex T l (Summary)
7185 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7186 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7187 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7188 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7191 @kindex T i (Summary)
7192 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7193 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7194 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7197 @kindex T # (Summary)
7198 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7199 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7200 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7203 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7204 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7205 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7206 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7209 @kindex T T (Summary)
7210 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7211 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7214 @kindex T s (Summary)
7215 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7216 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7217 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7220 @kindex T h (Summary)
7221 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7222 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7225 @kindex T S (Summary)
7226 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7227 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7230 @kindex T H (Summary)
7231 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7232 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7235 @kindex T t (Summary)
7236 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7237 Re-thread the current article's thread
7238 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7239 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7242 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7243 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7244 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7245 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7248 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
7249 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
7250 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
7251 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
7255 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7256 understand the numeric prefix.
7261 @kindex T n (Summary)
7263 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7265 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7266 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7267 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7270 @kindex T p (Summary)
7272 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7274 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7275 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7276 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
7279 @kindex T d (Summary)
7280 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
7281 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
7284 @kindex T u (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
7286 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
7289 @kindex T o (Summary)
7290 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
7291 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
7294 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
7295 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
7296 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
7297 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
7298 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
7299 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
7300 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
7301 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
7302 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7303 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7304 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7305 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7309 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7310 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7312 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7313 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7314 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7315 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7316 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7317 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7318 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7319 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7320 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7321 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7322 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7323 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7324 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7325 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7326 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7328 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7329 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7330 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7331 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7332 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
7333 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7334 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7335 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7336 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7337 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7339 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7340 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7341 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. Exceptions
7342 to this rule are @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number} and
7343 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date}.
7345 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7346 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7347 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7348 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7349 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7350 ascending article order.
7352 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7353 by number, you could do something like:
7356 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7357 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7358 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7359 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7362 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7363 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7364 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7365 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7366 which the articles arrived.
7368 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7372 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7373 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
7374 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7377 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7378 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7379 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7380 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7383 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7384 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7385 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-date
7386 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7387 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7388 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7389 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7390 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7391 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-number
7392 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7393 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7394 variable. It is very similar to the
7395 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7396 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7397 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7398 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7399 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7400 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7401 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7403 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7407 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7408 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7409 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7412 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
7413 @xref{Group Parameters}.
7416 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7417 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7418 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7419 @cindex article pre-fetch
7422 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7423 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7424 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7425 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7426 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7428 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7429 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7431 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7432 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7433 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7434 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7435 connection is blocked.
7437 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7438 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7439 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7440 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7442 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7443 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7444 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7445 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7448 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7451 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7452 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7453 happen automatically.
7455 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7456 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7457 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7458 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7459 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7460 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7461 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7463 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7464 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
7465 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7466 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7467 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7468 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7469 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
7470 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7471 article data structure as the only parameter.
7473 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7474 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7477 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7478 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7479 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7480 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7483 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7486 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7487 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7488 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7490 @vindex gnus-async-post-fetch-function
7491 @findex gnus-html-prefetch-images
7492 After an article has been prefetched, this
7493 @code{gnus-async-post-fetch-function} will be called. The buffer will
7494 be narrowed to the region of the article that was fetched. A useful
7495 value would be @code{gnus-html-prefetch-images}, which will prefetch
7496 and store images referenced in the article, so that you don't have to
7497 wait for them to be fetched when you read the article. This is useful
7498 for @acronym{HTML} messages that have external images.
7500 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7501 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7502 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7503 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7507 Remove articles when they are read.
7510 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7513 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7515 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7516 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7517 @c from the next group.
7520 @node Article Caching
7521 @section Article Caching
7522 @cindex article caching
7525 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7526 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7527 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7528 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7529 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7531 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7533 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7534 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7535 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7536 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7537 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7538 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7539 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7540 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7542 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7543 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7544 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7545 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7546 as dormant, and don't worry.
7548 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7550 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7551 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7552 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7553 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7554 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7555 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7556 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7557 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7558 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7559 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7561 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7562 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7563 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7564 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7565 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7566 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7567 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7568 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7569 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7570 not then be downloaded by this command.
7572 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7573 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7574 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7575 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7576 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7577 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7579 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7580 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7581 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7582 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7583 variables, the group is not cached.
7585 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7586 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7587 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7588 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7589 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7590 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7591 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7592 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7593 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7596 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7597 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7598 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7599 where, isn't that cool?
7601 @node Persistent Articles
7602 @section Persistent Articles
7603 @cindex persistent articles
7605 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7606 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7607 useful in my opinion.
7609 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7610 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7611 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7612 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7613 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7614 the expiry going on at the news server.
7616 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7617 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7618 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7624 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7625 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7628 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7629 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7630 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7631 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7635 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7637 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7638 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7639 interested in persistent articles:
7642 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7645 @node Sticky Articles
7646 @section Sticky Articles
7647 @cindex sticky articles
7649 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
7650 according to the value of the variable
7651 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
7652 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
7653 has its own article buffer.
7655 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
7656 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
7657 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
7658 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next Christmas party.
7660 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
7661 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
7662 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
7666 @kindex A S (Summary)
7667 @findex gnus-sticky-article
7668 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
7669 name for this sticky article buffer.
7672 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
7678 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
7682 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
7683 Kills this sticky article buffer.
7686 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
7688 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
7689 Kill all sticky article buffers.
7690 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
7693 @node Article Backlog
7694 @section Article Backlog
7696 @cindex article backlog
7698 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7699 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7700 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7701 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7702 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7703 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7704 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7705 increase memory usage some.
7707 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7708 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7709 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7710 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7711 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7712 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7713 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7715 The default value is 20.
7718 @node Saving Articles
7719 @section Saving Articles
7720 @cindex saving articles
7722 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7723 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7724 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7725 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7726 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7728 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7729 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7730 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7732 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7733 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7734 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7736 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7737 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7738 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7739 deleted before saving.
7745 @kindex O o (Summary)
7747 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7748 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7749 Save the current article using the default article saver
7750 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7753 @kindex O m (Summary)
7754 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7755 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
7756 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7759 @kindex O r (Summary)
7760 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7761 Save the current article in Rmail format
7762 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}). This is mbox since Emacs 23,
7763 Babyl in older versions.
7766 @kindex O f (Summary)
7767 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7768 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7769 Save the current article in plain file format
7770 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7773 @kindex O F (Summary)
7774 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7775 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7776 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7779 @kindex O b (Summary)
7780 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7781 Save the current article body in plain file format
7782 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7785 @kindex O h (Summary)
7786 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7787 Save the current article in mh folder format
7788 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7791 @kindex O v (Summary)
7792 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7793 Save the current article in a VM folder
7794 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7798 @kindex O p (Summary)
7800 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7801 @vindex gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command
7802 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7803 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7804 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7805 complete headers in the piped output. The symbolic prefix @code{r} is
7806 special; it lets this command pipe a raw article including all headers.
7807 The @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} variable can be set
7808 to a string containing the default command and options (default
7812 @kindex O P (Summary)
7813 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7814 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7815 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7816 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7817 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7818 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7819 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7823 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7824 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7825 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7826 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7827 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7828 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7829 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7830 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7831 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7832 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7833 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7834 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7838 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7839 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7840 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
7841 functions below, or you can create your own.
7845 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7846 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7847 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7848 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7849 This is the default format, that used by the Rmail package. Since Emacs
7850 23, Rmail uses standard mbox format. Before this, it used the
7851 @dfn{Babyl} format. Accordingly, this command writes mbox format since
7852 Emacs 23, unless appending to an existing Babyl file. In older versions
7853 of Emacs, it always uses Babyl format. Uses the function in the
7854 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7855 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7857 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7858 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7859 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7860 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7861 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7862 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7864 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7865 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7866 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7867 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7868 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7869 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7870 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7872 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7873 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7874 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7875 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7876 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7877 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7879 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7880 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7881 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7882 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7883 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7885 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7886 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7887 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7888 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7889 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7890 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7892 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7893 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7894 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7895 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7896 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7899 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7900 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7901 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7902 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7903 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7905 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7906 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7907 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7908 reader to use this setting.
7910 @item gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
7911 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
7912 Pipe the article to a shell command. This function takes optional two
7913 arguments COMMAND and RAW. Valid values for COMMAND include:
7917 The executable command name and possibly arguments.
7919 You will be prompted for the command in the minibuffer.
7920 @item the symbol @code{default}@*
7921 It will be replaced with the command which the variable
7922 @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} holds or the command
7923 last used for saving.
7926 Non-@code{nil} value for RAW overrides @code{:decode} and
7927 @code{:headers} properties (see below) and the raw article including all
7928 headers will be piped.
7931 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
7935 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
7936 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
7937 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
7938 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file},
7939 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}, and
7940 @code{gnus-summary-save-in-pipe}.
7943 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
7944 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
7945 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
7946 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
7947 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
7948 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
7951 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
7952 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
7953 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
7954 headers should be saved.
7957 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7958 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7959 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7960 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7963 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7964 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7965 available functions that generate names:
7969 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7970 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7971 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7973 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7974 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7975 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7977 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7978 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7979 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7981 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7982 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7983 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7985 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7986 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7987 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7990 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7991 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7992 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7993 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7994 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7998 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7999 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
8000 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
8001 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
8004 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
8005 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
8006 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
8007 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
8008 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
8009 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
8010 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
8011 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
8012 called returns a string or a list of strings.
8014 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
8015 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
8016 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
8017 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
8019 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
8020 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
8021 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
8024 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
8025 lots of mail groups called things like
8026 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
8027 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
8028 following will do just that:
8031 (defun my-save-name (group)
8032 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
8033 (substring group (match-end 0))))
8035 (setq gnus-split-methods
8036 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
8041 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8042 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
8043 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
8044 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
8045 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
8046 all the files in the top level directory
8047 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
8048 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
8049 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
8050 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
8052 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
8053 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
8054 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
8055 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
8056 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
8059 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
8063 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
8064 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
8065 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
8068 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
8069 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
8070 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
8071 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
8074 @node Decoding Articles
8075 @section Decoding Articles
8076 @cindex decoding articles
8078 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
8079 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
8082 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
8083 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
8084 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
8085 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
8086 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
8087 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
8091 @cindex article series
8092 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
8093 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
8094 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
8095 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
8096 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
8098 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
8099 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
8100 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
8102 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
8103 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
8104 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
8106 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
8107 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
8108 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
8111 @node Uuencoded Articles
8112 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
8114 @cindex uuencoded articles
8119 @kindex X u (Summary)
8120 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
8121 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
8122 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
8125 @kindex X U (Summary)
8126 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
8127 Uudecodes and saves the current series
8128 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8131 @kindex X v u (Summary)
8132 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
8133 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
8136 @kindex X v U (Summary)
8137 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
8138 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
8139 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
8143 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
8144 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
8145 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
8146 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
8147 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8149 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
8150 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
8151 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
8152 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
8155 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
8156 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
8157 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
8158 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
8159 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
8160 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
8164 @node Shell Archives
8165 @subsection Shell Archives
8167 @cindex shell archives
8168 @cindex shared articles
8170 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
8171 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
8172 some commands to deal with these:
8177 @kindex X s (Summary)
8178 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
8179 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
8182 @kindex X S (Summary)
8183 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
8184 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8187 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8188 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8189 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8192 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8193 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8194 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8195 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8199 @node PostScript Files
8200 @subsection PostScript Files
8206 @kindex X p (Summary)
8207 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8208 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8211 @kindex X P (Summary)
8212 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8213 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8214 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8217 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8218 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8219 View the current PostScript series
8220 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8223 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8224 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8225 View and save the current PostScript series
8226 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8231 @subsection Other Files
8235 @kindex X o (Summary)
8236 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8237 Save the current series
8238 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8241 @kindex X b (Summary)
8242 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8243 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8244 doesn't really work yet.
8247 @kindex X Y (Summary)
8248 @findex gnus-uu-decode-yenc
8249 yEnc-decode the current series and save it (@code{gnus-uu-decode-yenc}).
8253 @node Decoding Variables
8254 @subsection Decoding Variables
8256 Adjective, not verb.
8259 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
8260 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
8261 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
8265 @node Rule Variables
8266 @subsubsection Rule Variables
8267 @cindex rule variables
8269 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
8270 variables are of the form
8273 (list '(regexp1 command2)
8280 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8281 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8283 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
8284 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
8287 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8288 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
8291 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8292 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8293 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
8294 user and default view rules.
8296 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8297 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8298 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
8303 @node Other Decode Variables
8304 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
8307 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8309 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8310 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
8311 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
8312 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
8313 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
8317 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
8318 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
8321 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
8322 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
8323 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
8326 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8327 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8328 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
8329 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
8330 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
8333 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8334 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8335 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
8337 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8338 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8339 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
8340 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
8341 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
8344 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8345 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8346 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
8348 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8349 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8350 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
8351 looking for files to display.
8353 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
8354 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
8355 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
8358 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8359 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8360 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
8363 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8364 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8365 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
8368 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8369 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8370 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
8373 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8374 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8375 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
8376 decoded articles as unread.
8378 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8379 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8380 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
8381 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
8383 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8384 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8385 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
8387 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8388 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8390 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
8391 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
8392 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
8393 @code{metamail} for viewing.
8395 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8396 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8397 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
8398 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
8399 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
8400 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
8401 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
8402 simply dropped them.
8407 @node Uuencoding and Posting
8408 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
8412 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8413 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8414 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
8415 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
8416 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
8417 for you when you post the article.
8419 @item gnus-uu-post-length
8420 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
8421 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
8422 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
8424 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
8425 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
8426 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
8427 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
8428 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
8429 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
8430 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
8432 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8433 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8434 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8435 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8436 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8437 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8438 Default is @code{t}.
8444 @subsection Viewing Files
8445 @cindex viewing files
8446 @cindex pseudo-articles
8448 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
8449 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8450 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8451 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
8452 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8453 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8454 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8456 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8457 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8458 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8459 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8461 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8462 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8463 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8465 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8466 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8467 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8468 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8469 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8471 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8472 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8473 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8474 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8475 a list of parameters to that command.
8477 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8478 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8479 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8481 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8482 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8483 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8486 @node Article Treatment
8487 @section Article Treatment
8489 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8490 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8491 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8492 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8493 these articles easier.
8496 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8497 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8498 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8499 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8500 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8501 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8502 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8503 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8504 * Article Display:: Display various stuff:
8505 X-Face, Picons, Gravatars, Smileys.
8506 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8507 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8511 @node Article Highlighting
8512 @subsection Article Highlighting
8513 @cindex highlighting
8515 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8516 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8521 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8522 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8523 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8524 Do much highlighting of the current article
8525 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8526 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8529 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8530 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8531 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8532 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8533 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8534 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8535 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8536 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8537 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8538 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8539 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8540 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8543 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8545 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8547 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8550 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8552 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8553 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
8554 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8556 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8557 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8558 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8560 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8561 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8562 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8563 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8564 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8565 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8567 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8568 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8569 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8571 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8572 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8573 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8575 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8576 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8577 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8578 that it's a citation.
8580 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8581 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8582 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8584 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8585 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8586 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8588 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8589 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8590 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8591 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8593 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8594 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8595 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8596 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8597 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8604 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8605 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8606 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8607 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8608 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8609 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8610 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8611 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8616 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8619 @node Article Fontisizing
8620 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8622 @cindex article emphasis
8624 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8625 @kindex W e (Summary)
8626 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8627 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8628 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8629 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8631 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8632 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8633 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8634 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8635 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8636 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8637 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8638 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8642 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8643 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8644 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8653 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8654 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8655 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8656 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8657 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8658 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8659 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8660 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8661 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8662 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8663 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8664 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8665 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8667 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8668 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8669 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8673 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8676 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8678 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8679 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8680 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8681 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8683 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8686 @node Article Hiding
8687 @subsection Article Hiding
8688 @cindex article hiding
8690 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8691 too much cruft in most articles.
8696 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8697 @findex gnus-article-hide
8698 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8699 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8700 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8703 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8704 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8705 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8709 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8710 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8711 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8712 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8715 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8716 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8717 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8721 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8722 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8723 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8724 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8725 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8726 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8727 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8728 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8732 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8733 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8734 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8735 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8740 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8741 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8742 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8743 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8746 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8747 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8748 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8749 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8752 @cindex stripping advertisements
8753 @cindex advertisements
8754 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8755 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8756 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8757 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8758 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8759 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8760 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8761 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8762 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8763 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8769 (setq gnus-article-banner-alist
8771 "^\n*--~--~---------\\(.+\n\\)+")))
8774 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8775 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8776 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8780 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8781 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8782 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8783 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8784 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8785 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8786 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8787 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8788 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8789 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8790 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8793 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8794 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8800 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8801 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8802 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8803 customizing the hiding:
8807 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8808 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8809 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8810 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8811 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8812 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8813 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8818 Starting point of the hidden text.
8820 Ending point of the hidden text.
8822 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8824 Number of lines of hidden text.
8827 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8828 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8829 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8830 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8831 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8836 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8837 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8839 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8840 following two variables:
8843 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8844 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8845 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8846 50), hide the cited text.
8848 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8849 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8850 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8855 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8856 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8857 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8858 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8859 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8860 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8864 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8865 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8866 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8868 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8869 citation customization.
8871 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8875 @node Article Washing
8876 @subsection Article Washing
8878 @cindex article washing
8880 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8881 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8883 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8884 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8887 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8888 articles by default.
8893 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8894 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8898 Force redisplaying of the current article
8899 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8900 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8901 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8902 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8905 @kindex W l (Summary)
8906 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8907 Remove page breaks from the current article
8908 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8912 @kindex W r (Summary)
8913 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8914 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8915 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8916 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8917 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8918 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8920 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8921 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8922 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8923 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8926 @kindex W m (Summary)
8927 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8928 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8931 @kindex W i (Summary)
8932 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8933 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8934 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8935 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8936 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8937 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8942 @kindex W t (Summary)
8944 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8945 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8946 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8949 @kindex W v (Summary)
8950 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8951 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8952 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8955 @kindex W o (Summary)
8956 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8957 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8960 @kindex W d (Summary)
8961 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8962 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8964 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8966 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8967 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8968 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8969 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8972 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8973 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8974 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8975 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8978 @kindex W U (Summary)
8979 @findex gnus-article-treat-non-ascii
8981 @cindex Non-@acronym{ASCII}
8982 Translate many non-@acronym{ASCII} characters into their
8983 @acronym{ASCII} equivalents (@code{gnus-article-treat-non-ascii}).
8984 This is mostly useful if you're on a terminal that has a limited font
8985 and doesn't show accented characters, ``advanced'' punctuation, and the
8986 like. For instance, @samp{»} is translated into @samp{>>}, and so on.
8989 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8990 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8991 @cindex Outlook Express
8992 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8993 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8994 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8997 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8998 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8999 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
9000 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
9001 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
9002 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
9003 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
9004 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
9005 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
9006 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
9009 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
9010 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
9011 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
9012 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
9015 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
9016 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
9017 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
9018 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
9021 @kindex W w (Summary)
9022 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
9023 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
9025 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
9029 @kindex W Q (Summary)
9030 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
9031 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
9034 @kindex W C (Summary)
9035 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
9036 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
9037 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
9040 @kindex W c (Summary)
9041 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
9042 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
9043 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
9044 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
9045 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
9048 @kindex W q (Summary)
9049 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
9050 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
9051 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
9052 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
9053 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
9054 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
9055 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9056 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9057 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9060 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
9061 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
9062 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
9063 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
9064 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
9065 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9066 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9067 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9070 @kindex W Z (Summary)
9071 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
9072 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
9073 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
9074 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
9077 @kindex W A (Summary)
9078 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
9079 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
9080 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
9081 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
9082 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
9085 @kindex W u (Summary)
9086 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
9087 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
9088 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
9089 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
9090 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
9093 @kindex W h (Summary)
9094 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
9095 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
9096 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9097 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
9099 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
9100 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
9101 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
9103 The default is to use the function specified by
9104 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
9105 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
9106 @acronym{HTML}. Pre-defined functions you can use include:
9110 Use Gnus simple html renderer.
9113 Use Gnus rendered based on w3m.
9119 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
9121 @item w3m-standalone
9122 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
9125 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
9128 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
9131 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
9136 @kindex W b (Summary)
9137 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
9138 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
9139 @xref{Article Buttons}.
9142 @kindex W B (Summary)
9143 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
9144 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
9145 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
9148 @kindex W p (Summary)
9149 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
9150 Verify a signed control message
9151 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
9152 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
9153 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
9154 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
9155 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
9156 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
9159 @kindex W s (Summary)
9160 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
9161 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
9162 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
9163 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
9166 @kindex W a (Summary)
9167 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
9168 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
9169 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
9172 @kindex W E l (Summary)
9173 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
9174 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
9175 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
9178 @kindex W E m (Summary)
9179 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
9180 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
9181 lines with a single empty line.
9182 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
9185 @kindex W E t (Summary)
9186 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
9187 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
9188 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
9191 @kindex W E a (Summary)
9192 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
9193 Do all the three commands above
9194 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
9197 @kindex W E A (Summary)
9198 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
9199 Remove all blank lines
9200 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
9203 @kindex W E s (Summary)
9204 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
9205 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
9206 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
9209 @kindex W E e (Summary)
9210 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
9211 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
9212 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9216 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9219 @node Article Header
9220 @subsection Article Header
9222 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9227 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9228 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9229 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9232 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9233 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9234 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9235 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9238 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9239 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9240 Fold all the message headers
9241 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9244 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9245 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9246 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9247 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9252 @node Article Buttons
9253 @subsection Article Buttons
9256 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9257 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9258 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9259 button on these references.
9261 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9262 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9263 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9264 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9265 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9269 @item gnus-button-alist
9270 @vindex gnus-button-alist
9271 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
9274 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9280 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
9281 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
9282 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
9283 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
9284 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
9287 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
9288 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
9289 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
9292 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
9293 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
9294 avoid false matches. Often variables named
9295 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
9296 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
9298 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
9301 This function will be called when you click on this button.
9304 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
9305 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
9309 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
9312 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
9315 @item gnus-header-button-alist
9316 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
9317 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
9318 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
9319 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
9322 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9325 @var{header} is a regular expression.
9328 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
9331 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
9332 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
9334 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
9336 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
9337 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
9338 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
9339 default values of the variables above.
9341 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
9343 @item gnus-button-man-handler
9344 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9345 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
9346 argument with a string naming the man page.
9348 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
9350 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9351 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9352 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
9354 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9355 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9356 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
9357 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
9358 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
9359 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
9360 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
9361 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
9362 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
9363 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
9364 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
9365 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9367 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9368 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9369 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
9370 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
9371 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
9374 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9375 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9376 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
9377 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9381 @item gnus-article-button-face
9382 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
9383 Face used on buttons.
9385 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
9386 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
9387 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
9391 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
9394 @node Article Button Levels
9395 @subsection Article button levels
9396 @cindex button levels
9397 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
9398 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
9399 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
9400 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
9401 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
9402 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
9403 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
9404 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
9407 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
9408 (setq gnus-parameters
9409 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
9410 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
9411 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
9416 @item gnus-button-browse-level
9417 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
9418 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
9419 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
9420 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
9421 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
9423 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
9424 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
9425 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
9426 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
9427 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
9428 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
9429 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
9430 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
9431 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
9432 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
9433 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
9434 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
9435 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
9437 @item gnus-button-man-level
9438 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
9439 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
9440 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
9442 @item gnus-button-message-level
9443 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
9444 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
9445 Related variables and functions include
9446 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
9447 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
9448 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
9449 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9455 @subsection Article Date
9457 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9458 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9459 when the article was sent.
9464 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9465 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9466 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9467 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9470 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9471 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9473 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9474 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9477 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9478 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9479 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9482 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9483 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9484 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9485 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9488 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9489 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9490 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9491 @findex format-time-string
9492 Display the date using a user-defined format
9493 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9494 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9495 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9496 for a list of possible format specs.
9499 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9500 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9501 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9502 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9503 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9504 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9507 Date: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9510 This line is updated continually by default. The frequency (in
9511 seconds) is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-update-date-headers}
9514 If you wish to switch updating off, say:
9516 @vindex gnus-article-update-date-headers
9518 (setq gnus-article-update-date-headers nil)
9521 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9524 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9525 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9526 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9527 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9528 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9529 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9530 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9534 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9535 preferred format automatically.
9538 @node Article Display
9539 @subsection Article Display
9545 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9546 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9548 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9549 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9551 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9552 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9554 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9555 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9557 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9558 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9560 Gravatars reside on-line and are fetched from
9561 @uref{http://www.gravatar.com/} (@pxref{Gravatars}).
9563 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9568 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9569 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9570 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9571 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9574 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9575 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9576 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9577 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9580 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9581 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9582 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9585 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9586 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9587 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9590 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9591 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9592 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9593 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9596 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9597 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9598 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9599 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9602 @kindex W D g (Summary)
9603 @findex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
9604 Gravatarify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
9607 @kindex W D h (Summary)
9608 @findex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
9609 Gravatarify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9610 (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
9613 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9614 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9615 Remove all images from the article buffer
9616 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9619 @kindex W D W (Summary)
9620 @findex gnus-html-show-images
9621 If you're reading an @acronym{HTML} article rendered with
9622 @code{gnus-article-html}, then you can insert any blocked images in
9623 the buffer with this command.
9624 (@code{gnus-html-show-images}).
9630 @node Article Signature
9631 @subsection Article Signature
9633 @cindex article signature
9635 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9636 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9637 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9638 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9639 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9640 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9641 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9642 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9643 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9646 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9647 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9648 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9649 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9650 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9651 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9652 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9653 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9656 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9659 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9660 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9661 signature when displaying articles.
9665 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9668 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9671 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9672 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9674 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9675 in question is not a signature.
9678 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9679 listed above. Here's an example:
9682 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9683 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9686 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9687 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9688 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9689 signature after all.
9692 @node Article Miscellanea
9693 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9697 @kindex A t (Summary)
9698 @findex gnus-article-babel
9699 Translate the article from one language to another
9700 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9706 @section MIME Commands
9707 @cindex MIME decoding
9709 @cindex viewing attachments
9711 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9712 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9718 @kindex K v (Summary)
9719 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9722 @kindex K o (Summary)
9723 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9726 @kindex K O (Summary)
9727 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
9728 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
9729 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
9732 @kindex K r (Summary)
9733 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
9736 @kindex K d (Summary)
9737 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
9741 @kindex K c (Summary)
9742 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9745 @kindex K e (Summary)
9746 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9749 @kindex K i (Summary)
9750 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9753 @kindex K | (Summary)
9754 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9757 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9762 @kindex K H (Summary)
9763 @findex gnus-article-browse-html-article
9764 View @samp{text/html} parts of the current article with a WWW browser.
9765 Inline images embedded in a message using the @code{cid} scheme, as they
9766 are generally considered to be safe, will be processed properly. The
9767 message header is added to the beginning of every @acronym{HTML} part
9768 unless the prefix argument is given.
9770 Warning: Spammers use links to images (using the @code{http} scheme) in
9771 @acronym{HTML} articles to verify whether you have read the message. As
9772 this command passes the @acronym{HTML} content to the browser without
9773 eliminating these ``web bugs'' you should only use it for mails from
9776 If you always want to display @acronym{HTML} parts in the browser, set
9777 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to @code{nil}.
9779 This command creates temporary files to pass @acronym{HTML} contents
9780 including images if any to the browser, and deletes them when exiting
9781 the group (if you want).
9784 @kindex K b (Summary)
9785 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9786 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9790 @kindex K m (Summary)
9791 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9792 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9793 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9794 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9795 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9798 @kindex X m (Summary)
9799 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9800 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9801 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9802 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9805 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9806 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9807 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9808 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9811 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9812 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9813 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9814 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9817 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9818 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9819 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9820 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9822 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9823 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9824 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9825 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9826 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9827 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9830 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9831 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9832 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9833 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9840 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9841 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9842 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9843 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9846 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9849 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9853 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9854 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9855 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9856 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9857 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9858 default is @code{t}.
9860 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9861 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9864 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9865 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9866 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9867 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9868 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
9869 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
9870 for encoding in Gnus.
9872 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9873 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9874 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9875 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9876 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9877 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9878 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9879 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9881 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9882 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9883 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9884 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9885 displayed. This variable overrides
9886 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9887 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9890 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9891 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9892 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9894 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
9895 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
9896 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
9897 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
9898 Emacs MIME Manual}).
9900 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9901 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9902 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9903 default value is @code{nil}.
9905 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9906 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9907 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9908 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9909 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9910 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9911 save all jpegs into some directory).
9913 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9916 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9917 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9919 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9920 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9921 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9922 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9923 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9926 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9927 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9928 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9930 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9931 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9932 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9934 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9935 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9936 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9938 If displaying @samp{text/html} is discouraged, see
9939 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
9940 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
9941 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
9942 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
9944 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9945 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9946 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9947 overrides @code{nil} values of
9948 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9949 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9951 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9952 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9953 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9954 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9956 Ready-made functions include@*
9957 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9958 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9959 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9960 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9961 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9962 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9963 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9964 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9965 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9966 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9967 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9968 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9970 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9971 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9973 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9974 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9975 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9978 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9979 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9980 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9981 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9985 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9994 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9995 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9996 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9997 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9998 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9999 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
10000 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
10002 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
10003 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
10004 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
10005 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
10007 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
10008 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
10009 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
10010 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
10011 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
10012 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
10013 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
10014 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
10015 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
10017 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
10018 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
10019 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
10020 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
10021 quoted-printable header encoding.
10023 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
10024 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
10025 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
10029 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
10032 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
10033 means encode all charsets),
10035 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
10036 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
10037 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
10044 @cindex coding system aliases
10045 @cindex preferred charset
10047 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
10048 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
10049 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
10051 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
10053 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
10054 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
10057 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
10058 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
10061 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
10062 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
10064 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
10067 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
10070 This will almost do the right thing.
10072 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
10076 (codepage-setup 1251)
10077 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
10081 @node Article Commands
10082 @section Article Commands
10089 @kindex A P (Summary)
10090 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
10091 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
10092 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
10093 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
10094 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
10095 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
10098 @vindex gnus-fetch-partial-articles
10099 @findex gnus-summary-show-complete-article
10100 If @code{<backend>-fetch-partial-articles} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
10101 fetch partial articles, if the backend it fetches them from supports
10102 it. Currently only @code{nnimap} does. If you're looking at a
10103 partial article, and want to see the complete article instead, then
10104 the @kbd{A C} command (@code{gnus-summary-show-complete-article}) will
10110 @node Summary Sorting
10111 @section Summary Sorting
10112 @cindex summary sorting
10114 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
10115 can't really see why you'd want that.
10120 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10121 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
10122 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
10124 @item C-c C-s C-m C-n
10125 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10126 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number
10127 Sort by most recent article number
10128 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number}).
10131 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
10132 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
10133 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
10136 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
10137 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
10138 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
10141 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
10142 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
10143 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
10146 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
10147 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
10148 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
10150 @item C-c C-s C-m C-d
10151 @kindex C-c C-s C-m C-d (Summary)
10152 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date
10153 Sort by most recent date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date}).
10156 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
10157 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
10158 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
10161 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
10162 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
10163 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
10166 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
10167 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
10168 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
10171 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
10172 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
10173 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
10176 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
10177 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
10178 Sort using the default sorting method
10179 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
10182 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
10183 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
10184 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
10185 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
10186 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
10189 If a prefix argument if given, the sort order is reversed.
10192 @node Finding the Parent
10193 @section Finding the Parent
10194 @cindex parent articles
10195 @cindex referring articles
10199 @kindex ^ (Summary)
10200 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
10201 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
10202 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
10203 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
10204 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
10205 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
10206 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
10207 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
10208 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
10210 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
10211 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
10212 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
10213 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
10214 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
10217 @item A R (Summary)
10218 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
10219 @kindex A R (Summary)
10220 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
10221 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
10223 @item A T (Summary)
10224 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
10225 @kindex A T (Summary)
10226 Display the full thread where the current article appears
10227 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
10228 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
10229 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
10230 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
10231 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
10232 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
10234 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
10235 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
10236 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
10237 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
10238 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
10239 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
10241 @item M-^ (Summary)
10242 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
10243 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
10245 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
10246 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
10247 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
10248 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
10249 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
10250 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
10252 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
10253 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
10254 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
10257 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10258 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10259 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10260 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10261 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10262 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
10265 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
10266 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
10267 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
10270 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
10271 then ask Google if that fails:
10274 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
10276 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
10279 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
10280 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
10281 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
10282 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
10283 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
10284 group. @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
10286 Fortunately, the special @code{nnregistry} back end is able to locate
10287 articles in any groups, regardless of their back end (@pxref{Registry
10288 Article Refer Method, fetching by @code{Message-ID} using the
10291 @node Alternative Approaches
10292 @section Alternative Approaches
10294 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
10295 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
10298 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
10299 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
10303 @node Pick and Read
10304 @subsection Pick and Read
10305 @cindex pick and read
10307 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
10308 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
10309 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
10310 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
10312 @findex gnus-pick-mode
10313 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
10314 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
10315 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
10316 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
10317 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
10319 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
10324 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
10325 Pick the article or thread on the current line
10326 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
10327 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
10328 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
10329 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
10330 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
10331 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
10334 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
10335 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
10336 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
10337 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
10341 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
10342 Unpick the thread or article
10343 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
10344 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
10345 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
10346 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
10347 the thread or article at that line.
10351 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
10352 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
10353 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
10354 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
10355 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
10356 will still be visible when you are reading.
10360 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
10361 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
10362 which is mapped to the same function
10363 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
10365 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
10368 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
10371 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
10372 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
10374 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
10375 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
10376 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
10378 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
10379 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
10380 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
10381 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
10382 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
10383 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
10384 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
10387 @node Binary Groups
10388 @subsection Binary Groups
10389 @cindex binary groups
10391 @findex gnus-binary-mode
10392 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
10393 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
10394 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
10395 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
10396 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
10397 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
10400 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
10401 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
10402 command, when you have turned on this mode
10403 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
10405 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
10406 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
10410 @section Tree Display
10413 @vindex gnus-use-trees
10414 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
10415 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
10416 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
10417 in the tree buffer.
10419 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
10422 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
10423 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
10424 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
10426 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10427 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10428 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
10429 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
10430 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
10432 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
10433 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
10434 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
10435 default is @code{modeline}.
10437 @item gnus-tree-line-format
10438 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
10439 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
10440 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
10441 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
10442 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
10443 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
10449 The name of the poster.
10451 The @code{From} header.
10453 The number of the article.
10455 The opening bracket.
10457 The closing bracket.
10462 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
10464 Variables related to the display are:
10467 @item gnus-tree-brackets
10468 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
10469 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
10470 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
10472 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
10473 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
10474 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
10476 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
10478 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10479 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10480 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
10481 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
10485 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
10486 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
10487 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
10488 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
10489 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
10490 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
10491 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
10492 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
10493 other windows displayed next to it.
10495 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
10499 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
10500 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
10503 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
10504 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
10505 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10506 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
10507 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
10508 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
10509 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
10513 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
10516 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
10526 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
10531 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10532 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10534 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10536 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10542 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10543 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10544 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10547 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10548 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10549 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10550 (gnus-add-configuration
10554 (summary 0.75 point)
10559 @xref{Window Layout}.
10562 @node Mail Group Commands
10563 @section Mail Group Commands
10564 @cindex mail group commands
10566 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10567 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10569 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10570 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10575 @kindex B e (Summary)
10576 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10577 @cindex expiring mail
10578 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10579 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10580 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10581 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10584 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10585 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10586 @cindex expiring mail
10587 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10588 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10589 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10590 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10593 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10594 @cindex deleting mail
10595 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10596 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10597 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10598 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10599 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10602 @kindex B m (Summary)
10604 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10605 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10606 Move the article from one mail group to another
10607 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10608 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10611 @kindex B c (Summary)
10613 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10614 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10615 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10616 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10617 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10620 @kindex B B (Summary)
10621 @cindex crosspost mail
10622 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10623 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10624 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10625 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10626 be properly updated.
10629 @kindex B i (Summary)
10630 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10631 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10632 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10633 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10636 @kindex B I (Summary)
10637 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10638 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10639 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10640 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10643 @kindex B r (Summary)
10644 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10645 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10646 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10647 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10648 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10649 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10650 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10651 (which is the default).
10655 @kindex B w (Summary)
10656 @kindex e (Summary)
10657 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10658 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10659 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10660 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10661 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10662 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10663 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10666 @kindex B q (Summary)
10667 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10668 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10669 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10670 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10673 @kindex B t (Summary)
10674 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10675 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10676 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10679 @kindex B p (Summary)
10680 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10681 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10682 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10683 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10684 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10685 article from your news server (or rather, from
10686 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10687 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10688 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10689 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10690 just not have arrived yet.
10693 @kindex K E (Summary)
10694 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10695 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10696 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10697 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10698 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10702 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10703 @cindex moving articles
10704 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10705 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10706 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10707 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10708 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10709 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10710 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10713 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10714 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10715 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10716 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10720 @node Various Summary Stuff
10721 @section Various Summary Stuff
10724 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10725 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10726 * Summary Generation Commands::
10727 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10731 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10732 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10733 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10734 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10735 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10736 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10738 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10739 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10740 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10743 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10744 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10745 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10747 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10748 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10749 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10750 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10751 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10752 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10755 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10756 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10757 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10758 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10759 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10761 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10762 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10763 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10766 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10767 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10768 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10769 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10770 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10771 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10772 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10773 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10774 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10775 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10777 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10778 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10779 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10780 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10781 list of articles to be selected.
10783 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10784 the list in one particular group:
10787 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10788 (if (string= group "some.group")
10789 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10793 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10794 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10795 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10796 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10797 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10800 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10801 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10802 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10803 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10804 variable will be used instead.
10806 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10807 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10808 buffers. For example:
10811 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10812 '(message-use-followup-to
10813 (gnus-visible-headers .
10814 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10817 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10819 @vindex gnus-propagate-marks
10820 @item gnus-propagate-marks
10821 If non-@code{nil}, propagate marks to the backends for possible
10822 storing. @xref{NNTP marks}, and friends, for a more fine-grained
10828 @node Summary Group Information
10829 @subsection Summary Group Information
10834 @kindex H d (Summary)
10835 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10836 Give a brief description of the current group
10837 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10838 rereading the description from the server.
10841 @kindex H h (Summary)
10842 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10843 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10844 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10847 @kindex H i (Summary)
10848 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10849 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10853 @node Searching for Articles
10854 @subsection Searching for Articles
10859 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10860 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10861 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10862 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10865 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10866 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10867 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10868 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10871 @kindex M-S (Summary)
10872 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
10873 Repeat the previous search forwards
10874 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
10877 @kindex M-R (Summary)
10878 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
10879 Repeat the previous search backwards
10880 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
10883 @kindex & (Summary)
10884 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10885 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10886 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10887 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10888 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10889 search backward instead.
10891 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10892 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10895 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10896 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10897 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10898 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10901 @node Summary Generation Commands
10902 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10907 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10908 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10909 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10912 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10913 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10914 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10915 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10918 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10919 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10920 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10921 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10924 @kindex Y t (Summary)
10925 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
10926 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10927 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
10932 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10933 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10939 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10940 @kindex A D (Summary)
10941 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10942 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10943 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10944 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10945 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10946 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10947 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10948 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10951 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
10952 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
10953 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
10958 Select the next article.
10961 Select the next unread article.
10963 @item next-noselect
10964 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
10966 @item next-unread-noselect
10967 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
10970 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
10971 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
10974 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10975 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10976 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10977 several documents into one biiig group
10978 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10979 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10980 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10981 command understands the process/prefix convention
10982 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10985 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10986 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10987 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10988 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10989 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10990 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10993 @kindex = (Summary)
10994 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10995 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10996 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10999 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
11000 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
11001 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11002 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
11005 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
11006 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
11007 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11008 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
11013 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
11014 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
11015 @cindex summary exit
11016 @cindex exiting groups
11018 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
11019 group and return you to the group buffer.
11026 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
11027 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
11028 @kindex q (Summary)
11029 @findex gnus-summary-exit
11030 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
11031 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
11032 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
11033 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
11034 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
11035 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
11036 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
11037 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
11038 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
11039 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
11040 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
11044 @kindex Z E (Summary)
11045 @kindex Q (Summary)
11046 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
11047 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
11048 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
11052 @kindex Z c (Summary)
11053 @kindex c (Summary)
11054 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
11055 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
11056 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
11057 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
11060 @kindex Z C (Summary)
11061 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
11062 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
11063 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
11066 @kindex Z n (Summary)
11067 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
11068 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
11069 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
11072 @kindex Z p (Summary)
11073 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
11074 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
11075 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
11079 @kindex Z R (Summary)
11080 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
11081 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
11082 Exit this group, and then enter it again
11083 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
11084 all articles, both read and unread.
11088 @kindex Z G (Summary)
11089 @kindex M-g (Summary)
11090 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
11091 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
11092 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
11093 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
11094 articles, both read and unread.
11097 @kindex Z N (Summary)
11098 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
11099 Exit the group and go to the next group
11100 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
11103 @kindex Z P (Summary)
11104 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
11105 Exit the group and go to the previous group
11106 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
11109 @kindex Z s (Summary)
11110 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
11111 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
11112 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
11113 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
11114 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
11117 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
11118 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
11119 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
11120 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
11122 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
11123 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
11124 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
11125 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
11126 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
11127 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
11128 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
11129 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
11130 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
11131 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
11132 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
11133 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
11135 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
11137 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
11138 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
11139 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
11140 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
11141 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
11142 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
11143 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
11144 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
11145 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
11148 @node Crosspost Handling
11149 @section Crosspost Handling
11153 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
11154 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
11155 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
11156 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
11157 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
11160 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
11161 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
11162 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
11163 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
11164 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
11166 @cindex cross-posting
11168 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
11169 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
11170 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
11171 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
11172 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
11173 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
11174 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
11175 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
11176 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
11177 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
11178 the cross reference mechanism.
11180 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
11181 @cindex overview.fmt
11182 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
11183 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
11184 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
11185 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
11186 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
11187 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
11190 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
11191 set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
11192 considerably. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
11196 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
11199 @node Duplicate Suppression
11200 @section Duplicate Suppression
11202 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
11203 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
11204 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
11205 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
11210 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
11211 is evil and not very common.
11214 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
11215 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
11218 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
11219 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
11222 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
11225 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
11226 well, but these four are the most common situations.
11228 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
11229 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
11230 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
11231 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
11232 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
11233 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
11234 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
11237 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
11238 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
11239 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
11240 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
11241 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
11242 saw the article in.
11245 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
11246 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
11247 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
11249 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
11250 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
11251 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
11252 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
11253 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
11254 session are suppressed.
11256 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11257 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11258 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11259 suppression list. The default is 10000.
11261 @item gnus-duplicate-file
11262 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
11263 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
11264 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
11267 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
11268 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
11269 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
11270 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
11271 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
11272 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
11273 to you to figure out, I think.
11278 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
11279 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
11280 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
11285 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
11286 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
11287 to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
11288 epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
11289 PGG Manual}), and Mailcrypt are also supported.
11292 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
11293 or newer is recommended.
11297 The variables that control security functionality on reading/composing
11301 @item mm-verify-option
11302 @vindex mm-verify-option
11303 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
11304 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
11305 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
11307 @item mm-decrypt-option
11308 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
11309 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
11310 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
11311 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
11313 @item mm-sign-option
11314 @vindex mm-sign-option
11315 Option of creating signed parts. @code{nil}, use default signing
11316 keys; @code{guided}, ask user to select signing keys from the menu.
11318 @item mm-encrypt-option
11319 @vindex mm-encrypt-option
11320 Option of creating encrypted parts. @code{nil}, use the first
11321 public-key matching the @samp{From:} header as the recipient;
11322 @code{guided}, ask user to select recipient keys from the menu.
11325 @vindex mml1991-use
11326 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
11327 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
11328 and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported although
11329 deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
11333 @vindex mml2015-use
11334 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
11335 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
11336 @code{pgg}, and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported
11337 although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
11338 interface in this order.
11342 By default the buttons that display security information are not
11343 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
11344 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
11345 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
11346 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
11347 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
11348 how to customize these variables to always display security
11351 @cindex snarfing keys
11352 @cindex importing PGP keys
11353 @cindex PGP key ring import
11354 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
11355 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
11356 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
11357 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
11358 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
11359 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
11360 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
11361 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
11362 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
11365 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
11368 This happens to also be the default action defined in
11369 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
11371 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
11372 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
11373 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
11376 @section Mailing List
11377 @cindex mailing list
11380 @kindex A M (summary)
11381 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
11382 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
11383 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
11384 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
11387 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
11392 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
11393 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
11394 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
11397 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
11398 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
11399 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
11402 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
11403 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
11404 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
11408 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
11409 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
11410 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
11413 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
11414 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
11415 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
11418 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
11419 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
11420 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
11425 @node Article Buffer
11426 @chapter Article Buffer
11427 @cindex article buffer
11429 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
11430 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
11431 tell Gnus otherwise.
11434 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
11435 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
11436 * HTML:: Reading @acronym{HTML} messages.
11437 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
11438 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
11439 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
11443 @node Hiding Headers
11444 @section Hiding Headers
11445 @cindex hiding headers
11446 @cindex deleting headers
11448 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
11449 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
11451 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
11452 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
11453 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
11454 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
11455 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
11456 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
11457 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
11458 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
11459 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
11461 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
11465 @item gnus-visible-headers
11466 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
11467 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
11468 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
11469 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
11471 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
11472 the article and the subject, you'd say:
11475 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
11478 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11481 @item gnus-ignored-headers
11482 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
11483 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
11484 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
11485 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
11486 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
11488 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
11489 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
11492 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
11495 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11498 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
11499 variable will have no effect.
11503 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
11504 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
11505 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
11506 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
11507 the headers are to be displayed.
11509 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
11510 and then the subject, you might say something like:
11513 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
11516 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
11517 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
11519 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
11520 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
11521 You can hide further boring headers by setting
11522 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
11523 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
11524 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
11525 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
11528 These conditions are:
11531 Remove all empty headers.
11533 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
11534 @code{Newsgroups} header.
11536 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
11537 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
11540 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
11543 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11544 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
11546 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11547 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11549 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
11550 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11552 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
11555 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
11557 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
11560 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
11563 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
11564 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
11567 This is also the default value for this variable.
11571 @section Using MIME
11572 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11574 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
11575 while people stand around yawning.
11577 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
11578 while all newsreaders die of fear.
11580 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
11581 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
11582 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
11584 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
11585 @findex gnus-display-mime
11586 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
11587 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
11588 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
11589 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
11591 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
11592 @acronym{MIME} button:
11595 @findex gnus-article-press-button
11596 @item RET (Article)
11597 @kindex RET (Article)
11598 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
11599 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
11600 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
11601 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
11602 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
11603 object is displayed inline.
11605 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
11606 @item M-RET (Article)
11607 @kindex M-RET (Article)
11609 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11610 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
11612 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
11614 @kindex t (Article)
11615 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
11616 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
11618 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
11620 @kindex C (Article)
11621 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11622 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
11624 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
11626 @kindex o (Article)
11627 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
11628 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
11630 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
11631 @item C-o (Article)
11632 @kindex C-o (Article)
11633 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
11634 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
11635 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
11636 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
11637 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
11638 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
11640 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
11642 @kindex r (Article)
11643 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
11644 external body referring to the file via the message/external-body
11645 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
11647 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
11649 @kindex d (Article)
11650 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
11651 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
11652 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
11654 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
11656 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11658 @kindex c (Article)
11659 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11660 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
11661 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
11662 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
11663 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11664 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11665 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11666 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11668 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11670 @kindex p (Article)
11671 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11672 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11673 @file{.mailcap} file.
11675 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11677 @kindex i (Article)
11678 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11679 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as @samp{text/plain}. If given a prefix, insert
11680 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11681 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11682 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11683 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
11684 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
11685 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
11686 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11688 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11690 @kindex E (Article)
11691 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11692 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11693 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11695 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11697 @kindex e (Article)
11698 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11699 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11701 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11703 @kindex | (Article)
11704 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11706 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11708 @kindex . (Article)
11709 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11710 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11714 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11715 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11716 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11718 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11719 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11720 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11721 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11722 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11723 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11724 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11725 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11726 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11728 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11730 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11734 @section @acronym{HTML}
11735 @cindex @acronym{HTML}
11737 If you have @code{w3m} installed on your system, Gnus can display
11738 @acronym{HTML} articles in the article buffer. There are many Gnus
11739 add-ons for doing this, using various approaches, but there's one
11740 (sort of) built-in method that's used by default.
11742 For a complete overview, consult @xref{Display Customization,
11743 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. This
11744 section only describes the default method.
11747 @item mm-text-html-renderer
11748 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
11749 If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
11750 that's based on @code{w3m}.
11752 @item gnus-blocked-images
11753 @vindex gnus-blocked-images
11754 External images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't
11755 be fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s
11756 that have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
11759 (setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
11762 This can also be a function to be evaluated. If so, it will be
11763 called with the group name as the parameter. The default value is
11764 @code{gnus-block-private-groups}, which will return @samp{"."} for
11765 anything that isn't a newsgroup. This means that no external images
11766 will be fetched as a result of reading mail, so that nobody can use
11767 web bugs (and the like) to track whether you've read email.
11769 Also @pxref{Misc Article} for @code{gnus-inhibit-images}.
11771 @item gnus-html-cache-directory
11772 @vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
11773 Gnus will download and cache images according to how
11774 @code{gnus-blocked-images} is set. These images will be stored in
11777 @item gnus-html-cache-size
11778 @vindex gnus-html-cache-size
11779 When @code{gnus-html-cache-size} bytes have been used in that
11780 directory, the oldest files will be deleted. The default is 500MB.
11782 @item gnus-html-frame-width
11783 @vindex gnus-html-frame-width
11784 The width to use when rendering HTML. The default is 70.
11786 @item gnus-max-image-proportion
11787 @vindex gnus-max-image-proportion
11788 How big pictures displayed are in relation to the window they're in.
11789 A value of 0.7 (the default) means that they are allowed to take up
11790 70% of the width and height of the window. If they are larger than
11791 this, and Emacs supports it, then the images will be rescaled down to
11792 fit these criteria.
11796 To use this, make sure that you have @code{w3m} and @code{curl}
11797 installed. If you have, then Gnus should display @acronym{HTML}
11802 @node Customizing Articles
11803 @section Customizing Articles
11804 @cindex article customization
11806 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11807 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11808 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11809 called automatically when you select the articles.
11811 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11812 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11813 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11814 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11816 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11817 for sensible values.
11821 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11824 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11827 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11830 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
11833 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
11836 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11840 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11841 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11842 regexps in the list.
11845 A list where the first element is not a string:
11847 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11848 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11849 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11853 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11858 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11859 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11860 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11861 considered to contain just a single part.
11863 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11864 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11865 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11866 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11867 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11868 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11869 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11872 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
11873 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
11875 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
11876 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
11877 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
11878 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
11879 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
11880 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
11881 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
11882 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
11883 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
11884 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
11885 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
11886 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
11887 @vindex gnus-treat-date
11888 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
11889 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
11890 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
11891 @vindex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
11892 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
11893 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
11894 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
11895 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
11896 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
11897 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
11898 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
11899 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
11900 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
11901 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
11902 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
11903 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
11904 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
11905 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
11906 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
11907 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
11908 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
11909 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
11910 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
11911 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
11912 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
11913 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
11914 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
11915 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
11918 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11919 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11920 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11921 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11924 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11925 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11927 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11929 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11930 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11931 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11932 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11933 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
11934 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11935 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11936 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11937 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11938 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11940 @xref{Article Washing}.
11942 @item gnus-treat-date (head)
11944 This will transform/add date headers according to the
11945 @code{gnus-article-date-headers} variable. This is a list of Date
11946 headers to display. The formats available are:
11950 Universal time, aka GMT, aka ZULU.
11953 The user's local time zone.
11956 A semi-readable English sentence.
11959 The time elapsed since the message was posted.
11961 @item combined-lapsed
11962 Both the original date header and a (shortened) elapsed time.
11965 The original date header.
11968 ISO8601 format, i.e., ``2010-11-23T22:05:21''.
11971 A format done according to the @code{gnus-article-time-format}
11976 @xref{Article Date}.
11978 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11979 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11980 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11984 @item gnus-treat-from-gravatar (head)
11985 @item gnus-treat-mail-gravatar (head)
11989 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11991 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11993 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11994 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11995 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11999 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12000 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
12004 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12005 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
12009 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12010 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
12011 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12012 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
12013 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12014 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
12015 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12016 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
12017 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12018 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
12019 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12020 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
12021 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12022 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
12023 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12024 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
12025 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12026 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
12027 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12028 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
12030 @xref{Article Hiding}.
12032 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12033 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
12034 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12035 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
12036 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12037 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
12039 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
12041 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12042 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
12043 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
12044 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12045 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
12047 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12048 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
12049 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12050 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
12051 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12052 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
12053 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12054 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
12056 @xref{Article Header}.
12061 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
12062 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
12063 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
12064 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
12065 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
12069 @node Article Keymap
12070 @section Article Keymap
12072 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
12073 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
12074 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
12075 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
12078 @kindex v (Article)
12079 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
12080 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12081 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12083 A few additional keystrokes are available:
12088 @kindex SPACE (Article)
12089 @findex gnus-article-next-page
12090 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
12091 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
12094 @kindex DEL (Article)
12095 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
12096 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
12097 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
12100 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
12101 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
12102 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
12103 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
12104 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
12107 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
12108 @findex gnus-article-mail
12109 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
12110 given a prefix, include the mail.
12113 @kindex s (Article)
12114 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
12115 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
12116 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
12119 @kindex ? (Article)
12120 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
12121 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
12122 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
12125 @kindex TAB (Article)
12126 @findex gnus-article-next-button
12127 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
12128 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
12131 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
12132 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
12133 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
12136 @kindex R (Article)
12137 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
12138 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
12139 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If the region is active,
12140 only yank the text in the region.
12143 @kindex S W (Article)
12144 @findex gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original
12145 Send a wide reply to the current article and yank the current article
12146 (@code{gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original}). If the region is
12147 active, only yank the text in the region.
12150 @kindex F (Article)
12151 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
12152 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
12153 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If the region is active,
12154 only yank the text in the region.
12161 @section Misc Article
12165 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
12166 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
12167 @cindex article buffers, several
12168 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
12169 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
12172 @item gnus-widen-article-window
12173 @cindex gnus-widen-article-window
12174 If non-@code{nil}, selecting the article buffer with the @kbd{h}
12175 command will ``widen'' the article window to take the entire frame.
12177 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
12178 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
12179 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12180 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
12181 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
12183 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
12184 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
12185 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
12186 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
12187 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
12188 the contents of the article buffer.
12190 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
12191 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
12192 Hook called in article mode buffers.
12194 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12195 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12196 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
12197 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
12199 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
12200 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
12201 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
12202 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
12204 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
12205 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
12206 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
12207 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
12208 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
12209 with two extensions:
12214 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
12215 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
12216 performed. The characters and their meaning:
12221 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
12224 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
12227 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
12228 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
12229 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
12232 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
12235 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
12238 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasized strings in the article buffer.
12243 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
12247 @vindex gnus-break-pages
12249 @item gnus-break-pages
12250 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
12251 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
12252 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
12253 paging will not be done.
12255 @item gnus-page-delimiter
12256 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
12257 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
12261 @cindex internationalized domain names
12262 @vindex gnus-use-idna
12263 @item gnus-use-idna
12264 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
12265 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
12266 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
12267 for how to compose such messages. This requires
12268 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
12269 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
12271 @vindex gnus-inhibit-images
12272 @item gnus-inhibit-images
12273 If this is non-@code{nil}, inhibit displaying of images inline in the
12274 article body. It is effective to images that are in articles as
12275 @acronym{MIME} parts, and images in @acronym{HTML} articles rendered
12276 when @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization,
12277 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) is
12278 @code{shr} or @code{gnus-w3m}.
12283 @node Composing Messages
12284 @chapter Composing Messages
12285 @cindex composing messages
12288 @cindex sending mail
12293 @cindex using s/mime
12294 @cindex using smime
12296 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
12297 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
12298 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
12299 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
12300 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
12301 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
12304 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
12305 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
12306 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
12307 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
12308 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
12309 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
12310 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
12311 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
12312 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
12315 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
12316 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
12322 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
12325 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
12326 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
12327 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
12328 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
12329 @code{nil} include all headers.
12331 @item gnus-add-to-list
12332 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
12333 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
12334 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
12336 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
12337 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
12338 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
12339 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
12340 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
12341 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
12342 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
12343 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
12345 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
12346 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
12348 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
12349 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
12350 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
12351 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
12352 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
12357 @node Posting Server
12358 @section Posting Server
12360 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
12361 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
12363 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
12365 It can be quite complicated.
12367 @vindex gnus-post-method
12368 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
12369 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
12370 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
12371 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
12372 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
12373 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
12374 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
12375 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
12376 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
12379 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
12382 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
12383 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
12384 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
12385 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
12387 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
12388 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
12390 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
12391 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
12394 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
12395 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
12397 @vindex message-send-mail-function
12398 When sending mail, Message invokes the function specified by the
12399 variable @code{message-send-mail-function}. Gnus tries to set it to a
12400 value suitable for your system.
12401 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Mail Variables,message,Message manual}, for more
12404 @node POP before SMTP
12405 @section POP before SMTP
12406 @cindex pop before smtp
12407 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
12408 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
12410 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
12411 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
12412 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
12413 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
12414 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
12417 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
12418 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
12422 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
12423 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
12424 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
12425 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
12426 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
12427 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
12428 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
12429 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
12431 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
12432 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
12433 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
12434 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
12435 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
12436 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
12439 (setq mail-source-primary-source
12440 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12441 :password "secret"))
12445 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
12446 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
12449 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
12451 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
12452 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12453 :password "secret")))
12454 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
12457 @node Mail and Post
12458 @section Mail and Post
12460 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
12464 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
12465 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
12466 @cindex mailing lists
12468 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
12469 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
12470 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
12471 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
12472 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
12473 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
12474 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
12475 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
12476 still a pain, though.
12478 @item gnus-user-agent
12479 @vindex gnus-user-agent
12482 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
12483 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
12484 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
12485 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
12486 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
12487 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
12488 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
12492 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
12493 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
12494 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
12497 @findex ispell-message
12499 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
12502 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
12503 you're in, you could say something like the following:
12506 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
12510 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
12511 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
12513 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
12516 Modify to suit your needs.
12518 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
12519 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
12520 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
12523 @node Archived Messages
12524 @section Archived Messages
12525 @cindex archived messages
12526 @cindex sent messages
12528 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
12529 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
12530 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
12531 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
12534 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
12535 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
12538 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
12539 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
12540 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
12541 actually being used it is expanded into:
12544 (nnfolder "archive"
12545 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
12546 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
12547 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
12548 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
12552 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
12553 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
12554 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
12555 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
12556 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
12557 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
12558 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12559 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
12560 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
12561 saved method to reflect always the value of
12562 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
12563 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
12564 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
12567 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
12568 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
12569 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
12570 directory chosen, you could say something like:
12573 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
12574 '(nnfolder "archive"
12575 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
12576 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
12577 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
12580 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
12582 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
12583 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
12584 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
12586 This variable can be used to do the following:
12590 Messages will be saved in that group.
12592 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
12593 message will not be stored in the select method given by
12594 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
12595 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12596 has the default value shown above. Then setting
12597 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
12598 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
12599 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
12602 @item a list of strings
12603 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
12605 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
12606 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
12609 No message archiving will take place.
12614 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
12616 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
12619 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
12621 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
12624 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
12626 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12627 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
12628 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
12629 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
12632 More complex stuff:
12634 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12635 '((if (message-news-p)
12640 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
12641 messages in one file per month:
12644 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12645 '((if (message-news-p)
12647 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
12650 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
12651 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
12652 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
12653 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
12654 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
12655 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
12656 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
12657 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
12658 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
12659 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
12662 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12663 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12664 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
12666 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12667 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12668 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
12669 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
12670 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
12671 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
12672 changed in the future.
12674 @item gnus-gcc-self-resent-messages
12675 @vindex gnus-gcc-self-resent-messages
12676 Like the @code{gcc-self} group parameter, applied only for unmodified
12677 messages that @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} (@pxref{Summary Mail
12678 Commands}) resends. Non-@code{nil} value of this variable takes
12679 precedence over any existing @code{Gcc} header.
12681 If this is @code{none}, no @code{Gcc} copy will be made. If this is
12682 @code{t}, messages resent will be @code{Gcc} copied to the current
12683 group. If this is a string, it specifies a group to which resent
12684 messages will be @code{Gcc} copied. If this is @code{nil}, @code{Gcc}
12685 will be done according to existing @code{Gcc} header(s), if any. If
12686 this is @code{no-gcc-self}, that is the default, resent messages will be
12687 @code{Gcc} copied to groups that existing @code{Gcc} header specifies,
12688 except for the current group.
12693 @node Posting Styles
12694 @section Posting Styles
12695 @cindex posting styles
12698 All them variables, they make my head swim.
12700 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
12701 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
12702 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
12705 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
12706 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
12707 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
12708 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
12709 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
12714 (signature "Peace and happiness")
12715 (organization "What me?"))
12717 (signature "Death to everybody"))
12718 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
12719 (organization "Emacs is it")))
12722 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
12723 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
12724 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
12725 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
12726 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
12727 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
12728 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
12729 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
12731 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
12732 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
12733 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
12734 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
12735 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
12736 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
12737 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
12738 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
12739 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
12740 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
12741 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
12742 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
12743 said to @dfn{match}.
12745 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
12746 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
12747 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
12748 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
12749 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
12750 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
12751 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
12752 name can be one of:
12755 @item @code{signature}
12756 @item @code{signature-file}
12757 @item @code{x-face-file}
12758 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
12759 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
12763 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
12764 @code{message-signature-directory}.
12766 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
12767 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
12768 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
12769 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
12770 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
12772 The attribute value can be a string, a function with zero arguments
12773 (the return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used)
12774 or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be
12775 used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
12776 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current
12777 article are available through the @code{message-reply-headers}
12778 variable, which is a vector of the following headers: number subject
12779 from date id references chars lines xref extra.
12781 In the case of a string value, if the @code{match} is a regular
12782 expression, a @samp{gnus-match-substitute-replacement} is proceed on
12783 the value to replace the positional parameters @samp{\@var{n}} by the
12784 corresponding parenthetical matches (see @xref{Replacing the Text that
12785 Matched, , Text Replacement, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.)
12787 @vindex message-reply-headers
12789 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
12790 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
12791 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
12793 @findex message-mail-p
12794 @findex message-news-p
12796 So here's a new example:
12799 (setq gnus-posting-styles
12801 (signature-file "~/.signature")
12803 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
12804 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
12805 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
12807 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
12808 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
12809 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
12810 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
12811 (signature my-news-signature))
12812 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
12813 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
12814 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
12815 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
12816 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
12817 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
12818 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
12819 (address "user@@bar.foo")
12820 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
12821 ("X-Message-SMTP-Method" "smtp smtp.example.org 587")
12822 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
12824 (From (with-current-buffer gnus-article-buffer
12825 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
12827 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
12830 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
12831 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
12832 if you fill many roles.
12833 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
12834 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
12836 Of particular interest in the ``work-mail'' style is the
12837 @samp{X-Message-SMTP-Method} header. It specifies how to send the
12838 outgoing email. You may want to sent certain emails through certain
12839 @acronym{SMTP} servers due to company policies, for instance.
12840 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Message Variables, message, Message Manual}.
12847 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12848 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12849 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12850 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12851 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12853 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12854 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12855 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12856 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12857 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12861 @vindex nndraft-directory
12862 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12863 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12864 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12865 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12866 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12867 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12869 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12870 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12871 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12872 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12873 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12874 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12875 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12876 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12877 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12879 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12880 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12881 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12882 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12883 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12884 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12885 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12886 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12887 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12888 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12889 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12890 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12891 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12892 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12894 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12895 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12896 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12898 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12899 @kindex D e (Draft)
12900 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12901 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12902 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12904 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12907 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12908 @kindex D s (Draft)
12909 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12910 @kindex D S (Draft)
12911 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12912 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12913 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12914 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12915 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12918 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12919 @kindex D t (Draft)
12920 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12921 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12922 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12924 Finally, if you want to delete a draft, use the normal @kbd{B DEL}
12925 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12928 @node Rejected Articles
12929 @section Rejected Articles
12930 @cindex rejected articles
12932 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12933 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12934 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12935 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12937 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12938 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12939 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12940 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12941 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12943 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12944 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12945 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12947 @node Signing and encrypting
12948 @section Signing and encrypting
12950 @cindex using s/mime
12951 @cindex using smime
12953 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12954 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12955 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12956 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12958 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12959 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12960 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12961 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12962 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12963 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12964 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12965 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12966 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12967 automatically encrypted messages.
12969 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12970 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12971 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12976 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12977 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12979 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12982 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12983 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12985 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12988 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12989 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12991 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12994 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12995 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12997 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13000 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
13001 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
13003 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13006 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
13007 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
13009 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13012 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
13013 @findex mml-unsecure-message
13014 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
13018 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
13020 @node Select Methods
13021 @chapter Select Methods
13022 @cindex foreign groups
13023 @cindex select methods
13025 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
13026 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
13027 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
13028 personal mail group.
13030 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
13031 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
13032 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
13033 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
13034 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
13035 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
13037 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
13038 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
13040 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
13043 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
13044 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
13045 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
13046 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
13047 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
13049 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
13052 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
13053 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
13054 * Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
13055 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
13056 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
13057 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
13058 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
13059 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
13060 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
13064 @node Server Buffer
13065 @section Server Buffer
13067 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
13068 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
13069 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
13070 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
13071 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
13072 back end represents a virtual server.
13074 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
13075 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
13076 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
13077 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
13079 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
13080 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
13081 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
13082 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
13083 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
13084 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
13085 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
13087 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
13088 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
13091 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
13092 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
13093 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
13094 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
13095 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
13096 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
13097 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
13100 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
13101 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
13104 @node Server Buffer Format
13105 @subsection Server Buffer Format
13106 @cindex server buffer format
13108 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
13109 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
13110 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
13111 variable, with some simple extensions:
13116 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
13119 The name of this server.
13122 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
13125 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
13128 Whether this server is agentized.
13131 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
13132 The mode line can also be customized by using the
13133 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
13134 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
13144 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
13147 @node Server Commands
13148 @subsection Server Commands
13149 @cindex server commands
13155 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
13156 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
13157 command or better use it as a prefix key.
13161 @findex gnus-server-add-server
13162 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
13166 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
13167 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
13171 @findex gnus-server-show-server
13172 Show the definition of a server (@code{gnus-server-show-server}).
13175 @kindex SPACE (Server)
13176 @findex gnus-server-read-server
13177 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
13181 @findex gnus-server-exit
13182 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
13186 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
13187 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
13191 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
13192 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
13196 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13197 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
13201 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
13202 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
13206 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
13207 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
13208 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
13213 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
13214 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
13215 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
13216 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
13220 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
13222 Compact all groups in the server under point
13223 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
13224 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
13225 hence getting a correct total article count.
13229 Some more commands for closing, disabling, and re-opening servers are
13230 listed in @ref{Unavailable Servers}.
13233 @node Example Methods
13234 @subsection Example Methods
13236 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
13239 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
13242 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
13248 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
13249 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
13252 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
13253 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
13255 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
13256 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
13260 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
13263 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
13264 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
13266 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
13267 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
13268 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
13272 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
13275 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
13278 Here's the method for a public spool:
13282 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
13283 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
13289 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
13290 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
13291 on the firewall machine and connect with
13292 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} from there to the
13293 @acronym{NNTP} server.
13294 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
13295 should probably look something like this:
13299 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)
13300 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
13301 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host"))
13304 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
13305 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
13306 configuration to the example above:
13309 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13312 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
13313 an indirect connection:
13316 (setq gnus-select-method
13318 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
13319 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
13320 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
13321 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13322 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C"))
13323 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)))
13326 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
13327 provide automatic authorization, of course.
13329 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
13330 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
13331 netcat connection to the news server as follows:
13335 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13336 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
13337 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13341 @node Creating a Virtual Server
13342 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
13344 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
13345 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
13347 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
13348 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
13349 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
13351 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
13353 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
13354 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
13355 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
13356 will contain the following:
13366 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
13367 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
13370 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
13371 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
13372 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
13375 @node Server Variables
13376 @subsection Server Variables
13377 @cindex server variables
13378 @cindex server parameters
13380 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
13381 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
13382 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
13383 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
13384 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
13386 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
13387 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
13388 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
13389 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
13390 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
13391 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
13392 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
13393 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
13394 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
13398 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
13399 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
13400 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
13403 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
13405 @node Servers and Methods
13406 @subsection Servers and Methods
13408 Wherever you would normally use a select method
13409 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
13410 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
13411 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
13415 @node Unavailable Servers
13416 @subsection Unavailable Servers
13418 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
13419 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
13420 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
13421 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
13422 actually the case or not.
13424 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
13425 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
13426 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
13427 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
13428 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
13429 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
13430 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
13431 it will regard that server as ``down''.
13433 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
13434 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
13436 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
13437 with the following commands:
13443 @findex gnus-server-open-server
13444 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
13445 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
13449 @findex gnus-server-close-server
13450 Close the connection (if any) to the server
13451 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
13455 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
13456 Mark the current server as unreachable
13457 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
13460 @kindex M-o (Server)
13461 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
13462 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
13463 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
13466 @kindex M-c (Server)
13467 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
13468 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
13469 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
13473 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
13474 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
13475 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
13479 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13480 Copy a server and give it a new name
13481 (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}). This can be useful if you have a
13482 complex method definition, and want to use the same definition towards
13483 a different (physical) server.
13487 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
13488 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
13494 @section Getting News
13495 @cindex reading news
13496 @cindex news back ends
13498 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
13499 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
13500 or it can read from a local spool.
13503 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13504 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
13512 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
13513 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
13514 server as the, uhm, address.
13516 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
13517 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
13518 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
13519 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13521 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
13522 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
13523 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
13525 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
13530 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
13531 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
13532 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
13534 @cindex authentication
13535 @cindex nntp authentication
13536 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
13537 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
13538 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
13539 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
13540 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
13541 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
13542 present in this hook.
13544 @item nntp-authinfo-function
13545 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
13546 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
13547 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
13548 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
13549 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
13550 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
13551 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
13552 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
13553 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
13554 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
13555 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
13559 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
13562 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
13564 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
13565 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
13566 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
13567 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
13568 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
13569 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
13570 @samp{force} is explained below.
13574 Here's an example file:
13577 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
13578 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
13581 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
13582 have to be first, for instance.
13584 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
13585 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
13586 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
13587 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
13588 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
13589 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
13590 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
13592 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
13593 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
13599 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
13600 previously mentioned.
13602 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
13604 @item nntp-server-action-alist
13605 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
13606 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
13607 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
13608 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
13611 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
13612 '(("innd" (ding))))
13615 You probably don't want to do that, though.
13617 The default value is
13620 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
13621 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
13622 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
13625 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
13626 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
13628 @item nntp-maximum-request
13629 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
13630 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
13631 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
13632 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
13633 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
13634 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
13635 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
13637 @item nntp-connection-timeout
13638 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
13639 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
13640 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
13641 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
13642 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
13643 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
13644 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
13645 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
13646 no timeouts are done.
13648 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
13649 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
13650 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
13651 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
13654 @item nntp-xover-commands
13655 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
13656 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
13658 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
13659 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
13663 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
13664 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
13665 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
13666 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
13667 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
13668 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
13669 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
13670 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
13671 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
13672 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
13673 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
13675 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
13676 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
13677 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
13678 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
13679 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
13680 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
13681 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
13682 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
13683 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
13684 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
13685 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
13686 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
13687 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
13688 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
13689 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
13690 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
13691 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
13694 (setq gnus-select-method
13696 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
13697 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
13701 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
13703 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
13704 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
13705 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13707 @item nntp-record-commands
13708 @vindex nntp-record-commands
13709 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
13710 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
13711 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
13712 that doesn't seem to work.
13714 @item nntp-open-connection-function
13715 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
13716 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
13717 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
13718 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
13719 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
13720 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
13721 indirect ones (three pre-made).
13723 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
13724 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
13725 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
13726 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
13727 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
13728 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
13729 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
13730 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
13731 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
13733 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
13734 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
13735 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
13736 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
13737 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
13738 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
13739 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
13741 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
13742 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
13743 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
13744 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
13745 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
13746 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
13747 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
13750 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
13753 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
13754 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
13756 @item nntp-server-list-active-group
13757 If @code{nil}, then always use @samp{GROUP} instead of @samp{LIST
13758 ACTIVE}. This is usually slower, but on misconfigured servers that
13759 don't update their active files often, this can help.
13765 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
13766 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
13767 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
13768 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
13772 @node Direct Functions
13773 @subsubsection Direct Functions
13774 @cindex direct connection functions
13776 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
13777 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
13778 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
13779 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13782 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
13783 @item nntp-open-network-stream
13784 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
13785 remote system. If both Emacs and the server supports it, the
13786 connection will be upgraded to an encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS}
13787 connection automatically.
13790 The same as the above, but don't do automatic @acronym{STARTTLS} upgrades.
13792 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
13793 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
13794 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13795 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GnuTLS}
13796 installed. You then define a server as follows:
13799 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13800 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
13802 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13803 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
13804 (nntp-port-number 563)
13805 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13808 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
13809 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
13810 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13811 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
13812 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
13813 then define a server as follows:
13816 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13817 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
13819 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13820 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
13821 (nntp-port-number 563)
13822 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13825 @findex nntp-open-netcat-stream
13826 @item nntp-open-netcat-stream
13827 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server using the @code{netcat}
13828 program. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have
13829 the default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
13830 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
13831 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
13832 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
13836 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13837 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
13838 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13841 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
13842 session, which is not a good idea.
13844 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
13845 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
13846 Like @code{nntp-open-netcat-stream}, but uses @code{telnet} rather than
13847 @code{netcat}. @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things
13848 like line-end-conversion, but sometimes netcat is simply
13849 not available. The previous example would turn into:
13853 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13854 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
13855 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
13856 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
13861 @node Indirect Functions
13862 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
13863 @cindex indirect connection functions
13865 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
13866 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13867 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
13868 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
13869 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
13870 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13873 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13874 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13875 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then uses @code{netcat} to connect
13876 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
13877 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
13879 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13882 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13883 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13884 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13885 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13887 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13888 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13889 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13890 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
13891 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
13892 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections.
13895 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13896 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13897 Does essentially the same, but uses @code{telnet} instead of @samp{netcat}
13898 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13899 @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things like
13900 line-end-conversion, but sometimes @code{netcat} is simply not available.
13902 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13905 @item nntp-telnet-command
13906 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13907 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13908 intermediate host. The default is @samp{telnet}.
13910 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13911 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13912 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13913 @code{nntp-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{("-8")}.
13915 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13916 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13917 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13918 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13920 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13921 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13922 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13923 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. If you use @samp{ssh}, you may need to set
13924 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
13925 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
13926 host. The default is @code{nil}.
13929 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13930 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13932 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13933 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13934 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13935 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13937 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13940 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13941 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13942 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13945 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13946 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13947 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13948 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13950 @item nntp-via-user-password
13951 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13952 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13954 @item nntp-via-envuser
13955 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13956 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13957 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13958 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13960 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13961 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13962 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13963 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13967 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13968 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13972 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13977 @item nntp-via-user-name
13978 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13979 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13981 @item nntp-via-address
13982 @vindex nntp-via-address
13983 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13988 @node Common Variables
13989 @subsubsection Common Variables
13991 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13992 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13993 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
13994 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
13995 variables individually).
13999 @item nntp-pre-command
14000 @vindex nntp-pre-command
14001 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
14002 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
14003 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
14004 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
14007 @vindex nntp-address
14008 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14010 @item nntp-port-number
14011 @vindex nntp-port-number
14012 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14013 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
14014 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
14015 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
14016 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
14017 not work with named ports.
14019 @item nntp-end-of-line
14020 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
14021 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
14022 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
14023 using a non native telnet connection function.
14025 @item nntp-netcat-command
14026 @vindex nntp-netcat-command
14027 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
14028 @samp{netcat}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
14029 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14032 @item nntp-netcat-switches
14033 @vindex nntp-netcat-switches
14034 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-netcat-command}. The default
14040 @subsubsection NNTP marks
14041 @cindex storing NNTP marks
14043 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
14044 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
14045 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
14046 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
14047 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
14048 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
14049 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
14050 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
14052 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
14053 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
14054 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
14055 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
14056 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14058 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
14059 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
14060 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
14061 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
14062 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
14063 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
14064 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
14066 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
14067 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
14068 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14074 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
14075 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
14076 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
14077 default is @code{nil}.
14079 @item nntp-marks-directory
14080 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
14081 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
14087 @subsection News Spool
14091 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
14092 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
14093 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
14096 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
14097 anything else) as the address.
14099 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
14100 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
14101 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
14102 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
14106 @item nnspool-inews-program
14107 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
14108 Program used to post an article.
14110 @item nnspool-inews-switches
14111 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
14112 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
14114 @item nnspool-spool-directory
14115 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
14116 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
14117 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
14119 @item nnspool-nov-directory
14120 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
14121 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
14122 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
14124 @item nnspool-lib-dir
14125 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
14126 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
14128 @item nnspool-active-file
14129 @vindex nnspool-active-file
14130 The name of the active file.
14132 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
14133 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
14134 The name of the group descriptions file.
14136 @item nnspool-history-file
14137 @vindex nnspool-history-file
14138 The name of the news history file.
14140 @item nnspool-active-times-file
14141 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
14142 The name of the active date file.
14144 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
14145 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
14146 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
14149 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14150 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14152 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
14153 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
14154 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
14161 @section Using IMAP
14164 The most popular mail backend is probably @code{nnimap}, which
14165 provides access to @acronym{IMAP} servers. @acronym{IMAP} servers
14166 store mail remotely, so the client doesn't store anything locally.
14167 This means that it's a convenient choice when you're reading your mail
14168 from different locations, or with different user agents.
14171 * Connecting to an IMAP Server:: Getting started with @acronym{IMAP}.
14172 * Customizing the IMAP Connection:: Variables for @acronym{IMAP} connection.
14173 * Client-Side IMAP Splitting:: Put mail in the correct mail box.
14177 @node Connecting to an IMAP Server
14178 @subsection Connecting to an IMAP Server
14180 Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} can be very easy. Type @kbd{B} in the
14181 group buffer, or (if your primary interest is reading email), say
14185 (setq gnus-select-method
14186 '(nnimap "imap.gmail.com"))
14189 You'll be prompted for a user name and password. If you grow tired of
14190 that, then add the following to your @file{~/.authinfo} file:
14193 machine imap.gmail.com login <username> password <password> port imap
14196 That should basically be it for most users.
14199 @node Customizing the IMAP Connection
14200 @subsection Customizing the IMAP Connection
14202 Here's an example method that's more complex:
14205 (nnimap "imap.gmail.com"
14206 (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
14207 (nnimap-split-methods default)
14209 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14213 @item nnimap-address
14214 The address of the server, like @samp{imap.gmail.com}.
14216 @item nnimap-server-port
14217 If the server uses a non-standard port, that can be specified here. A
14218 typical port would be @code{"imap"} or @code{"imaps"}.
14220 @item nnimap-stream
14221 How @code{nnimap} should connect to the server. Possible values are:
14225 This is the default, and this first tries the @code{ssl} setting, and
14226 then tries the @code{network} setting.
14229 This uses standard @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
14232 Non-encrypted and unsafe straight socket connection, but will upgrade
14233 to encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} if both Emacs and the server
14237 Encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} over the normal @acronym{IMAP} port.
14240 If you need to tunnel via other systems to connect to the server, you
14241 can use this option, and customize @code{nnimap-shell-program} to be
14246 @item nnimap-authenticator
14247 Some @acronym{IMAP} servers allow anonymous logins. In that case,
14248 this should be set to @code{anonymous}.
14250 @item nnimap-expunge
14251 If non-@code{nil}, expunge articles after deleting them. This is always done
14252 if the server supports UID EXPUNGE, but it's not done by default on
14253 servers that doesn't support that command.
14255 @item nnimap-streaming
14256 Virtually all @acronym{IMAP} server support fast streaming of data.
14257 If you have problems connecting to the server, try setting this to
14260 @item nnimap-fetch-partial-articles
14261 If non-@code{nil}, fetch partial articles from the server. If set to
14262 a string, then it's interpreted as a regexp, and parts that have
14263 matching types will be fetched. For instance, @samp{"text/"} will
14264 fetch all textual parts, while leaving the rest on the server.
14266 @item nnimap-record-commands
14267 If non-@code{nil}, record all @acronym{IMAP} commands in the
14268 @samp{"*imap log*"} buffer.
14273 @node Client-Side IMAP Splitting
14274 @subsection Client-Side IMAP Splitting
14276 Many people prefer to do the sorting/splitting of mail into their mail
14277 boxes on the @acronym{IMAP} server. That way they don't have to
14278 download the mail they're not all that interested in.
14280 If you do want to do client-side mail splitting, then the following
14281 variables are relevant:
14285 This is the @acronym{IMAP} mail box that will be scanned for new mail.
14287 @item nnimap-split-methods
14288 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-methods} (@pxref{Splitting
14289 Mail}), except the symbol @code{default}, which means that it should
14290 use the value of the @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable.
14292 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14293 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14295 @item nnimap-unsplittable-articles
14296 List of flag symbols to ignore when doing splitting. That is,
14297 articles that have these flags won't be considered when splitting.
14298 The default is @samp{(%Deleted %Seen)}.
14302 Here's a complete example @code{nnimap} backend with a client-side
14303 ``fancy'' splitting method:
14306 (nnimap "imap.example.com"
14307 (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
14308 (nnimap-split-methods
14309 (| ("MailScanner-SpamCheck" "spam" "spam.detected")
14310 (to "foo@@bar.com" "foo")
14316 @section Getting Mail
14317 @cindex reading mail
14320 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
14324 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
14325 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
14326 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
14327 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
14328 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
14329 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
14330 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
14331 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
14332 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
14333 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
14334 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
14335 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
14336 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
14340 @node Mail in a Newsreader
14341 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
14343 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
14344 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
14345 of a culture shock.
14347 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
14348 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
14350 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
14351 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
14352 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
14353 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
14355 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
14357 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
14358 deleted? How awful!
14360 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
14361 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
14362 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
14363 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
14366 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
14367 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
14368 they want to treat a message.
14370 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
14371 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
14372 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
14373 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
14374 archived somewhere else.
14376 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
14377 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
14378 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
14379 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
14380 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
14382 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
14383 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
14384 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
14386 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
14387 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
14390 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
14391 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
14392 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
14393 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
14394 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
14396 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
14397 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
14398 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
14399 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
14400 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
14401 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
14405 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
14406 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
14408 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
14409 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
14410 and things will happen automatically.
14412 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
14413 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14416 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14419 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
14420 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
14421 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
14422 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
14423 like any other group.
14425 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
14428 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14429 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14430 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14434 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
14435 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
14436 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
14439 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
14440 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
14441 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
14444 @node Splitting Mail
14445 @subsection Splitting Mail
14446 @cindex splitting mail
14447 @cindex mail splitting
14448 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
14450 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
14451 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
14452 to be split into groups.
14455 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14456 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14457 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14458 ("mail.other" "")))
14461 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
14462 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
14463 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
14464 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
14465 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
14466 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
14467 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
14470 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
14474 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
14475 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14477 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14478 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
14479 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
14480 mail belongs in that group.
14482 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
14483 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
14484 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
14485 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
14486 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
14487 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
14488 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
14489 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
14490 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
14491 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
14493 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
14494 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
14495 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
14496 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
14497 thinks should carry this mail message.
14499 This variable can also be a fancy split method. For the syntax,
14500 see @ref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14502 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
14503 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
14504 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
14505 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
14507 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
14508 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
14509 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
14510 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
14511 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
14513 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
14516 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
14517 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
14518 links. If that's the case for you, set
14519 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
14520 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
14522 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
14523 @findex nnmail-split-history
14524 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
14525 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
14526 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
14527 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
14530 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
14531 Header lines longer than the value of
14532 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
14535 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
14536 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
14537 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
14538 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
14539 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
14540 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
14541 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
14542 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
14543 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
14544 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
14545 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
14546 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
14548 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
14549 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
14550 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
14551 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
14552 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
14553 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
14554 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
14555 other kinds of entries.)
14557 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
14558 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
14559 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
14560 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
14561 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
14562 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
14563 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
14564 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
14565 month's rent money.
14569 @subsection Mail Sources
14571 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
14572 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
14573 maildir, for instance.
14576 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
14577 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
14578 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
14582 @node Mail Source Specifiers
14583 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
14585 @cindex mail server
14588 @cindex mail source
14590 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
14591 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
14596 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
14599 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
14600 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
14601 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
14604 The @code{mail-sources} is global for all mail groups. You can specify
14605 an additional mail source for a particular group by including the
14606 @code{group} mail specifier in @code{mail-sources}, and setting a
14607 @code{mail-source} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) specifying
14608 a single mail source. When this is used, @code{mail-sources} is
14609 typically just @code{(group)}; the @code{mail-source} parameter for a
14610 group might look like this:
14613 (mail-source . (file :path "home/user/spools/foo.spool"))
14616 This means that the group's (and only this group's) messages will be
14617 fetched from the spool file @samp{/user/spools/foo.spool}.
14619 The following mail source types are available:
14623 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
14629 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
14630 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
14631 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
14635 Script run before/after fetching mail.
14638 An example file mail source:
14641 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
14644 Or using the default file name:
14650 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
14651 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
14652 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
14653 mail spool while moving the mail.
14655 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
14659 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
14662 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
14666 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
14669 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
14671 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
14674 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
14675 file you want to use.
14679 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
14680 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
14681 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
14682 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
14683 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
14684 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
14685 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
14686 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
14687 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
14688 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
14690 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
14691 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
14692 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
14693 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
14699 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
14703 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
14707 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
14708 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
14709 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
14710 predicate are considered.
14714 Script run before/after fetching mail.
14718 An example directory mail source:
14721 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
14726 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
14732 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
14733 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14736 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
14737 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
14738 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
14739 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
14740 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
14743 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
14747 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
14748 the user is prompted.
14751 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
14752 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
14755 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
14758 The valid format specifier characters are:
14762 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
14763 included in this string.
14766 The name of the server.
14769 The port number of the server.
14772 The user name to use.
14775 The password to use.
14778 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14779 corresponding keywords.
14782 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
14783 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
14785 One popular way to use this is to set up an SSH tunnel to access the
14786 @acronym{POP} server. Here's an example:
14789 (pop :server "127.0.0.1"
14794 "nohup ssh -f -L 1234:pop.server:110 remote.host sleep 3600 &")
14798 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
14799 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
14802 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
14803 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
14804 mail should be moved to.
14806 @item :authentication
14807 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
14808 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
14813 @vindex pop3-movemail
14814 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
14815 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
14816 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
14817 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
14818 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
14819 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
14820 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
14821 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
14822 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
14824 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
14825 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
14826 name, and default fetcher:
14832 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
14835 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
14836 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
14839 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
14842 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
14846 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
14847 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
14848 contains exactly one mail.
14854 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
14855 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
14858 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
14859 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
14861 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
14862 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
14863 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
14866 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
14867 from locking problems).
14871 Two example maildir mail sources:
14874 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
14875 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
14879 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
14884 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
14885 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
14886 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
14887 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
14888 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{Using IMAP}, for more information.
14894 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
14895 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14898 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
14899 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
14902 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
14906 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
14910 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
14911 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
14912 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
14913 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
14915 @item :authentication
14916 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
14917 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
14918 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
14919 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
14922 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
14923 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
14924 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
14930 Make sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g.,
14931 don't forget to redirect the error output to the void. The valid format
14932 specifier characters are:
14936 The name of the server.
14939 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
14942 The port number of the server.
14945 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14946 corresponding keywords.
14949 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
14950 which normally is the mailbox which receives incoming mail.
14953 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
14954 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
14955 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
14956 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
14957 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
14958 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
14961 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
14962 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
14963 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
14964 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
14967 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
14968 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
14972 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
14975 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
14977 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
14981 Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
14982 @xref{Group Parameters}.
14987 @item Common Keywords
14988 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
14994 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
14995 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
15000 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
15005 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
15006 useful when you use local mail and news.
15011 @subsubsection Function Interface
15013 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
15014 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
15015 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
15016 consider the following mail-source setting:
15019 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
15020 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
15023 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
15024 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
15025 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
15026 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
15027 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
15029 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
15032 @node Mail Source Customization
15033 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
15035 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
15036 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
15040 @item mail-source-crash-box
15041 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
15042 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
15043 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
15046 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
15047 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
15048 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
15049 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
15050 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
15051 (the deletion will only happen when receiving new mail). You may also
15052 set @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
15053 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
15054 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{10} in alpha Gnusae
15055 and @code{2} in released Gnusae. @xref{Gnus Development}.
15057 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15058 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15059 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
15060 files. This variable only applies when
15061 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
15063 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
15064 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
15065 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
15067 @item mail-source-directory
15068 @vindex mail-source-directory
15069 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
15070 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
15071 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
15072 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
15074 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15075 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15076 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
15077 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
15078 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
15079 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
15082 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
15083 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
15084 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is @code{#o600}.
15086 @item mail-source-movemail-program
15087 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
15088 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
15089 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
15094 @node Fetching Mail
15095 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
15097 @vindex mail-sources
15098 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
15099 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
15100 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
15102 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to
15103 fetch mail by themselves.
15105 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
15106 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
15111 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15112 :password "secret")))
15115 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
15119 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
15120 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15123 :password "secret")))
15127 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
15128 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
15129 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
15130 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
15131 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
15132 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
15136 @node Mail Back End Variables
15137 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
15139 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
15143 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15144 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15145 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
15146 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
15148 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
15149 @item nnmail-split-hook
15150 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
15151 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
15152 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
15153 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
15154 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
15155 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
15156 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
15157 in the buffer will show up in any files.
15158 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
15161 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15162 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15163 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15164 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15165 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
15166 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
15167 starting to handle the new mail) and
15168 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
15169 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
15170 default file modes the new mail files get:
15173 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15174 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes #o700)))
15176 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15177 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes #o775)))
15180 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
15181 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
15182 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
15183 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
15184 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
15185 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
15186 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
15188 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
15189 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
15190 @findex delete-file
15191 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
15193 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15194 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15195 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
15196 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
15197 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
15199 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15200 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15201 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
15202 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
15203 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
15205 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
15206 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
15207 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
15212 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
15213 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
15214 @cindex mail splitting
15215 @cindex fancy mail splitting
15217 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
15218 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
15219 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
15220 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
15221 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
15222 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
15224 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
15227 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
15228 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
15229 ;; @r{from real errors.}
15230 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
15232 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
15233 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
15234 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
15235 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
15236 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
15237 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
15238 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
15239 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
15240 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
15241 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
15242 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
15243 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
15244 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
15245 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
15246 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
15247 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
15248 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
15252 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
15253 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
15254 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
15259 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
15260 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
15262 @c Don't fold this line.
15263 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
15264 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
15265 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
15266 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
15269 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
15270 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
15271 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
15272 @var{split} is processed.
15274 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
15275 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
15276 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
15277 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15279 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
15280 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
15281 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
15282 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
15283 stored in one or more groups.
15285 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
15286 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
15287 process all @var{split}s in the list.
15290 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
15291 this message. Use with extreme caution.
15293 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
15294 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
15295 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
15296 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
15299 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
15300 body of the messages:
15303 (defun split-on-body ()
15307 (goto-char (point-min))
15308 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
15312 The buffer is narrowed to the header of the message in question when
15313 @var{function} is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called
15314 after @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
15315 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
15316 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
15317 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
15318 (@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
15320 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
15321 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
15322 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
15323 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
15324 should return a split.
15327 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
15331 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
15333 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
15334 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
15335 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
15336 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
15340 (any "joe" "joemail")
15344 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
15345 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
15346 of the following three ways:
15350 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
15351 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
15352 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
15353 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
15354 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
15357 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
15360 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
15361 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
15362 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
15363 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
15364 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
15367 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
15368 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
15369 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
15370 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15371 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
15372 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15373 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15376 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
15377 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
15378 they are expanded as specified by the variable
15379 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
15380 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
15381 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
15382 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
15386 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
15388 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
15389 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
15391 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
15394 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
15395 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
15396 when all this splitting is performed.
15398 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
15399 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
15400 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
15403 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
15406 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
15407 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
15409 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
15410 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
15411 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
15412 groupings 1 through 9.
15414 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
15415 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
15416 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
15417 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
15418 groups when users send to an address using different case
15419 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
15422 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
15423 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
15424 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
15425 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
15426 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
15427 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
15428 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
15429 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
15430 it once per thread.
15432 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
15433 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
15434 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
15435 using the colon feature, like so:
15437 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
15438 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
15440 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
15441 ;; @r{other splits go here}
15445 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
15446 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
15447 in the file specified by the variable
15448 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
15449 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
15450 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
15451 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
15452 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
15453 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
15454 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
15455 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
15456 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
15457 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
15458 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
15459 300 kBytes in size.)
15460 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15461 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
15462 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
15463 messages goes into the new group.
15465 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
15466 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
15467 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
15468 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
15469 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
15470 ``outgoing'' group.
15473 @node Group Mail Splitting
15474 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
15475 @cindex mail splitting
15476 @cindex group mail splitting
15478 @findex gnus-group-split
15479 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
15480 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
15481 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
15482 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
15483 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
15484 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
15485 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
15486 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
15488 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
15489 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
15490 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
15491 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
15493 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
15494 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
15495 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
15496 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
15497 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
15498 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
15499 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
15501 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
15502 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
15503 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
15504 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
15505 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
15506 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
15507 @code{gnus-group-split}.
15509 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
15510 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
15511 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
15512 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
15513 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
15514 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
15515 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
15516 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
15517 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
15518 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
15519 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
15520 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
15521 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
15523 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
15528 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
15529 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
15531 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
15532 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
15533 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
15534 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
15536 ((split-spec . catch-all))
15539 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
15540 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
15541 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
15544 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
15545 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
15546 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
15550 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
15551 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
15552 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15556 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
15559 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
15560 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
15561 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
15562 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
15563 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
15564 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
15565 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
15566 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
15567 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
15569 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
15570 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
15571 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
15572 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
15573 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
15574 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
15575 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
15576 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
15577 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
15579 @findex gnus-group-split-update
15580 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
15581 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
15582 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
15583 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
15584 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
15587 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
15590 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
15591 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
15592 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
15593 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
15594 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
15597 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
15598 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
15599 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
15600 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
15602 @node Incorporating Old Mail
15603 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
15604 @cindex incorporating old mail
15605 @cindex import old mail
15607 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
15608 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
15609 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
15612 Doing so can be quite easy.
15614 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
15615 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
15616 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
15617 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
15618 your @code{nnml} groups.
15624 Go to the group buffer.
15627 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
15628 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15631 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
15634 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
15635 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15638 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
15639 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
15642 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
15643 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
15644 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
15645 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
15646 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
15648 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
15649 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
15650 using the new mail back end.
15653 @node Expiring Mail
15654 @subsection Expiring Mail
15655 @cindex article expiry
15656 @cindex expiring mail
15658 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
15659 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
15660 different approach to mail reading.
15662 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
15663 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
15664 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
15665 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
15666 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
15667 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
15670 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
15671 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
15672 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
15673 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
15674 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
15675 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
15676 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
15677 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
15678 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
15680 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-marks
15681 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
15682 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
15683 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
15684 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
15685 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
15686 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
15687 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} (and so on) are considered
15688 expirable. @code{gnus-auto-expirable-marks} has the full list of
15691 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
15692 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
15693 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
15694 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
15695 into its own group.)
15697 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
15698 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
15699 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
15700 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
15701 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
15702 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
15703 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
15704 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
15707 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
15708 Groups that match the regular expression
15709 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
15710 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
15711 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
15713 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
15714 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
15715 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
15716 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
15717 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15719 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
15721 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
15722 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
15723 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
15726 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
15727 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
15728 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
15729 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
15730 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
15732 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
15733 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
15736 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
15737 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
15740 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
15741 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
15743 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
15744 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
15745 don't really mix very well.
15747 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
15748 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
15749 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
15750 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
15753 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
15754 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
15755 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
15756 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
15759 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15761 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15763 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
15765 ((string= group "mail.junk")
15767 ((string= group "important")
15773 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
15774 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
15776 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
15777 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
15778 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
15781 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
15782 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
15784 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
15785 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
15786 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
15787 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
15788 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
15789 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
15790 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
15791 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
15792 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
15793 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
15794 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
15795 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
15796 name or @code{delete}.
15798 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
15800 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
15803 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
15804 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
15805 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
15806 expire mail to groups according to the variable
15807 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
15810 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
15811 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
15812 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
15813 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
15814 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
15817 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
15818 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
15819 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
15820 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
15821 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
15822 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
15824 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
15825 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
15826 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
15827 easier for procmail users.
15829 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
15830 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
15831 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
15832 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
15833 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
15834 caution. Even more dangerous is the
15835 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
15836 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
15837 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
15838 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
15839 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
15840 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
15841 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
15844 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
15846 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
15847 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
15848 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
15849 auto-expire turned on.
15851 @vindex gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable
15852 The expirable marks of articles will be removed when copying or moving
15853 them to a group in which auto-expire is not turned on. This is for
15854 preventing articles from being expired unintentionally. On the other
15855 hand, to a group that has turned auto-expire on, the expirable marks of
15856 articles that are copied or moved will not be changed by default. I.e.,
15857 when copying or moving to such a group, articles that were expirable
15858 will be left expirable and ones that were not expirable will not be
15859 marked as expirable. So, even though in auto-expire groups, some
15860 articles will never get expired (unless you read them again). If you
15861 don't side with that behavior that unexpirable articles may be mixed
15862 into auto-expire groups, you can set
15863 @code{gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable} to a
15864 non-@code{nil} value. In that case, articles that have been read will
15865 be marked as expirable automatically when being copied or moved to a
15866 group that has auto-expire turned on. The default value is @code{nil}.
15870 @subsection Washing Mail
15871 @cindex mail washing
15872 @cindex list server brain damage
15873 @cindex incoming mail treatment
15875 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
15876 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
15877 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
15878 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
15879 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
15880 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
15882 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
15883 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
15884 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
15887 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
15888 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
15889 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
15890 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
15893 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15894 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15895 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
15896 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
15897 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
15900 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15901 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15902 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
15903 Emacs running on MS machines.
15907 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15908 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15909 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
15910 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
15913 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15914 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15915 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
15916 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
15918 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
15919 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
15920 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
15921 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
15922 into a feature by documenting it.)
15924 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15925 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15926 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
15927 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
15928 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
15929 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
15930 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
15933 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
15934 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
15937 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
15938 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
15941 This can also be done non-destructively with
15942 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
15944 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
15945 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
15946 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
15948 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15949 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15950 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
15953 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
15954 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
15955 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
15956 contain a line matching the regular expression
15957 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
15961 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15962 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15963 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
15967 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
15968 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
15969 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
15976 @subsection Duplicates
15978 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
15979 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
15980 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
15981 @cindex duplicate mails
15982 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
15983 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
15984 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
15985 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
15986 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
15987 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
15988 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
15989 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
15990 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
15991 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
15992 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
15993 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
15994 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
15996 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
15997 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
15998 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
15999 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
16001 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
16004 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
16005 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
16009 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
16010 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
16011 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
16012 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
16013 (any mail "mail.misc")
16014 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16020 (setq nnmail-split-methods
16021 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
16022 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16026 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
16027 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
16028 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
16029 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
16030 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
16033 @node Not Reading Mail
16034 @subsection Not Reading Mail
16036 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
16037 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
16038 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
16040 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
16041 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
16042 mail, which should help.
16044 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16045 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16046 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16047 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16048 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16049 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
16050 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old (pre-Emacs
16051 23) Rmail file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
16052 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
16053 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
16054 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
16056 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
16057 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
16061 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
16062 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
16064 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
16065 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
16066 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
16068 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
16069 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
16070 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
16074 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
16075 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
16076 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
16077 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
16078 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
16079 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
16080 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
16085 @node Unix Mail Box
16086 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
16088 @cindex unix mail box
16090 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16091 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16092 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
16093 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
16094 which group it belongs in.
16096 Virtual server settings:
16099 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
16100 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16101 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
16104 @item nnmbox-active-file
16105 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16106 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
16107 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
16109 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
16110 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16111 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
16112 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
16117 @subsubsection Babyl
16120 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16121 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16122 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box to store mail.
16123 @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail article to say which
16124 group it belongs in.
16126 Virtual server settings:
16129 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
16130 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16131 The name of the Babyl file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
16133 @item nnbabyl-active-file
16134 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16135 The name of the active file for the Babyl file. The default is
16136 @file{~/.rmail-active}
16138 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16139 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16140 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
16146 @subsubsection Mail Spool
16148 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
16150 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
16151 format. It should be used with some caution.
16153 @vindex nnml-directory
16154 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
16155 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
16156 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
16157 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
16159 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
16162 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
16163 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
16164 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
16165 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
16166 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
16167 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
16168 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
16169 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
16171 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
16172 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
16173 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
16174 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
16176 @cindex self contained nnml servers
16178 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
16179 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16180 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16181 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
16182 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
16183 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
16184 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
16185 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
16188 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
16189 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
16190 them next time it starts.
16192 Virtual server settings:
16195 @item nnml-directory
16196 @vindex nnml-directory
16197 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
16198 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
16201 @item nnml-active-file
16202 @vindex nnml-active-file
16203 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
16204 @file{~/Mail/active}.
16206 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
16207 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
16208 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16209 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
16211 @item nnml-get-new-mail
16212 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16213 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
16216 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
16217 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
16218 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16219 default is @code{nil}.
16221 @item nnml-nov-file-name
16222 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
16223 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
16225 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16226 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16227 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
16229 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
16230 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
16231 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16232 default is @code{nil}.
16234 @item nnml-marks-file-name
16235 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
16236 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
16238 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
16239 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
16240 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
16241 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
16242 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
16243 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
16244 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
16245 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
16246 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
16248 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16249 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16250 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
16251 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
16252 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
16256 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
16257 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
16258 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
16259 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
16260 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
16261 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
16262 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
16267 @subsubsection MH Spool
16269 @cindex mh-e mail spool
16271 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
16272 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
16273 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
16274 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
16277 Virtual server settings:
16280 @item nnmh-directory
16281 @vindex nnmh-directory
16282 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
16283 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
16286 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
16287 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16288 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
16292 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
16293 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
16294 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
16295 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
16296 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
16297 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
16298 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
16303 @subsubsection Maildir
16307 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
16308 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
16309 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
16310 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
16311 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
16314 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
16315 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
16316 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
16317 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
16318 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
16319 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
16320 that appear as group in Gnus.
16322 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
16323 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
16324 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
16326 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
16327 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
16328 another, and you will keep your marks.
16330 Virtual server settings:
16334 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
16335 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
16336 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
16337 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
16338 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
16339 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
16340 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
16341 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
16342 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
16343 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
16345 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
16346 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
16347 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
16348 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
16349 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
16350 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
16351 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
16352 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
16353 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
16354 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
16357 @item target-prefix
16358 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
16359 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
16360 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
16363 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
16364 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
16365 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
16366 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
16367 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
16368 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
16369 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
16370 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
16371 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
16373 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
16374 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
16375 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
16376 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
16377 symlinks pointing to them will be).
16379 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
16380 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
16381 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
16382 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
16383 @code{force} argument.
16385 @item directory-files
16386 This should be a function with the same interface as
16387 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
16388 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
16389 parameter is optional; the default is
16390 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
16391 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
16392 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
16393 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
16394 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
16395 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
16398 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
16399 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
16400 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
16401 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
16402 value is @code{nil}.
16404 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
16405 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
16406 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
16407 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
16408 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
16411 @subsubsection Group parameters
16413 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
16414 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
16415 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
16416 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
16417 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
16418 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
16421 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
16422 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
16423 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
16424 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
16425 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
16426 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
16427 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
16428 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
16429 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
16433 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
16434 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
16435 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
16436 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
16437 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
16438 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
16439 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
16440 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
16441 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
16442 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
16443 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
16444 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
16445 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
16448 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
16450 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
16452 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
16453 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
16454 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
16455 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
16456 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
16457 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
16458 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
16459 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
16460 article. So that form can refer to
16461 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
16462 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
16463 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
16464 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
16467 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
16468 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
16469 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
16470 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
16471 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
16472 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
16473 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
16474 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
16475 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
16476 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
16477 contain extra copies of the articles.
16479 @item directory-files
16480 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
16481 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
16482 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
16483 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
16485 @item distrust-Lines:
16486 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
16487 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
16488 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
16491 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
16492 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
16493 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
16494 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
16495 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
16496 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
16499 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
16500 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
16501 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
16502 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
16503 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
16504 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
16505 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
16507 @item nov-cache-size
16508 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
16509 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
16510 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
16511 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
16512 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
16513 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
16514 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
16515 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
16516 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
16517 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
16518 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
16521 @subsubsection Article identification
16522 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
16523 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
16524 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
16525 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
16526 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
16527 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
16528 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
16529 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
16530 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
16531 request the article in the summary buffer.
16533 @subsubsection NOV data
16534 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
16535 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
16536 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
16537 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
16538 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
16539 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
16540 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
16541 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
16542 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
16543 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
16544 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
16546 @subsubsection Article marks
16547 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
16548 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
16549 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
16550 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
16551 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
16552 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
16553 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
16554 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
16556 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
16557 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
16558 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
16559 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
16560 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
16561 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
16562 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
16563 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
16564 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
16568 @subsubsection Mail Folders
16570 @cindex mbox folders
16571 @cindex mail folders
16573 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
16574 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
16575 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
16576 numbers and arrival dates.
16578 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
16580 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
16581 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16582 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16583 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
16584 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
16585 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
16586 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
16587 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
16588 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
16589 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
16591 Virtual server settings:
16594 @item nnfolder-directory
16595 @vindex nnfolder-directory
16596 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
16597 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
16598 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
16600 @item nnfolder-active-file
16601 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
16602 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
16604 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
16605 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
16606 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16607 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
16609 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
16610 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16611 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
16612 default is @code{t}
16614 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
16615 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
16616 @cindex backup files
16617 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
16618 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
16619 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
16620 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
16623 (defun turn-off-backup ()
16624 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
16626 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
16629 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
16630 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
16631 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
16632 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
16633 extract some information from it before removing it.
16635 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
16636 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
16637 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16638 default is @code{nil}.
16640 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
16641 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
16642 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
16644 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
16645 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
16646 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
16647 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
16649 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
16650 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
16651 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16652 default is @code{nil}.
16654 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
16655 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
16656 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
16658 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
16659 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
16660 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
16661 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
16666 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
16667 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
16668 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
16669 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
16670 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
16671 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
16674 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
16675 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
16677 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
16678 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
16679 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
16680 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
16681 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
16683 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
16684 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
16685 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
16686 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
16687 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
16688 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
16689 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
16690 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
16693 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
16694 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
16695 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
16696 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
16701 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
16702 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
16703 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
16704 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
16705 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
16706 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
16707 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
16708 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
16709 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
16710 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
16711 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
16712 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
16713 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
16718 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
16719 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
16720 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
16721 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
16722 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
16723 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
16724 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
16725 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
16726 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
16727 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
16728 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
16729 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
16730 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
16731 course, and is still maintained within Emacs. Since Emacs 23, it
16732 uses standard mbox format rather than Babyl.
16734 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
16735 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
16740 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
16741 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
16742 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
16743 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
16744 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
16745 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
16746 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
16747 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
16748 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
16749 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
16750 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
16751 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
16752 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
16753 provided by the active file and overviews.
16755 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
16756 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
16757 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
16758 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
16759 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
16762 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
16763 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
16768 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
16769 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
16770 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
16771 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
16772 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
16773 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
16774 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
16778 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
16779 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
16780 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
16781 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
16782 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
16783 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
16784 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
16785 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
16786 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
16788 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
16789 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
16790 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
16791 friendly mail back end all over.
16795 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
16796 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
16799 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
16800 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
16801 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
16802 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
16803 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}.
16804 (Use @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this
16805 slows you down or takes up very much space, a non-block-structured
16808 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
16809 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
16810 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
16811 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
16812 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
16813 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
16814 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
16815 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
16816 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
16817 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
16818 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
16820 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
16821 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
16822 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
16823 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
16824 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
16827 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
16828 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
16829 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
16830 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
16831 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
16832 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
16833 removed in the future.
16835 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
16836 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
16837 on your file system.
16839 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
16840 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
16845 @node Browsing the Web
16846 @section Browsing the Web
16848 @cindex browsing the web
16852 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
16853 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
16854 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
16855 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
16856 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
16857 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
16858 even know what a news group is.
16860 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
16861 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
16862 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
16863 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
16864 you mad in the end.
16866 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
16869 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
16870 interfaces to these sources.
16874 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
16875 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
16876 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
16879 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
16880 alternatives to work.
16882 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
16883 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
16884 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
16885 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
16886 though, you should be ok.
16888 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
16889 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
16890 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
16891 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
16892 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
16894 @node Archiving Mail
16895 @subsection Archiving Mail
16896 @cindex archiving mail
16897 @cindex backup of mail
16899 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
16900 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
16901 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
16902 marks is fairly simple.
16904 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
16905 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
16908 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
16909 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
16910 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
16911 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
16912 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
16913 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
16914 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
16915 before you restore the data.
16917 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
16918 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
16919 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
16920 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
16921 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
16922 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
16923 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
16924 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
16925 is unnecessary in that case.
16928 @subsection Web Searches
16933 @cindex Usenet searches
16934 @cindex searching the Usenet
16936 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
16937 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
16938 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
16939 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
16940 searches without having to use a browser.
16942 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
16943 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
16944 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
16945 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
16946 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
16948 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
16949 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
16950 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
16951 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
16952 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
16953 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
16954 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
16955 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
16956 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
16957 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
16960 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
16961 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
16962 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
16963 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
16964 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
16965 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
16967 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
16968 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
16969 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
16971 Virtual server variables:
16976 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
16977 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
16978 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
16981 @vindex nnweb-search
16982 The search string to feed to the search engine.
16984 @item nnweb-max-hits
16985 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
16986 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
16989 @item nnweb-type-definition
16990 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
16991 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
16992 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
16997 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
17001 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
17004 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
17007 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
17011 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
17022 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
17023 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
17024 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
17025 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
17026 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
17028 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
17029 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
17031 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
17032 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
17033 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
17036 @kindex G R (Group)
17037 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
17038 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
17039 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
17040 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
17042 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
17043 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
17044 subscribe to groups.
17046 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
17047 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
17048 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
17049 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
17050 variable or other. Also @xref{Non-ASCII Group Names}, for more
17053 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
17054 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
17055 and a @samp{text/html} part.
17058 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
17059 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
17062 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
17063 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
17067 @defun nnrss-opml-export
17068 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
17069 @acronym{OPML} format.
17072 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
17075 @item nnrss-directory
17076 @vindex nnrss-directory
17077 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
17078 @file{~/News/rss/}.
17080 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
17081 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
17082 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
17083 data files. The default is the value of
17084 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
17085 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
17087 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17088 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17089 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
17090 e.g. to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
17091 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
17092 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
17093 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
17094 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
17096 @item nnrss-use-local
17097 @vindex nnrss-use-local
17098 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
17099 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
17100 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
17101 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
17102 download script using @command{wget}.
17105 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
17106 the summary buffer.
17109 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
17110 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
17112 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
17114 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
17115 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
17118 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
17122 (require 'browse-url)
17124 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
17126 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
17129 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
17130 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
17133 (browse-url (cdr url))
17134 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
17135 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
17137 (eval-after-load "gnus"
17138 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
17139 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
17140 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
17143 Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
17144 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
17145 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
17146 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
17147 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
17148 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
17149 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
17150 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
17151 @code{nnrss} groups:
17154 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
17155 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
17157 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
17158 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
17159 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
17161 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
17164 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
17168 @node Customizing W3
17169 @subsection Customizing W3
17175 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
17176 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
17177 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
17180 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
17181 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
17182 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
17185 (eval-after-load "w3"
17187 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
17188 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
17189 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
17190 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
17192 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
17195 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
17196 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
17200 @node Other Sources
17201 @section Other Sources
17203 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
17204 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
17208 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
17209 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
17210 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
17211 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
17212 * The Empty Backend:: The backend that never has any news.
17216 @node Directory Groups
17217 @subsection Directory Groups
17219 @cindex directory groups
17221 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17222 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17225 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17226 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17227 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17228 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17230 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17231 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17232 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17233 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17234 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17236 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17238 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17239 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17240 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17241 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17244 @node Anything Groups
17245 @subsection Anything Groups
17248 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17249 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17250 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17253 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17254 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17255 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17256 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17257 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17258 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17259 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17260 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
17261 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17262 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17265 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17266 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17267 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17268 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17270 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17271 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17272 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17273 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17275 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17276 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17277 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17278 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17279 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17280 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17281 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17282 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17287 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17288 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17289 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17290 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17292 @item nneething-exclude-files
17293 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17294 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17295 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17297 @item nneething-include-files
17298 @vindex nneething-include-files
17299 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17300 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17302 @item nneething-map-file
17303 @vindex nneething-map-file
17304 Name of the map files.
17308 @node Document Groups
17309 @subsection Document Groups
17311 @cindex documentation group
17314 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17315 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17325 The standard Unix mbox file.
17327 @cindex MMDF mail box
17329 The MMDF mail box format.
17332 Several news articles appended into a file.
17334 @cindex rnews batch files
17336 The rnews batch transport format.
17339 Netscape mail boxes.
17342 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17344 @item standard-digest
17345 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17348 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17350 @item lanl-gov-announce
17351 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17353 @cindex git commit messages
17355 @code{git} commit messages.
17357 @cindex forwarded messages
17358 @item rfc822-forward
17359 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17362 The Outlook mail box.
17365 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17368 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17371 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17374 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17380 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17383 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17389 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17390 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17391 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17394 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17395 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17396 group. And that's it.
17398 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17399 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17400 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17401 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17402 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17403 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17404 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17405 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17406 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17407 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17409 Virtual server variables:
17412 @item nndoc-article-type
17413 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17414 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17415 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17416 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17417 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17418 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17420 @item nndoc-post-type
17421 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17422 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17423 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17428 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17432 @node Document Server Internals
17433 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17435 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17436 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17437 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17438 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17440 First, here's an example document type definition:
17444 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17445 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17448 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17449 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17450 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17451 types can be defined with very few settings:
17454 @item first-article
17455 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17456 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17459 @item article-begin
17460 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17461 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
17462 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
17463 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
17465 @item article-begin-function
17466 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
17467 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
17470 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17471 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
17472 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
17474 @item head-begin-function
17475 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17476 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
17479 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17480 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17483 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17484 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
17485 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
17487 @item body-begin-function
17488 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17489 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
17492 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
17493 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
17494 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
17496 @item body-end-function
17497 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17498 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
17501 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
17502 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
17505 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17506 regexp will be totally ignored.
17510 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17511 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17512 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17513 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17514 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17517 @item prepare-body-function
17518 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17519 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17520 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17522 @item article-transform-function
17523 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17524 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17525 body of the article.
17527 @item generate-head-function
17528 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17529 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17530 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17531 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17533 @item generate-article-function
17534 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
17535 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
17536 parameter when requesting all articles.
17538 @item dissection-function
17539 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
17540 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
17541 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
17542 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
17543 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
17544 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
17548 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17553 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17554 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17555 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17556 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17557 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17558 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17559 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17560 (subtype digest guess))
17563 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17564 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17565 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17566 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17567 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17569 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17570 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17571 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17572 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17573 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17574 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17575 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17576 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17577 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17578 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17579 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17580 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17583 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17584 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17585 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17588 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17589 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17590 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17592 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17598 @item nngateway-address
17599 @vindex nngateway-address
17600 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17602 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17603 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17604 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17605 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17606 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17607 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17608 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17611 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17612 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17613 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17616 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17619 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17622 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17625 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17627 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17630 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17631 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17632 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17634 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17636 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17637 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17638 @code{nngateway-address}.
17646 (setq gnus-post-method
17648 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17649 (nngateway-header-transformation
17650 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17653 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17656 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17660 @node The Empty Backend
17661 @subsection The Empty Backend
17664 @code{nnnil} is a backend that can be used as a placeholder if you
17665 have to specify a backend somewhere, but don't really want to. The
17666 classical example is if you don't want to have a primary select
17667 methods, but want to only use secondary ones:
17670 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
17671 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
17677 @node Combined Groups
17678 @section Combined Groups
17680 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17684 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17688 @node Virtual Groups
17689 @subsection Virtual Groups
17691 @cindex virtual groups
17692 @cindex merging groups
17694 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17697 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17698 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17699 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17701 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17702 regexp to match component groups.
17704 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17705 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17706 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17707 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17708 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17709 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17710 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17711 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17713 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17714 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17717 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17720 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17721 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17723 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17724 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17725 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17726 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17729 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17732 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17733 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17734 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17736 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17737 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17738 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17739 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17740 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17742 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17743 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17744 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17746 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17747 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
17748 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
17749 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
17750 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
17751 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
17752 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
17753 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
17754 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
17755 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
17756 it---it'll have much the same effect.
17758 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17759 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17760 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17761 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17762 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17763 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17764 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17766 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17767 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17769 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17770 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17774 @node Email Based Diary
17775 @section Email Based Diary
17777 @cindex email based diary
17780 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
17781 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
17782 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
17783 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
17784 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
17785 namely, as event reminders.
17787 Here is a typical scenario:
17791 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
17792 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
17794 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
17796 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
17798 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
17799 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
17800 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
17802 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
17803 of the night you're gonna have.
17805 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
17806 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
17809 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
17810 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
17811 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
17812 explained in the sections below.
17815 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
17816 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
17817 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
17821 @node The NNDiary Back End
17822 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
17824 @cindex the nndiary back end
17826 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
17827 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
17828 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
17829 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
17830 directory per group.
17832 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
17833 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
17834 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
17835 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
17838 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
17839 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
17840 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
17843 @node Diary Messages
17844 @subsubsection Diary Messages
17845 @cindex nndiary messages
17846 @cindex nndiary mails
17848 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
17849 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
17850 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
17851 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
17852 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
17853 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
17854 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
17858 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
17859 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
17860 (separated by a comma).
17862 A field is either an integer, or a range.
17864 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
17866 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
17867 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
17868 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
17870 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
17871 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
17872 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
17874 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
17875 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
17876 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
17877 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
17878 list of available time zone values, see the variable
17879 @code{nndiary-headers}.
17882 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
17883 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
17884 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
17889 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
17892 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
17894 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
17897 @node Running NNDiary
17898 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
17899 @cindex running nndiary
17900 @cindex nndiary operation modes
17902 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
17903 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
17904 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
17905 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
17906 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
17907 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
17909 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
17910 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
17911 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
17912 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
17913 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
17914 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
17915 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
17918 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
17923 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
17924 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
17927 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
17930 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
17931 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
17932 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
17933 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
17934 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
17936 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
17937 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
17946 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
17947 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
17949 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
17950 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17951 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
17952 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
17955 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
17956 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17957 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
17960 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
17961 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
17962 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
17964 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
17965 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
17966 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
17967 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
17968 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
17970 @node Customizing NNDiary
17971 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
17972 @cindex customizing nndiary
17973 @cindex nndiary customization
17975 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
17976 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
17977 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
17978 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
17980 @defvar nndiary-reminders
17981 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
17982 appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
17983 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
17984 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
17988 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
17989 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
17994 @node The Gnus Diary Library
17995 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
17997 @cindex the gnus diary library
17999 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
18000 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
18001 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
18002 useful things for you.
18004 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
18007 (require 'gnus-diary)
18010 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
18011 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
18012 (sorry if you used them before).
18016 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
18017 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
18018 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
18019 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
18022 @node Diary Summary Line Format
18023 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
18024 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18025 @cindex diary summary line format
18027 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18028 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18029 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18030 see the event's date.
18032 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18033 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18034 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18035 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximate remaining time until the
18036 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18038 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18039 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18040 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18043 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18046 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18047 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18050 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18053 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18054 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18055 with the following user options:
18057 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18058 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18059 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18060 diary groups'parameters.
18063 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18064 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18065 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18068 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18069 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18070 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18071 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18072 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18075 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18076 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18077 @cindex diary articles sorting
18078 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18079 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18080 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18081 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18083 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18084 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18085 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18086 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18087 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18089 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18090 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18091 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18092 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18095 @node Diary Headers Generation
18096 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18097 @cindex diary headers generation
18098 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18100 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18101 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18102 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18103 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18106 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18107 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18108 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
18109 @code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
18110 process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
18112 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18113 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18114 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18117 @node Diary Group Parameters
18118 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18119 @cindex diary group parameters
18121 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18122 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18123 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18124 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18125 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18126 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18127 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18128 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18130 @node Sending or Not Sending
18131 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18133 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
18134 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18138 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18139 messages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18140 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18141 sending the diary message to them as well.
18143 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18144 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18145 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18146 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18149 @node Gnus Unplugged
18150 @section Gnus Unplugged
18155 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18157 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18158 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18159 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18160 read news. Believe it or not.
18162 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18163 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18164 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18165 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18166 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18168 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18169 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18170 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18171 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18172 reading news on a machine.
18174 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18175 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18176 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18178 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18181 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18182 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18183 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18184 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18185 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18186 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18187 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18188 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18189 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18190 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18191 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18192 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18193 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18194 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18199 @subsection Agent Basics
18201 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18203 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18204 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18205 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18206 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18208 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18209 connected to the net continuously.
18211 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18212 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18214 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18215 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18216 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18217 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18218 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18220 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18221 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18222 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18223 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18224 they're kinda like plugged always).
18226 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18227 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18228 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18231 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18232 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18233 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18234 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18235 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18237 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18242 @findex gnus-unplugged
18243 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18244 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18245 already fetched while in this mode.
18248 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18249 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18250 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18251 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18252 Source Specifiers}).
18255 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18256 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18257 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18258 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18259 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18262 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18263 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18264 then you read the news offline.
18267 And then you go to step 2.
18270 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18276 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18277 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18278 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18279 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18280 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18281 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18282 no servers are agentized.
18285 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18286 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18287 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18288 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18290 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18291 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18292 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18293 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18294 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18295 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18299 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18303 @node Agent Categories
18304 @subsection Agent Categories
18306 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18307 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18308 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18309 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18310 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18311 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18312 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18314 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18315 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18316 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18317 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18318 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18320 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18321 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18322 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18323 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18324 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18327 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18328 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18329 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18330 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18331 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18332 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18336 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18337 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18338 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18342 @node Category Syntax
18343 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18345 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18346 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18347 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18350 @cindex Agent Parameters
18353 The list of groups that are in this category.
18355 @item agent-predicate
18356 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18357 are eligible for downloading; and
18360 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18361 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18362 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18364 @item agent-enable-expiration
18365 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18366 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18367 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18368 only groups that should not be expired.
18370 @item agent-days-until-old
18371 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18372 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18374 @item agent-low-score
18375 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18377 @item agent-high-score
18378 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18380 @item agent-short-article
18381 an integer that overrides the value of
18382 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18384 @item agent-long-article
18385 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18387 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18388 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18389 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18390 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18391 undownloaded faces.
18394 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18397 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18398 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18399 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18402 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18403 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18404 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18405 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18407 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18408 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18409 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18411 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18412 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18413 operators sprinkled in between.
18415 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18417 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18418 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18424 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18425 short (for some value of ``short'').
18427 Here's a more complex predicate:
18436 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18437 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18440 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18441 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18442 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18444 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18445 you want to do, you can write your own.
18447 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18448 bound to the value determined by calling
18449 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18450 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18451 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18452 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18453 predicate to individual groups.
18457 True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18458 lines; default 100.
18461 True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18462 lines; default 200.
18465 True if the article has a download score less than
18466 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18469 True if the article has a download score greater than
18470 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18473 True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18474 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18475 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18484 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18485 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18486 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18489 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18490 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18491 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18492 something along the lines of the following:
18495 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18496 "Say whether an article is old."
18497 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18498 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18501 with the predicate then defined as:
18504 (not my-article-old-p)
18507 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18508 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18512 (require 'gnus-agent)
18513 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18514 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18515 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18518 and simply specify your predicate as:
18524 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18525 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18526 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18527 just don't give a damn.
18529 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18530 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18531 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18532 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18533 parameters like so:
18536 (agent-predicate . short)
18539 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18540 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18541 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18543 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18546 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18549 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18550 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18551 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18554 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18555 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18556 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18557 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18558 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18559 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18561 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18562 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18563 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18564 if it's to be specific to that group.
18566 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18573 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18574 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18580 Category specification
18584 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18590 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18593 (agent-score ("from"
18594 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18599 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18605 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18606 keywords stated above.
18612 Category specification
18615 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18621 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18625 Group Parameter specification
18628 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18631 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18636 Use @code{normal} score files
18638 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18639 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18640 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18641 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18643 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18644 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18645 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18646 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18650 Category Specification
18657 Group Parameter specification
18660 (agent-score . file)
18665 @node Category Buffer
18666 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18668 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18669 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18670 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18672 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18676 @kindex q (Category)
18677 @findex gnus-category-exit
18678 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18681 @kindex e (Category)
18682 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18683 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18684 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18687 @kindex k (Category)
18688 @findex gnus-category-kill
18689 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18692 @kindex c (Category)
18693 @findex gnus-category-copy
18694 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18697 @kindex a (Category)
18698 @findex gnus-category-add
18699 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18702 @kindex p (Category)
18703 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18704 Edit the predicate of the current category
18705 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18708 @kindex g (Category)
18709 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18710 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18711 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18714 @kindex s (Category)
18715 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18716 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18717 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18720 @kindex l (Category)
18721 @findex gnus-category-list
18722 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18726 @node Category Variables
18727 @subsubsection Category Variables
18730 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18731 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18732 Hook run in category buffers.
18734 @item gnus-category-line-format
18735 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18736 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18737 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18741 The name of the category.
18744 The number of groups in the category.
18747 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18748 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18749 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18751 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18752 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18753 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18755 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18756 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18757 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18759 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18760 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18761 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18764 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18765 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18766 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18769 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18770 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18771 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18772 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18773 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18774 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18775 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18776 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18780 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18781 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18782 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18783 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18784 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18785 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18786 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18791 @node Agent Commands
18792 @subsection Agent Commands
18793 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18794 @kindex J j (Agent)
18796 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18797 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18798 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18802 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18803 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18804 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18810 @node Group Agent Commands
18811 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18815 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18816 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18817 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18818 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18821 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18822 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18823 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18826 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18827 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18828 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18829 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18832 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18833 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18834 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18835 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18838 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18839 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18840 Add the current group to an Agent category
18841 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18842 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18845 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18846 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18847 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18848 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18849 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18852 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18853 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18854 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18860 @node Summary Agent Commands
18861 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18865 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18866 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18867 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18870 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18871 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18872 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18873 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18877 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18878 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18879 Toggle whether to download the article
18880 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18884 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18885 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18886 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18889 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18890 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18891 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18892 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18895 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18896 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
18897 Download all processable articles in this group.
18898 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
18901 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18902 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18903 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18904 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18909 @node Server Agent Commands
18910 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18914 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18915 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18916 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18917 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18920 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18921 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18922 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18923 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18928 @node Agent Visuals
18929 @subsection Agent Visuals
18931 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18932 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18933 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18934 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18935 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18936 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18937 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18938 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18939 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18940 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18942 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18943 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18944 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18945 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18946 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18947 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18948 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18949 articles will be available when unplugged.
18951 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18952 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18953 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18954 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18955 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18956 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18957 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18958 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18960 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18961 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18962 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18963 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18964 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18965 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18966 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18967 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18968 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18970 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18971 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18972 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18973 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18974 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18975 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18976 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18977 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18978 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18979 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18981 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18982 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18983 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
18984 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
18985 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
18986 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18988 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18989 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18990 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18991 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18992 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18993 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18994 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18995 expiring'' articles.
18997 @node Agent as Cache
18998 @subsection Agent as Cache
19000 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
19001 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
19002 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
19003 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
19004 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
19005 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
19006 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
19007 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
19008 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
19010 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
19011 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
19012 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
19013 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
19014 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
19017 @subsection Agent Expiry
19019 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19020 @findex gnus-agent-expire
19021 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
19022 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
19023 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19024 @cindex agent expiry
19025 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19026 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
19028 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19029 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19030 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19031 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19032 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19033 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19034 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19035 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19037 Note that other functions might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you
19038 to keep the agent synchronized with the group.
19040 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19041 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19043 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19044 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19045 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19046 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19047 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19048 be kept indefinitely.
19050 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19051 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19052 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19053 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19055 @node Agent Regeneration
19056 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19058 @cindex agent regeneration
19059 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19060 @cindex regeneration
19062 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19063 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19064 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19065 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19066 internal inconsistencies.
19068 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19069 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19070 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19071 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19072 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19073 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19075 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19076 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19077 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19078 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19079 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19080 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19082 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19083 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19084 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19085 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19086 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19087 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19090 @node Agent and flags
19091 @subsection Agent and flags
19093 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19094 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19095 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19096 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19097 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19098 to the flags in its own files.
19100 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19101 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19102 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19104 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19105 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19106 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19107 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19108 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19109 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19111 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19112 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19113 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19114 in the group buffer.
19116 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19117 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19118 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19119 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19120 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19121 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19122 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19123 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19125 @node Agent and IMAP
19126 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19128 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19129 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19130 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19131 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19133 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19134 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19139 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19142 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19146 @node Outgoing Messages
19147 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19149 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19150 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19151 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19153 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19154 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19155 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19157 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19158 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19159 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19160 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19163 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19164 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19165 ask you to confirm your action (see
19166 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19168 @node Agent Variables
19169 @subsection Agent Variables
19174 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19175 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19176 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19177 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19179 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19180 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19183 @item gnus-agent-directory
19184 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19185 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19186 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19188 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19189 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19190 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19191 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19192 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19195 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19196 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19197 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19199 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19200 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19201 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19203 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19204 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19205 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19207 @item gnus-agent-cache
19208 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19209 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19210 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19211 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19213 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19214 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19215 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19216 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19217 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19218 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19219 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19222 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19223 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19224 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19225 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19226 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19227 read. The default is @code{t}.
19229 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19230 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19231 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19232 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19233 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19234 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19235 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19237 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19238 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19239 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19240 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19241 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19242 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19243 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19244 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19245 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19246 over and over again.
19248 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19249 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19250 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19251 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19252 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19253 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19254 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19255 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19256 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19257 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19258 However, all articles parsed prior to losing the connection will be
19259 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19262 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19263 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19264 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19265 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19266 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19267 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19268 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19269 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19270 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19272 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19273 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19274 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19275 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19276 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19277 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19279 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19280 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19281 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19282 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19283 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19285 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19286 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19287 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19288 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19289 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19290 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19292 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19293 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19294 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19295 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19296 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19298 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19299 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19300 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19301 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19302 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19303 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19304 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19305 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19306 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19307 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19308 start Gnus. The default is @samp{nil}.
19313 @node Example Setup
19314 @subsection Example Setup
19316 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19317 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19318 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19321 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19322 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19323 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19325 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19326 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19327 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19329 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19330 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19332 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19333 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19334 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19337 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19338 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19341 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19342 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19343 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19344 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19345 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19348 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19349 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19350 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19351 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19352 back all the killed groups.)
19354 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19355 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19356 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19359 @node Batching Agents
19360 @subsection Batching Agents
19361 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19363 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19364 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19365 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19367 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19368 following incantation:
19372 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19376 @node Agent Caveats
19377 @subsection Agent Caveats
19379 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19380 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19384 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19386 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19387 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19388 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19390 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19391 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19393 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19397 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19398 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19399 locally stored articles.
19406 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19407 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19408 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19411 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19412 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19413 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19414 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19415 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19417 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19418 before generating the summary buffer.
19420 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19421 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19422 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19424 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19425 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19426 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19427 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19430 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19431 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19432 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19433 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19434 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19435 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19436 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19437 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19438 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19439 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19440 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19441 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19442 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19443 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19444 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19445 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19449 @node Summary Score Commands
19450 @section Summary Score Commands
19451 @cindex score commands
19453 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19454 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19455 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19456 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19457 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19459 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19460 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19461 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19462 score file the current one.
19464 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19469 @kindex V s (Summary)
19470 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19471 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19474 @kindex V S (Summary)
19475 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19476 Display the score of the current article
19477 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19480 @kindex V t (Summary)
19481 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19482 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19483 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19484 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19485 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19486 score file and edit it.
19489 @kindex V w (Summary)
19490 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19491 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19494 @kindex V R (Summary)
19495 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19496 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19497 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19498 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19499 effect you're having.
19502 @kindex V c (Summary)
19503 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19504 Make a different score file the current
19505 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19508 @kindex V e (Summary)
19509 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19510 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19511 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19515 @kindex V f (Summary)
19516 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19517 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19518 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19521 @kindex V F (Summary)
19522 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19523 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19524 after editing score files.
19527 @kindex V C (Summary)
19528 @findex gnus-score-customize
19529 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19530 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19534 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19539 @kindex V m (Summary)
19540 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19541 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19542 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19545 @kindex V x (Summary)
19546 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19547 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19548 expunge all articles below this score
19549 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19552 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19553 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19556 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19557 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19561 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19562 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19564 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19565 keys are available:
19569 Score on the author name.
19572 Score on the subject line.
19575 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19578 Score on the @code{References} line.
19584 Score on the number of lines.
19587 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19590 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19591 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19594 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19595 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19596 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19605 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19611 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19612 what headers you are scoring on.
19624 Substring matching.
19627 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19656 Greater than number.
19661 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19662 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19663 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19668 Temporary score entry.
19671 Permanent score entry.
19674 Immediately scoring.
19678 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19679 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19680 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19684 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19685 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19686 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19687 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19689 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19690 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19691 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19692 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19693 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19695 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19696 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19697 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19698 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19699 current score file.
19701 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19702 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19703 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19706 @node Group Score Commands
19707 @section Group Score Commands
19708 @cindex group score commands
19710 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19715 @kindex W e (Group)
19716 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19717 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19718 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19721 @kindex W f (Group)
19722 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19723 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19724 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19725 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19729 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19731 @findex gnus-batch-score
19732 @cindex batch scoring
19734 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19738 @node Score Variables
19739 @section Score Variables
19740 @cindex score variables
19744 @item gnus-use-scoring
19745 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19746 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19747 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19749 @item gnus-kill-killed
19750 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19751 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19752 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19753 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19754 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19755 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19756 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19758 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19759 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19760 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19761 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19762 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19764 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19765 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19766 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19767 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19769 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19770 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19771 @cindex score cache
19772 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19773 score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
19774 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19775 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19776 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19777 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19778 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19781 @item gnus-save-score
19782 @vindex gnus-save-score
19783 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19784 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19785 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19787 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19788 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19789 across group visits.
19791 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19792 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19793 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19794 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19795 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19796 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19797 manually entered data.
19799 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19800 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19801 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19803 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19804 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19805 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19806 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19807 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19808 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19810 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19811 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19812 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19813 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19815 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19816 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19817 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19818 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19820 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19821 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19822 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19823 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19825 Predefined functions available are:
19828 @item gnus-score-find-single
19829 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19830 Only apply the group's own score file.
19832 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19833 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19834 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19835 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19836 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19837 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19838 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19839 then a regexp match is done.
19841 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19842 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19844 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19845 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19846 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19847 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19849 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19850 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19851 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19852 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19853 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19857 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19858 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19859 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19860 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19861 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19862 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19863 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19866 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19867 overall score file, you could use the value
19869 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19870 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19873 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19874 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19875 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19876 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19877 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19879 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19880 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19881 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19882 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19883 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19884 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19885 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19886 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19888 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19889 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19890 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19892 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19893 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19894 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19895 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19896 threading---according to the current value of
19897 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19898 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19899 simplified in this manner.
19904 @node Score File Format
19905 @section Score File Format
19906 @cindex score file format
19908 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19909 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19910 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19912 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19916 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19918 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19920 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19922 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19927 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19931 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19932 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19933 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19934 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19938 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19939 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19941 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19942 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19943 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19945 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19950 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19951 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19952 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19953 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19954 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19955 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19956 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19957 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19958 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19959 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19960 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19961 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19962 to articles that matches these score entries.
19964 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19965 score entry has one to four elements.
19969 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19970 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19974 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19975 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19976 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19977 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19978 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19979 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19982 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19983 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19984 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19985 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19986 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19989 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19990 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19991 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19992 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19995 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19996 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19997 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19998 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19999 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
20000 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
20001 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
20002 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
20003 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
20004 instead, if you feel like.
20007 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
20008 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
20009 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
20010 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
20011 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
20012 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
20016 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
20017 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
20021 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
20022 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20024 These predicates are true if
20027 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20030 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20031 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20038 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20039 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20040 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20041 it's not. I think.)
20043 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20044 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20045 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20046 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20049 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20050 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20051 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20052 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20053 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20054 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20055 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20059 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20060 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20061 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20062 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20063 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20064 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20065 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20066 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20069 @item Head, Body, All
20070 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20074 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20075 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20076 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20077 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20078 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20079 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20080 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20084 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20085 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20086 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20087 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20088 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20089 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20090 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20091 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20092 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20093 nondeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20094 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20098 @cindex score file atoms
20100 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20101 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20104 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20105 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20107 @item mark-and-expunge
20108 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20109 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20112 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20113 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20114 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20115 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20116 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20119 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20120 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20123 @item exclude-files
20124 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20125 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20129 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
20130 ignored when handling global score files.
20133 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20134 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20135 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20136 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20139 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20140 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20141 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20142 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20144 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20148 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20151 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20152 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20153 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
20154 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20155 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20157 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20158 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20159 scoring rules exist.
20162 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20163 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20164 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20165 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20166 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20167 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20168 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20169 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20170 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20171 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20172 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20176 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20177 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20178 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20179 file for a number of groups.
20182 @cindex local variables
20183 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20184 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20185 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20186 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20187 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20192 @node Score File Editing
20193 @section Score File Editing
20195 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20196 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20197 with a mode for that.
20199 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20200 additional commands:
20205 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20206 @findex gnus-score-edit-exit
20207 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20208 (@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
20211 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20212 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20213 Insert the current date in numerical format
20214 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20215 you were wondering.
20218 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20219 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20220 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20221 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20222 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20227 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20229 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20230 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20232 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20233 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20236 @node Adaptive Scoring
20237 @section Adaptive Scoring
20238 @cindex adaptive scoring
20240 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20241 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20242 stupidity, to be precise.
20244 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20245 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20246 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20247 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20248 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20249 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20250 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20251 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20252 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20254 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20255 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20256 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20257 might look something like this:
20260 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20261 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20262 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20263 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20264 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20265 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20266 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20267 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20268 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20269 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20270 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20271 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20274 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20275 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20276 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20277 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20278 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20279 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20282 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20283 will be applied to each article.
20285 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20286 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20287 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20288 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20290 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20291 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20292 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20293 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20295 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20296 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20297 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20298 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20300 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20301 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20302 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20303 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20304 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20305 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20307 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20308 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20309 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20311 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20312 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20313 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20315 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20316 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20317 let you use different rules in different groups.
20319 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20320 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20321 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20324 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20325 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20326 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20327 default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20329 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20330 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20331 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20332 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20333 the length of the match is less than
20334 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20335 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20338 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20339 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20340 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20341 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20342 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20345 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20346 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20347 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20348 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20349 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20352 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20353 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20354 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20355 score with 30 points.
20357 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20358 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20359 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20360 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20361 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20363 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20364 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20365 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20366 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20367 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20369 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20370 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20371 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20372 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20374 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20375 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20376 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20377 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20379 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20380 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20381 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20382 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20383 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20385 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20386 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20387 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20389 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20390 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20391 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20392 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20395 @node Home Score File
20396 @section Home Score File
20398 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20399 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20400 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20401 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20403 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20404 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20405 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20407 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20408 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20413 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20417 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20418 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20422 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20426 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20427 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20430 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20431 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
20432 name of the group as the parameter.
20435 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20438 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20443 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20446 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20447 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20450 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20451 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20453 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20455 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20456 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20459 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20460 Other functions include
20463 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20464 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20465 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20466 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20470 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20471 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20472 their own home score files:
20475 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20476 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20477 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20478 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20479 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20482 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20483 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20484 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20485 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20486 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20488 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20489 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20490 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20491 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20492 precedence over this variable.
20495 @node Followups To Yourself
20496 @section Followups To Yourself
20498 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20499 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20500 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20501 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20502 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20503 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20507 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20508 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20509 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20512 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20513 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20514 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20518 @vindex message-sent-hook
20519 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20520 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20522 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20526 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20527 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20531 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20532 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20535 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20536 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20541 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20545 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20546 is system-dependent.
20549 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20550 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20551 @cindex scoring on other headers
20553 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20554 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20555 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20556 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20557 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20559 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
20560 You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
20561 variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
20562 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
20563 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
20564 inhibited for all groups.
20566 Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
20567 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20568 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20569 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20570 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20572 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20575 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20576 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20579 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20580 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20581 time if you have much mail.
20583 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20584 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20590 @section Scoring Tips
20591 @cindex scoring tips
20597 @cindex scoring crossposts
20598 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20599 the @code{Xref} header.
20601 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20604 @item Multiple crossposts
20605 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20606 more than, say, 3 groups:
20609 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20613 @item Matching on the body
20614 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20615 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20616 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20617 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20618 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20619 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20620 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20623 @item Marking as read
20624 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20625 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20626 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20630 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20632 @item Negated character classes
20633 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20634 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20635 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20639 @node Reverse Scoring
20640 @section Reverse Scoring
20641 @cindex reverse scoring
20643 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20644 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20645 like this in your score file:
20649 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20654 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20655 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20658 @node Global Score Files
20659 @section Global Score Files
20660 @cindex global score files
20662 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20663 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20664 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20666 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20667 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20668 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20670 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20671 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20672 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20673 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20674 files are applicable to which group.
20676 To use the score file
20677 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20678 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20682 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20683 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20684 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20687 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20689 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20690 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20691 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20692 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20694 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20695 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20697 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20698 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20699 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20700 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20701 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20702 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20704 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20710 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20712 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20714 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20716 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20717 lowered out of existence.
20719 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20720 articles completely.
20723 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20724 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20725 old articles for a long time.
20728 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20729 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20730 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20731 holding our breath yet?
20735 @section Kill Files
20738 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20739 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20740 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20742 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20743 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20744 files into score files.
20746 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20747 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20748 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20749 that isn't a very good idea.
20751 Normal kill files look like this:
20754 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20755 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20759 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20760 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20762 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20763 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20766 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20771 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20772 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20773 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20776 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20777 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20778 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20781 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20786 @kindex M-k (Group)
20787 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20788 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20791 @kindex M-K (Group)
20792 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20793 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20796 Kill file variables:
20799 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20800 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20801 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20802 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20803 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20804 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20805 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20807 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20808 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20809 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20810 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20813 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20814 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20815 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20816 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20817 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20818 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20819 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20820 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20821 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20823 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20824 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20825 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20830 @node Converting Kill Files
20831 @section Converting Kill Files
20833 @cindex converting kill files
20835 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20836 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20837 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20840 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
20841 You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
20843 @uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20845 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20846 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20847 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20851 @node Advanced Scoring
20852 @section Advanced Scoring
20854 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20855 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20856 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20857 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20858 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20860 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20864 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20865 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20866 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20870 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20871 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20873 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20874 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20875 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20876 non-@code{nil} value.
20878 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20879 operator, and various match operators.
20886 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20887 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20888 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20893 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20894 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20895 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20900 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20901 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20905 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20906 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20907 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20908 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20909 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20910 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20911 the ancestry you want to go.
20913 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20914 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20915 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20916 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20917 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20920 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20921 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20923 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20924 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20927 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20928 when he's talking about Gnus:
20933 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20934 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20941 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20945 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20952 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20953 really don't want to read what he's written:
20957 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20958 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
20962 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20963 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20964 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20971 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20972 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20973 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20974 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20978 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
20979 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
20980 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
20981 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
20984 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20986 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20990 The possibilities are endless.
20992 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20993 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20995 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20996 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20997 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20998 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20999 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
21000 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
21001 @samp{subject}) first.
21003 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
21004 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
21015 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
21016 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
21022 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21029 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21030 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21035 @section Score Decays
21036 @cindex score decays
21039 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21040 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21041 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21042 use them in any sensible way.
21044 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21045 @findex gnus-decay-score
21046 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21047 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21048 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21049 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21050 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21051 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21052 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21053 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21054 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21055 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21059 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21060 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21061 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21063 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21065 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21067 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21068 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21069 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21070 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21071 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21073 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21077 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21078 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21079 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21080 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21084 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21087 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21090 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21094 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21095 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21096 the new score, which should be an integer.
21098 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21099 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21105 FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
21106 comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
21109 This chapter describes tools for searching groups and servers for
21110 articles matching a query and then retrieving those articles. Gnus
21111 provides a simpler mechanism for searching through articles in a summary buffer
21112 to find those matching a pattern. @xref{Searching for Articles}.
21115 * nnir:: Searching with various engines.
21116 * nnmairix:: Searching with Mairix.
21123 This section describes how to use @code{nnir} to search for articles
21127 * What is nnir?:: What does @code{nnir} do?
21128 * Basic Usage:: How to perform simple searches.
21129 * Setting up nnir:: How to set up @code{nnir}.
21132 @node What is nnir?
21133 @subsection What is nnir?
21135 @code{nnir} is a Gnus interface to a number of tools for searching
21136 through mail and news repositories. Different backends (like
21137 @code{nnimap} and @code{nntp}) work with different tools (called
21138 @dfn{engines} in @code{nnir} lingo), but all use the same basic search
21141 The @code{nnimap} and @code{gmane} search engines should work with no
21142 configuration. Other engines require a local index that needs to be
21143 created and maintained outside of Gnus.
21147 @subsection Basic Usage
21149 In the group buffer typing @kbd{G G} will search the group on the
21150 current line by calling @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group}. This prompts
21151 for a query string, creates an ephemeral @code{nnir} group containing
21152 the articles that match this query, and takes you to a summary buffer
21153 showing these articles. Articles may then be read, moved and deleted
21154 using the usual commands.
21156 The @code{nnir} group made in this way is an @code{ephemeral} group, and
21157 some changes are not permanent: aside from reading, moving, and
21158 deleting, you can't act on the original article. But there is an
21159 alternative: you can @emph{warp} to the original group for the article
21160 on the current line with @kbd{A W}, aka
21161 @code{gnus-warp-to-article}. Even better, the function
21162 @code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}, bound by default in summary buffers to
21163 @kbd{A T}, will first warp to the original group before it works its
21164 magic and includes all the articles in the thread. From here you can
21165 read, move and delete articles, but also copy them, alter article marks,
21168 You say you want to search more than just the group on the current line?
21169 No problem: just process-mark the groups you want to search. You want
21170 even more? Calling for an nnir search with the cursor on a topic heading
21171 will search all the groups under that heading.
21173 Still not enough? OK, in the server buffer
21174 @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group} (now bound to @kbd{G}) will search all
21175 groups from the server on the current line. Too much? Want to ignore
21176 certain groups when searching, like spam groups? Just customize
21177 @code{nnir-ignored-newsgroups}.
21179 One more thing: individual search engines may have special search
21180 features. You can access these special features by giving a prefix-arg
21181 to @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group}. If you are searching multiple
21182 groups with different search engines you will be prompted for the
21183 special search features for each engine separately.
21186 @node Setting up nnir
21187 @subsection Setting up nnir
21189 To set up nnir you may need to do some prep work. Firstly, you may need
21190 to configure the search engines you plan to use. Some of them, like
21191 @code{imap} and @code{gmane}, need no special configuration. Others,
21192 like @code{namazu} and @code{swish}, require configuration as described
21193 below. Secondly, you need to associate a search engine with a server or
21196 If you just want to use the @code{imap} engine to search @code{nnimap}
21197 servers, and the @code{gmane} engine to search @code{gmane} then you
21198 don't have to do anything. But you might want to read the details of the
21199 query language anyway.
21202 * Associating Engines:: How to associate engines.
21203 * The imap Engine:: Imap configuration and usage.
21204 * The gmane Engine:: Gmane configuration and usage.
21205 * The swish++ Engine:: Swish++ configuration and usage.
21206 * The swish-e Engine:: Swish-e configuration and usage.
21207 * The namazu Engine:: Namazu configuration and usage.
21208 * The hyrex Engine:: Hyrex configuration and usage.
21209 * Customizations:: User customizable settings.
21212 @node Associating Engines
21213 @subsubsection Associating Engines
21216 When searching a group, @code{nnir} needs to know which search engine to
21217 use. You can configure a given server to use a particular engine by
21218 setting the server variable @code{nnir-search-engine} to the engine
21219 name. For example to use the @code{namazu} engine to search the server
21220 named @code{home} you can use
21223 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
21225 (nnimap-address "localhost")
21226 (nnir-search-engine namazu))))
21229 Alternatively you might want to use a particular engine for all servers
21230 with a given backend. For example, you might want to use the @code{imap}
21231 engine for all servers using the @code{nnimap} backend. In this case you
21232 can customize the variable @code{nnir-method-default-engines}. This is
21233 an alist of pairs of the form @code{(backend . engine)}. By default this
21234 variable is set to use the @code{imap} engine for all servers using the
21235 @code{nnimap} backend, and the @code{gmane} backend for @code{nntp}
21236 servers. (Don't worry, the @code{gmane} search engine won't actually try
21237 to search non-gmane @code{nntp} servers.) But if you wanted to use
21238 @code{namazu} for all your servers with an @code{nnimap} backend you
21239 could change this to
21242 '((nnimap . namazu)
21246 @node The imap Engine
21247 @subsubsection The imap Engine
21249 The @code{imap} engine requires no configuration.
21251 Queries using the @code{imap} engine follow a simple query language.
21252 The search is always case-insensitive and supports the following
21253 features (inspired by the Google search input language):
21257 @item Boolean query operators
21258 AND, OR, and NOT are supported, and parentheses can be used to control
21259 operator precedence, e.g. (emacs OR xemacs) AND linux. Note that
21260 operators must be written with all capital letters to be
21261 recognized. Also preceding a term with a - sign is equivalent to NOT
21264 @item Automatic AND queries
21265 If you specify multiple words then they will be treated as an AND
21266 expression intended to match all components.
21268 @item Phrase searches
21269 If you wrap your query in double-quotes then it will be treated as a
21274 By default the whole message will be searched. The query can be limited
21275 to a specific part of a message by using a prefix-arg. After inputting
21276 the query this will prompt (with completion) for a message part.
21277 Choices include ``Whole message'', ``Subject'', ``From'', and
21278 ``To''. Any unrecognized input is interpreted as a header name. For
21279 example, typing @kbd{Message-ID} in response to this prompt will limit
21280 the query to the Message-ID header.
21282 Finally selecting ``Imap'' will interpret the query as a raw
21283 @acronym{IMAP} search query. The format of such queries can be found in
21286 If you don't like the default of searching whole messages you can
21287 customize @code{nnir-imap-default-search-key}. For example to use
21288 @acronym{IMAP} queries by default
21291 (setq nnir-imap-default-search-key "Imap")
21294 @node The gmane Engine
21295 @subsubsection The gmane Engine
21297 The @code{gmane} engine requires no configuration.
21299 Gmane queries follow a simple query language:
21302 @item Boolean query operators
21303 AND, OR, NOT (or AND NOT), and XOR are supported, and brackets can be
21304 used to control operator precedence, e.g. (emacs OR xemacs) AND linux.
21305 Note that operators must be written with all capital letters to be
21308 @item Required and excluded terms
21309 + and - can be used to require or exclude terms, e.g. football -american
21311 @item Unicode handling
21312 The search engine converts all text to utf-8, so searching should work
21316 Common English words (like 'the' and 'a') are ignored by default. You
21317 can override this by prefixing such words with a + (e.g. +the) or
21318 enclosing the word in quotes (e.g. "the").
21322 The query can be limited to articles by a specific author using a
21323 prefix-arg. After inputting the query this will prompt for an author
21324 name (or part of a name) to match.
21326 @node The swish++ Engine
21327 @subsubsection The swish++ Engine
21329 FIXME: Say something more here.
21331 Documentation for swish++ may be found at the swish++ sourceforge page:
21332 @uref{http://swishplusplus.sourceforge.net}
21336 @item nnir-swish++-program
21337 The name of the swish++ executable. Defaults to @code{search}
21339 @item nnir-swish++-additional-switches
21340 A list of strings to be given as additional arguments to
21341 swish++. @code{nil} by default.
21343 @item nnir-swish++-remove-prefix
21344 The prefix to remove from each file name returned by swish++ in order
21345 to get a group name. By default this is @code{$HOME/Mail}.
21349 @node The swish-e Engine
21350 @subsubsection The swish-e Engine
21352 FIXME: Say something more here.
21354 Documentation for swish-e may be found at the swish-e homepage
21355 @uref{http://swish-e.org}
21359 @item nnir-swish-e-program
21360 The name of the swish-e search program. Defaults to @code{swish-e}.
21362 @item nnir-swish-e-additional-switches
21363 A list of strings to be given as additional arguments to
21364 swish-e. @code{nil} by default.
21366 @item nnir-swish-e-remove-prefix
21367 The prefix to remove from each file name returned by swish-e in order
21368 to get a group name. By default this is @code{$HOME/Mail}.
21372 @node The namazu Engine
21373 @subsubsection The namazu Engine
21375 Using the namazu engine requires creating and maintaining index files.
21376 One directory should contain all the index files, and nnir must be told
21377 where to find them by setting the @code{nnir-namazu-index-directory}
21380 To work correctly the @code{nnir-namazu-remove-prefix} variable must
21381 also be correct. This is the prefix to remove from each file name
21382 returned by Namazu in order to get a proper group name (albeit with `/'
21385 For example, suppose that Namazu returns file names such as
21386 @samp{/home/john/Mail/mail/misc/42}. For this example, use the
21387 following setting: @code{(setq nnir-namazu-remove-prefix
21388 "/home/john/Mail/")} Note the trailing slash. Removing this prefix from
21389 the directory gives @samp{mail/misc/42}. @code{nnir} knows to remove
21390 the @samp{/42} and to replace @samp{/} with @samp{.} to arrive at the
21391 correct group name @samp{mail.misc}.
21393 Extra switches may be passed to the namazu search command by setting the
21394 variable @code{nnir-namazu-additional-switches}. It is particularly
21395 important not to pass any any switches to namazu that will change the
21396 output format. Good switches to use include `--sort', `--ascending',
21397 `--early' and `--late'. Refer to the Namazu documentation for further
21398 information on valid switches.
21400 Mail must first be indexed with the `mknmz' program. Read the documentation
21401 for namazu to create a configuration file. Here is an example:
21405 package conf; # Don't remove this line!
21407 # Paths which will not be indexed. Don't use `^' or `$' anchors.
21408 $EXCLUDE_PATH = "spam|sent";
21410 # Header fields which should be searchable. case-insensitive
21411 $REMAIN_HEADER = "from|date|message-id|subject";
21413 # Searchable fields. case-insensitive
21414 $SEARCH_FIELD = "from|date|message-id|subject";
21416 # The max length of a word.
21417 $WORD_LENG_MAX = 128;
21419 # The max length of a field.
21420 $MAX_FIELD_LENGTH = 256;
21424 For this example, mail is stored in the directories @samp{~/Mail/mail/},
21425 @samp{~/Mail/lists/} and @samp{~/Mail/archive/}, so to index them go to
21426 the index directory set in @code{nnir-namazu-index-directory} and issue
21427 the following command:
21430 mknmz --mailnews ~/Mail/archive/ ~/Mail/mail/ ~/Mail/lists/
21433 For maximum searching efficiency you might want to have a cron job run
21434 this command periodically, say every four hours.
21436 @node The hyrex Engine
21437 @subsubsection The hyrex Engine
21438 This engine is obsolete.
21440 @node Customizations
21441 @subsubsection Customizations
21445 @item nnir-method-default-engines
21446 Alist of server backend - search engine pairs. The default associations
21453 @item nnir-ignored-newsgroups
21454 A regexp to match newsgroups in the active file that should be skipped
21455 when searching all groups on a server.
21457 @item nnir-summary-line-format
21458 The format specification to be used for lines in an nnir summary buffer.
21459 All the items from `gnus-summary-line-format' are available, along with
21460 three items unique to nnir summary buffers:
21463 %Z Search retrieval score value (integer)
21464 %G Article original full group name (string)
21465 %g Article original short group name (string)
21468 If nil (the default) this will use @code{gnus-summary-line-format}.
21470 @item nnir-retrieve-headers-override-function
21471 If non-nil, a function that retrieves article headers rather than using
21472 the gnus built-in function. This function takes an article list and
21473 group as arguments and populates the `nntp-server-buffer' with the
21474 retrieved headers. It should then return either 'nov or 'headers
21475 indicating the retrieved header format. Failure to retrieve headers
21476 should return @code{nil}
21478 If this variable is nil, or if the provided function returns nil for a
21479 search result, @code{gnus-retrieve-headers} will be called instead."
21490 This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
21491 @code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
21492 Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
21493 bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
21496 * About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
21497 * nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
21498 * What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
21499 * Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
21500 * Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
21501 * nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
21502 * Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
21503 * nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
21504 * nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
21507 @c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
21508 @c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
21509 @c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
21512 @subsection About mairix
21514 Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
21515 mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
21516 GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
21517 runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
21519 @uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
21521 Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
21522 swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
21523 has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
21524 can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
21525 thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
21526 necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
21527 done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
21528 therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
21531 For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
21532 @code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
21533 end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
21534 results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
21535 which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
21536 made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
21537 mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
21538 for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
21541 @node nnmairix requirements
21542 @subsection nnmairix requirements
21544 Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
21545 direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
21546 server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
21547 access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
21549 Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
21550 ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
21551 one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
21552 @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
21554 If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
21555 you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
21556 @code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
21557 files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
21558 really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
21559 the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
21561 @node What nnmairix does
21562 @subsection What nnmairix does
21564 The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
21565 either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
21566 database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
21567 several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
21568 search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
21569 display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
21570 mails are in different folders.
21572 Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
21573 to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
21574 containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
21575 even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
21576 new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
21577 automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
21579 You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
21580 creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
21581 then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
21582 does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
21583 strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
21584 claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
21585 the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
21586 its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
21587 use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
21588 about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
21589 group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
21591 @code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
21592 a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
21593 the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
21594 different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
21595 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
21596 binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
21597 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
21598 present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
21599 You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
21600 but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
21601 groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
21602 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
21603 make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
21604 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
21605 mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
21606 folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
21608 @node Setting up mairix
21609 @subsection Setting up mairix
21611 First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
21613 Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
21614 (at least) the following entries:
21617 # Your Maildir/MH base folder
21621 This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
21622 are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
21623 with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
21624 directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
21627 maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
21628 mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
21629 mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
21632 This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
21633 base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
21634 @code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
21635 directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
21636 section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
21642 @vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
21643 This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
21644 search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
21645 variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
21648 mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
21649 database= ... location of database file ...
21652 The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
21653 search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
21654 with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
21656 To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
21660 maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
21661 mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
21662 mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
21665 database=~/.mairixdatabase
21668 In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
21669 folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
21670 colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
21671 because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
21672 @code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
21673 @code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
21674 to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
21675 notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
21676 to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
21677 dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
21678 old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
21679 The other lines should be obvious.
21681 See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
21682 especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
21683 than you are used to.
21685 Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
21686 Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
21687 the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
21689 @node Configuring nnmairix
21690 @subsection Configuring nnmairix
21692 In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
21693 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
21694 necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
21695 server. You will have to specify the following:
21700 The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
21704 The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
21705 searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
21706 Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
21707 which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
21708 @code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
21709 mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
21710 However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
21711 server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
21712 (@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
21713 just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
21714 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might lose mail
21715 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
21716 @acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
21717 @code{nnimap} server here.
21720 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
21721 The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
21722 be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
21723 SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
21724 @acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
21725 mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
21726 @code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
21729 The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
21730 where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
21731 are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
21735 If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
21736 asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
21737 folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
21738 @samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
21739 server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
21743 @node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
21744 @subsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
21751 @kindex G b c (Group)
21752 @findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
21753 Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
21754 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
21755 this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
21758 @kindex G b s (Group)
21759 @findex nnmairix-search
21760 Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
21761 results are put into the default search group which is automatically
21762 displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
21765 @kindex G b m (Group)
21766 @findex nnmairix-widget-search
21767 Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
21768 comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
21769 group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
21772 @kindex G b i (Group)
21773 @findex nnmairix-search-interactive
21774 Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
21775 only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
21778 @kindex G b g (Group)
21779 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group
21780 Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
21781 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
21782 automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
21786 @kindex G b q (Group)
21787 @findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
21788 Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
21789 (@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
21792 @kindex G b t (Group)
21793 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
21794 Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
21795 i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
21796 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
21799 @kindex G b u (Group)
21800 @findex nnmairix-update-database
21801 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
21802 Calls mairix binary for updating the database
21803 (@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
21804 and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
21805 @code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
21809 @kindex G b r (Group)
21810 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
21811 Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
21812 marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
21815 @kindex G b d (Group)
21816 @findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
21817 Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
21818 (@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
21819 you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
21822 @kindex G b a (Group)
21823 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
21824 Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
21825 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
21826 behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
21827 update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
21828 mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
21829 upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
21830 lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
21831 entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
21834 @kindex G b p (Group)
21835 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
21836 Toggle marks propagation for this group
21837 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
21841 @kindex G b o (Group)
21842 @findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
21843 Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
21844 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
21853 @kindex $ m (Summary)
21854 @findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
21855 Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
21856 message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
21857 (@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
21860 @kindex $ g (Summary)
21861 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
21862 Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
21863 message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
21864 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
21867 @kindex $ t (Summary)
21868 @findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
21869 Searches thread for the current article
21870 (@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
21871 shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
21872 current article and enabled threads.
21875 @kindex $ f (Summary)
21876 @findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
21877 Searches all messages from sender of the current article
21878 (@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
21879 calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
21882 @kindex $ o (Summary)
21883 @findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
21884 (Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
21885 originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
21886 e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
21887 parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
21888 function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
21889 article file name as a fallback method.
21892 @kindex $ u (Summary)
21893 @findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
21894 Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
21895 (@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
21900 @node Propagating marks
21901 @subsection Propagating marks
21903 First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
21904 propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
21905 the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
21907 @uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
21909 You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
21910 is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
21911 marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
21912 fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
21915 With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
21916 alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
21917 example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
21918 into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
21919 @samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
21920 all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
21921 create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
21922 can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
21923 implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
21924 groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
21926 There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
21927 @samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
21928 ``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
21929 search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
21930 enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
21931 marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
21932 mail group it will be still shown as unread.
21934 You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
21935 tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
21936 created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
21937 @code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
21938 shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
21939 even more cumbersome.
21941 Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
21942 automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
21943 @emph{marks propagation} is about.
21945 Marks propagation is inactive by default. You can activate it for a
21946 certain @code{nnmairix} group with
21947 @code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
21948 p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
21949 search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
21950 temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
21951 this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
21953 With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
21954 group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
21955 you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
21956 magically be set for the original article, too.
21958 A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
21960 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
21961 Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
21962 not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
21963 dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
21964 will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
21965 via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
21968 Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
21969 article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
21970 the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
21971 fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
21972 marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
21973 set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
21974 the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
21976 @vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
21977 If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
21978 original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
21979 search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
21980 way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
21981 marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
21982 setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
21984 Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
21985 tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
21986 article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
21987 reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
21988 immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
21989 @code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
21990 not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
21991 groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
21992 maildir as its file format.
21994 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
21995 If you work with this setup, just set
21996 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
21997 happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
21998 problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
21999 usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
22000 groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
22001 back end using @kbd{G b d}.
22003 @node nnmairix tips and tricks
22004 @subsection nnmairix tips and tricks
22010 @findex nnmairix-update-groups
22011 I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
22012 have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
22015 I use the following to check for mails:
22018 (defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
22020 ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
22021 (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
22022 (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
22023 (gnus-group-list-groups))
22025 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
22028 Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
22029 server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
22033 Example: search group for ticked articles
22035 For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
22036 articles always stay unread:
22038 Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
22039 @samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
22041 Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
22042 activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
22044 So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
22045 group? There are two options: You may simply use
22046 @code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
22047 tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
22048 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
22049 comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
22050 also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
22051 e.g. by marking an article as read.
22053 When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
22054 article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
22055 mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
22056 for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
22057 snippet and the doc string for details.
22060 Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
22062 As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
22063 the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
22064 see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
22065 should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
22066 usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
22067 @code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
22068 @samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
22069 simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
22070 auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
22071 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
22072 Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
22073 for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
22076 (setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
22077 "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
22082 @node nnmairix caveats
22083 @subsection nnmairix caveats
22087 You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
22088 you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
22089 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
22090 put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
22091 an example server definition:
22094 (nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
22097 (The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variable
22098 @code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
22099 have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
22103 If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
22104 @code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
22105 @code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}; this is the default). Be
22106 @emph{extra careful} if you use
22107 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are split
22108 into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as you
22109 check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
22112 Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
22113 groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
22116 If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
22117 @code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
22120 mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
22123 @code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
22124 completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
22125 called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
22126 back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
22127 don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
22128 own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
22132 All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
22133 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
22134 is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
22135 it is gone for good.
22138 @findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
22139 If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
22140 ``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
22141 delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
22142 @code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
22143 save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
22144 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
22145 @code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
22146 @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
22149 The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
22150 for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
22152 A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
22153 comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
22154 @samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
22155 file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
22156 update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
22157 mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
22158 while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
22159 @samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
22160 after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
22161 non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
22162 ``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
22163 to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
22170 @include message.texi
22171 @chapter Emacs MIME
22172 @include emacs-mime.texi
22174 @include sieve.texi
22186 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
22187 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
22188 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
22189 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
22190 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
22191 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
22192 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
22193 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
22194 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
22195 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
22196 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
22197 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
22198 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
22199 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
22200 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
22201 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
22202 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
22203 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
22204 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
22205 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
22206 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
22210 @node Process/Prefix
22211 @section Process/Prefix
22212 @cindex process/prefix convention
22214 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
22215 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
22217 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
22218 command to be performed on.
22222 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
22223 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
22224 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
22225 with the current one.
22227 @vindex transient-mark-mode
22228 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
22229 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
22231 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
22232 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
22235 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
22236 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
22238 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
22241 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
22242 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
22243 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
22244 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22246 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
22247 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
22248 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
22249 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
22250 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
22251 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
22252 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
22253 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
22255 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
22256 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
22257 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
22258 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
22259 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
22263 @section Interactive
22264 @cindex interaction
22268 @item gnus-novice-user
22269 @vindex gnus-novice-user
22270 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
22271 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
22272 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
22273 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
22276 @item gnus-expert-user
22277 @vindex gnus-expert-user
22278 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
22279 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing,
22280 no matter how strange. For example, quitting Gnus, exiting a group
22281 without an update, catching up with a group, deleting expired
22282 articles, and replying by mail to a news message will not require
22285 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
22286 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
22287 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
22288 is @code{t} by default.
22290 @item gnus-interactive-exit
22291 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
22292 If non-@code{nil}, require a confirmation when exiting Gnus. If
22293 @code{quiet}, update any active summary buffers automatically without
22294 querying. The default value is @code{t}.
22298 @node Symbolic Prefixes
22299 @section Symbolic Prefixes
22300 @cindex symbolic prefixes
22302 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
22303 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
22304 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
22305 rule of 900 to the current article.
22307 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
22308 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
22309 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
22310 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
22311 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
22312 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
22313 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
22315 @kindex M-i (Summary)
22316 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
22317 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
22318 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
22319 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
22320 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
22321 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
22322 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
22323 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
22325 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
22326 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
22327 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
22329 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
22333 @node Formatting Variables
22334 @section Formatting Variables
22335 @cindex formatting variables
22337 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
22338 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
22339 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
22340 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
22341 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
22344 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
22345 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
22346 lots of percentages everywhere.
22349 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
22350 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
22351 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
22352 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
22353 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
22354 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
22355 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
22356 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
22359 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
22360 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
22361 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
22362 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
22363 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
22364 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
22365 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
22366 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
22368 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
22369 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
22371 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
22372 @findex gnus-update-format
22373 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
22374 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
22375 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
22376 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
22380 @node Formatting Basics
22381 @subsection Formatting Basics
22383 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
22384 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
22385 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
22387 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
22388 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
22389 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
22390 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
22391 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
22394 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
22395 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
22396 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
22397 less than 4 characters wide.
22399 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
22400 @samp{%&user-date;}.
22403 @node Mode Line Formatting
22404 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
22406 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
22407 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
22408 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
22409 with the following two differences:
22414 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
22417 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
22418 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
22419 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
22420 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
22421 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
22422 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
22423 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
22428 @node Advanced Formatting
22429 @subsection Advanced Formatting
22431 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
22432 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
22433 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
22434 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
22436 These are the valid modifiers:
22441 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
22445 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
22450 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
22453 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
22458 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
22461 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
22464 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
22467 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
22473 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22478 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22479 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22480 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22481 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22482 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22483 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22484 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22486 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22487 last operation, padding.
22489 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
22490 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
22491 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
22492 @xref{Compilation}.
22495 @node User-Defined Specs
22496 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22498 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22499 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22500 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22501 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22502 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22503 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22504 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22505 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22506 should protect against that.
22508 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22509 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22511 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22512 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22513 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22514 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22518 @node Formatting Fonts
22519 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22522 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22523 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22524 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22525 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22526 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22530 @vindex gnus-face-0
22531 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22532 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22533 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22534 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22535 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22536 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22538 @cindex %<<, %>>, guillemets
22539 @c @cindex %<<, %>>, %«, %», guillemets
22540 @vindex gnus-balloon-face-0
22541 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22542 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22543 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22544 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22545 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22546 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22547 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22548 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22549 (in Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22550 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22551 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22554 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22557 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22558 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22559 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22561 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22562 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22563 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22564 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22565 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22566 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22567 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22569 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22570 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22571 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22574 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22575 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22577 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22578 mode-line variables.
22580 @node Positioning Point
22581 @subsection Positioning Point
22583 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22584 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22585 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22587 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22589 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22590 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22591 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22593 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22594 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22595 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22600 @subsection Tabulation
22602 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22603 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22604 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22605 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22607 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22608 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22610 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22611 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22612 This is the soft tabulator.
22614 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22615 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22616 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22619 @node Wide Characters
22620 @subsection Wide Characters
22622 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22623 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22624 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22626 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22627 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22628 these countries, that's not true.
22630 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22631 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22632 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22633 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22637 @node Window Layout
22638 @section Window Layout
22639 @cindex window layout
22641 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22643 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22644 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22645 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22646 @code{t} by default.
22648 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22649 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22651 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22652 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22653 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22656 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)))
22657 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22661 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22662 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22663 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22664 possible names is listed below.
22666 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22667 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
22670 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22674 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22675 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22676 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22677 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22678 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22679 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22680 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22681 size spec per split.
22683 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22684 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22685 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
22686 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22687 present) gets focus.
22689 Here's a more complicated example:
22692 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22693 (summary 0.25 point)
22697 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22698 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22699 occupy, not a percentage.
22701 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22702 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22703 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22704 be used as a split.
22706 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22709 (article (horizontal 1.0
22713 (summary 0.25 point)
22717 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22718 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22720 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22721 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22722 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22723 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22724 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22726 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22727 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22728 lines from the splits.
22730 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22735 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22736 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22737 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22738 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22739 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22740 size = number | frame-params
22741 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22745 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22746 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22747 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22748 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22750 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22751 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22752 @cindex window height
22753 @cindex window width
22754 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22755 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22756 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22757 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22758 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22759 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22761 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22762 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22763 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22764 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22766 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22767 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22768 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22769 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22770 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22771 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22772 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22773 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22774 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22775 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22776 configuration list.
22779 (gnus-configure-frame
22783 (article 0.3 point))
22791 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22792 @code{frame} split:
22795 (gnus-configure-frame
22798 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
22800 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
22801 (user-position . t)
22802 (left . -1) (top . 1))
22807 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
22808 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
22809 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
22810 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
22811 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
22812 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
22813 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
22814 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
22816 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
22817 be found in its default value.
22819 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
22820 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
22821 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
22825 (message (horizontal 1.0
22826 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
22828 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
22833 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
22834 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
22835 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
22840 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
22841 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
22842 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
22843 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
22844 (name . "Message"))
22845 (message 1.0 point))))
22848 @findex gnus-add-configuration
22849 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
22850 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
22851 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
22852 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
22855 (gnus-add-configuration
22856 '(article (vertical 1.0
22858 (summary .25 point)
22862 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
22863 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
22864 Gnus has been loaded.
22866 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
22867 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
22868 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
22869 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
22870 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
22872 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
22873 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
22874 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
22877 @subsection Window Configuration Names
22879 Here's a list of most of the currently known window configurations,
22880 and when they're used:
22887 Entering a group and showing only the summary.
22890 Selecting an article.
22896 Browsing groups from the server buffer.
22899 Composing a (new) message.
22902 Showing only the article buffer.
22905 Editing an article.
22908 Editing group parameters and the like.
22911 Editing a server definition.
22914 Composing a news message.
22917 Replying or following up an article without yanking the text.
22920 Forwarding a message.
22923 Replying or following up an article with yanking the text.
22926 Bouncing a message.
22929 Sending an article to an external process.
22932 Sending a bug report.
22935 Displaying the score trace.
22938 Displaying the score words.
22941 Displaying the split trace.
22943 @item compose-bounce
22944 Composing a bounce message.
22947 Previewing a @acronym{MIME} part.
22952 @subsection Example Window Configurations
22956 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
22957 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
22972 (gnus-add-configuration
22975 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22977 (summary 0.16 point)
22980 (gnus-add-configuration
22983 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22984 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
22990 @node Faces and Fonts
22991 @section Faces and Fonts
22996 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
22997 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
22998 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
23003 @section Compilation
23004 @cindex compilation
23005 @cindex byte-compilation
23007 @findex gnus-compile
23009 Remember all those line format specification variables?
23010 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
23011 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
23012 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
23013 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
23014 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
23017 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
23018 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
23019 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
23020 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
23021 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
23022 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
23023 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
23027 @section Mode Lines
23030 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
23031 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
23032 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
23033 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
23034 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
23035 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
23036 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
23039 @cindex display-time
23041 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
23042 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
23043 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
23044 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
23045 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
23046 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
23047 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
23048 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
23051 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
23053 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
23054 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
23056 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
23057 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
23058 (length display-time-string)))))
23061 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
23062 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
23063 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
23064 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
23065 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
23068 @node Highlighting and Menus
23069 @section Highlighting and Menus
23071 @cindex highlighting
23074 @vindex gnus-visual
23075 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
23076 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
23077 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
23080 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
23081 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
23084 @item group-highlight
23085 Do highlights in the group buffer.
23086 @item summary-highlight
23087 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
23088 @item article-highlight
23089 Do highlights in the article buffer.
23091 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
23093 Create menus in the group buffer.
23095 Create menus in the summary buffers.
23097 Create menus in the article buffer.
23099 Create menus in the browse buffer.
23101 Create menus in the server buffer.
23103 Create menus in the score buffers.
23105 Create menus in all buffers.
23108 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
23109 buffers, you could say something like:
23112 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
23115 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
23118 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
23121 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
23122 in all Gnus buffers.
23124 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
23127 @item gnus-mouse-face
23128 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
23129 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
23130 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
23134 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
23138 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
23139 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
23140 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
23142 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
23143 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
23144 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
23146 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
23147 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
23148 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
23150 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
23151 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
23152 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
23154 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
23155 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
23156 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
23158 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
23159 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
23160 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
23170 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
23171 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
23172 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
23173 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
23174 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
23176 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
23177 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
23178 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
23180 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
23181 been idle for thirty minutes:
23184 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
23187 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
23191 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
23194 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
23195 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
23196 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23198 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
23199 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
23200 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
23201 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23203 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
23204 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
23205 @var{idle} minutes.
23207 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
23208 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
23211 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
23212 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
23213 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
23215 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
23216 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
23217 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
23218 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
23220 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
23221 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23223 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
23225 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
23228 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
23229 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
23230 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
23231 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
23232 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
23233 @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
23234 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
23235 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
23236 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
23237 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
23239 @findex gnus-demon-init
23240 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
23241 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
23242 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
23243 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
23244 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
23246 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
23247 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
23248 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
23256 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
23257 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
23258 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
23260 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
23261 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
23262 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
23263 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
23264 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
23265 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
23266 @code{undo} function.
23268 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
23269 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
23270 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
23271 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
23272 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
23273 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
23274 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
23275 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
23276 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
23277 never be totally undoable.
23279 @findex gnus-undo-mode
23280 @vindex gnus-use-undo
23282 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
23283 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
23284 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
23285 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
23289 @node Predicate Specifiers
23290 @section Predicate Specifiers
23291 @cindex predicate specifiers
23293 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
23294 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
23295 to type all that much.
23297 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
23302 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
23303 gnus-article-unread-p)
23306 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
23307 functions all take one parameter.
23309 @findex gnus-make-predicate
23310 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
23311 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
23312 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
23317 @section Moderation
23320 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
23321 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
23322 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
23325 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
23329 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
23332 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
23334 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
23339 You split your incoming mail by matching on
23340 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
23341 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
23344 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
23345 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
23348 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
23349 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
23353 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
23356 (setq gnus-moderated-list
23357 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
23361 @node Fetching a Group
23362 @section Fetching a Group
23363 @cindex fetching a group
23365 @findex gnus-fetch-group
23366 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
23367 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
23368 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
23369 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
23370 It takes the group name as a parameter.
23373 @node Image Enhancements
23374 @section Image Enhancements
23376 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
23377 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
23378 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
23381 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
23382 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
23383 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
23384 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
23385 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
23386 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
23394 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
23395 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
23396 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
23400 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
23401 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
23402 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
23410 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
23411 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions have), or that you
23412 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
23413 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
23414 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
23415 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
23416 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
23417 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
23418 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
23419 @code{display} program.
23421 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
23422 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
23423 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
23424 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
23425 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
23426 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
23427 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
23428 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
23430 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
23431 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
23432 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
23433 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
23434 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
23435 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
23437 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
23445 @vindex gnus-x-face
23446 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
23447 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
23448 default colors are black and white.
23450 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
23451 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
23452 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
23453 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
23454 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
23455 XEmacs. Here are examples:
23458 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
23459 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23460 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
23461 (png . (:ascent 80))))
23463 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
23464 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23465 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
23466 (png . (:relief -2))))
23469 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
23470 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
23471 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
23472 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
23473 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
23474 @samp{libcompface} library.
23477 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
23478 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
23479 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
23480 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
23481 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
23482 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
23484 @findex gnus-random-x-face
23485 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
23486 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
23487 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
23488 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
23489 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
23490 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
23491 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
23492 header data as a string.
23494 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
23495 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
23496 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
23497 randomly generated data.
23499 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
23500 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
23501 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
23502 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
23503 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
23505 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
23506 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23509 (setq message-required-news-headers
23510 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23511 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
23514 Using the last function would be something like this:
23517 (setq message-required-news-headers
23518 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23519 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
23520 (gnus-x-face-from-file
23521 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
23529 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
23531 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
23532 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
23533 represent the author of the message.
23536 @findex gnus-article-display-face
23537 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
23538 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
23541 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
23542 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
23544 Viewing a @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
23547 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
23549 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23551 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23552 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23554 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23555 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23556 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23558 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23559 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23560 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23561 converts the file to Face format by using the
23562 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23564 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23565 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23568 (setq message-required-news-headers
23569 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23570 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23571 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23576 @subsection Smileys
23581 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23586 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23587 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23589 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23590 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23593 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23596 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23597 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23598 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23599 text and maps that to file names.
23601 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23602 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23603 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23604 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23605 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23608 The following variables customize the appearance of the smileys:
23613 @vindex smiley-style
23614 Specifies the smiley style. Predefined smiley styles include
23615 @code{low-color} (small 13x14 pixel, three-color images), @code{medium}
23616 (more colorful images, 16x16 pixel), and @code{grayscale} (grayscale
23617 images, 14x14 pixel). The default depends on the height of the default
23620 @item smiley-data-directory
23621 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23622 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files. You shouldn't set this
23623 variable anymore. Customize @code{smiley-style} instead.
23625 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23626 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23627 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23641 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23642 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23643 over your shoulder as you read news.
23645 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23654 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23655 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23656 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23657 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23658 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23659 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23660 @code{GIF} formats.
23663 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23664 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23665 point your Web browser at
23666 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23668 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23669 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23671 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
23672 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
23675 @vindex gnus-picon-style
23676 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
23677 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
23678 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
23680 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
23684 @item gnus-picon-databases
23685 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23686 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
23687 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
23688 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
23689 "/usr/local/faces")}.
23691 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
23692 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
23693 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23694 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
23696 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
23697 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
23698 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
23699 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
23701 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
23702 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
23703 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23704 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
23705 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
23707 @item gnus-picon-file-types
23708 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
23709 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
23710 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
23712 @item gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
23713 @vindex gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
23714 If non-@code{nil} (which is the default), don't display picons for
23715 things like @samp{.net} and @samp{.de}, which aren't usually very
23721 @subsection Gravatars
23725 \include{gravatars}
23729 A gravatar is an image registered to an e-mail address.
23731 You can submit yours on-line at @uref{http://www.gravatar.com}.
23733 The following variables offer control over how things are displayed.
23737 @item gnus-gravatar-size
23738 @vindex gnus-gravatar-size
23739 The size in pixels of gravatars. Gravatars are always square, so one
23740 number for the size is enough.
23742 @item gnus-gravatar-properties
23743 @vindex gnus-gravatar-properties
23744 List of image properties applied to Gravatar images.
23746 @item gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
23747 @vindex gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
23748 Regexp that matches mail addresses or names of people of which avatars
23749 should not be displayed, or @code{nil}. It default to the value of
23750 @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (@pxref{X-Face}).
23754 If you want to see them in the From field, set:
23756 (setq gnus-treat-from-gravatar 'head)
23759 If you want to see them in the Cc and To fields, set:
23762 (setq gnus-treat-mail-gravatar 'head)
23767 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
23770 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23771 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23772 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
23773 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
23774 unusual directory structure.
23776 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23777 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23778 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
23783 @subsubsection Toolbar
23787 @item gnus-use-toolbar
23788 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
23789 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
23790 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
23791 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
23792 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
23793 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
23794 names show. The default is @code{default}.
23796 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
23797 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
23798 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
23799 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
23800 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
23801 The default is that of the default toolbar.
23803 @item gnus-group-toolbar
23804 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
23805 The toolbar in the group buffer.
23807 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
23808 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
23809 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
23811 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23812 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23813 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
23824 @node Fuzzy Matching
23825 @section Fuzzy Matching
23826 @cindex fuzzy matching
23828 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
23829 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
23831 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
23832 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
23833 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
23835 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
23836 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
23837 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
23838 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
23839 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
23842 @node Thwarting Email Spam
23843 @section Thwarting Email Spam
23847 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23849 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
23850 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
23851 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
23852 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
23853 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
23854 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
23855 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
23856 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
23859 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
23860 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
23861 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
23862 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
23863 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
23864 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
23866 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
23869 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
23870 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
23871 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
23872 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
23875 @node The problem of spam
23876 @subsection The problem of spam
23878 @cindex spam filtering approaches
23879 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
23881 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23883 First, some background on spam.
23885 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
23886 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
23887 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
23888 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
23889 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
23890 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
23891 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
23892 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
23893 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
23895 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
23896 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
23897 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
23898 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
23899 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
23900 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
23901 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
23902 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
23903 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
23906 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
23907 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
23908 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
23909 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
23910 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
23911 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
23912 from Bulgarian IPs.
23914 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23915 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23916 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23917 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23919 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23920 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23921 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23922 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23924 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23925 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23926 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23927 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23928 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23929 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23930 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23931 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23932 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23934 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23935 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23936 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23937 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23938 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23939 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23940 down for some time because of the incident.
23942 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23943 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23944 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23945 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23946 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23947 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23948 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23949 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
23950 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23951 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23952 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23954 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23955 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23956 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23957 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23958 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23959 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23960 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23963 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23964 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23968 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23970 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23971 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23973 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23974 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23975 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23976 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23977 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23978 part of the mail address.)
23981 (setq message-default-news-headers
23982 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23985 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23986 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23990 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23991 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23992 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23997 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23998 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23999 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
24000 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
24002 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
24003 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
24004 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
24005 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
24006 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
24007 your fancy split rule in this way:
24012 (to "larsi" "misc")
24016 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
24017 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
24018 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
24019 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
24020 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
24022 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
24023 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
24024 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
24025 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
24027 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
24031 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
24032 @cindex SpamAssassin
24033 @cindex Vipul's Razor
24036 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
24037 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
24038 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
24039 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
24040 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
24041 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
24042 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
24044 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
24045 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
24046 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
24049 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
24050 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
24051 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
24052 Specifiers}) follow.
24056 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
24060 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
24063 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
24064 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
24065 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
24068 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
24072 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
24075 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
24076 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
24080 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
24081 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
24082 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
24083 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
24086 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
24088 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
24092 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
24093 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
24097 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
24098 downloaded by default. You need to set
24099 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
24100 (@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
24102 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
24103 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
24104 spam. And here is the nifty function:
24107 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
24108 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
24110 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d" t)
24111 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
24115 @subsection Hashcash
24118 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
24119 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
24120 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
24121 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
24122 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
24124 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
24125 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
24126 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
24127 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
24128 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
24129 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
24130 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
24131 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
24132 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
24133 one of them separately.
24136 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
24137 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
24138 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
24139 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
24140 need to install to use this feature, see
24141 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
24142 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
24144 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
24145 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
24146 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
24149 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
24152 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
24156 @item hashcash-default-payment
24157 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
24158 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
24159 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
24162 @item hashcash-payment-alist
24163 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
24164 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
24165 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
24166 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
24167 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
24168 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
24169 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
24170 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
24172 @item hashcash-path
24173 @vindex hashcash-path
24174 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
24175 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
24176 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
24177 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
24178 when you generate hashcash payments.
24182 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
24183 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
24184 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
24185 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
24186 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
24187 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
24188 Hashcash Payments}).
24191 @section Spam Package
24192 @cindex spam filtering
24195 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
24196 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
24197 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
24198 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
24201 * Spam Package Introduction::
24202 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
24203 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
24204 * Spam and Ham Processors::
24205 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
24207 * Extending the Spam package::
24208 * Spam Statistics Package::
24211 @node Spam Package Introduction
24212 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
24213 @cindex spam filtering
24214 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
24217 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
24218 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
24220 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
24221 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
24223 @cindex spam-initialize
24224 @vindex spam-use-stat
24225 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
24226 @code{spam-initialize}:
24232 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
24233 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
24234 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
24235 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
24236 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
24238 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
24239 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
24241 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
24242 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
24244 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
24245 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
24246 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
24247 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
24248 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
24250 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
24251 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
24252 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
24253 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
24254 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
24257 @cindex spam back ends
24258 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
24259 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
24260 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
24261 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
24262 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24264 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
24265 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
24267 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
24268 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
24269 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
24270 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
24271 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
24272 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
24273 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
24275 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
24276 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
24277 point, the Spam package does several things:
24279 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
24280 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
24281 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
24282 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
24283 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
24284 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
24285 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
24286 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
24289 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
24290 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
24298 @kindex $ (Summary)
24299 @kindex M-d (Summary)
24300 @kindex S x (Summary)
24301 @kindex M s x (Summary)
24302 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24303 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24304 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
24305 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
24309 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
24310 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
24312 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
24313 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
24314 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
24315 to be processed as ham by setting
24316 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
24317 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
24319 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24320 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24321 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
24322 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
24323 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
24324 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
24325 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
24326 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
24327 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
24328 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
24329 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
24330 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
24332 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
24333 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
24334 want each article to be processed only once, load the
24335 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
24336 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
24337 Configuration Examples}.
24339 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
24340 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
24341 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
24342 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
24344 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
24345 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
24347 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
24348 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
24349 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
24351 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
24352 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
24353 @cindex spam filtering
24354 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
24357 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
24358 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
24359 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
24360 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
24361 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
24367 @vindex spam-split-group
24369 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
24370 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
24371 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
24372 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
24373 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
24374 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
24375 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
24376 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
24377 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
24379 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
24381 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
24382 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
24383 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
24384 you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to
24385 @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can ``scan''
24386 the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only retrieves
24387 the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells it to
24388 retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by default
24389 because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
24390 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Client-Side
24393 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
24394 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
24395 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
24396 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
24397 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
24398 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
24399 ends, and the following split rule:
24402 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24403 (any "ding" "ding")
24405 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24410 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
24411 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
24412 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
24413 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
24414 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
24415 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
24417 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
24418 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
24419 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
24420 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
24425 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
24426 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24427 (any "ding" "ding")
24428 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
24430 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24435 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
24436 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
24437 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
24438 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
24439 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
24440 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
24441 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
24443 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24444 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24445 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24446 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24448 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
24449 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
24452 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
24453 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
24455 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
24456 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
24457 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
24458 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24460 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24461 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24462 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24463 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
24465 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
24466 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
24467 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
24469 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
24470 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
24471 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
24472 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
24473 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
24474 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
24475 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
24477 @node Spam and Ham Processors
24478 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
24479 @cindex spam filtering
24480 @cindex spam filtering variables
24481 @cindex spam variables
24484 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
24485 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
24486 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
24487 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
24488 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
24489 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
24490 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
24492 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
24493 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
24494 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
24495 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
24497 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24498 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
24499 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
24500 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
24501 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
24502 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
24503 by customizing the corresponding variable
24504 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
24505 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
24506 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
24507 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
24508 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
24509 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
24510 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
24513 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
24515 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
24516 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
24517 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
24518 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
24519 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
24520 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
24521 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
24522 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
24523 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
24524 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
24525 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
24526 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
24527 processor which will study them as spam samples.
24529 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
24530 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
24531 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
24532 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
24533 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
24534 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
24535 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
24536 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
24539 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24540 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
24541 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
24542 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
24543 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
24544 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
24545 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
24550 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24551 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24552 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24553 you really want to.
24556 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24557 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24558 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24559 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24560 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24561 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24564 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24565 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24566 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24567 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24568 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24569 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24570 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24571 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24572 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24573 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24574 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24575 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24576 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24577 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24578 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24580 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24581 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24583 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24584 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24585 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24587 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24588 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24590 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24591 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24592 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24593 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24594 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24596 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24597 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24598 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24599 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24600 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24603 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24604 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24605 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24606 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24607 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24608 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24609 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24610 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24611 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24612 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24613 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24614 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24615 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24617 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24618 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24620 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24621 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24624 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24625 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24626 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24627 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24628 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24629 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24630 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24632 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24633 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24634 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24635 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24637 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24638 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24639 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24640 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24641 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24642 from the mail server.
24644 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24645 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24646 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24647 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24649 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24650 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24651 @cindex spam filtering
24652 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24653 @cindex spam configuration examples
24656 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24658 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24660 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24661 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24662 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24666 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24668 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24669 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24670 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24671 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24672 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24673 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24674 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24675 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24676 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24677 ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
24678 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24679 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24680 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24681 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24682 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24683 (any "ding" "ding")
24684 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
24686 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24689 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
24691 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
24692 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
24693 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
24694 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
24696 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24698 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
24699 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
24700 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
24701 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
24702 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24704 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
24705 ((spam-autodetect . t))
24707 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
24709 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
24710 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
24712 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
24713 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
24714 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
24716 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
24718 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
24719 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
24721 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
24722 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
24723 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
24725 (gnus-ticked-mark))
24726 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
24727 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
24728 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
24730 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
24731 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
24732 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
24736 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
24737 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24739 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
24740 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
24741 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
24742 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
24743 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
24744 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
24745 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
24746 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
24747 @samp{training.spam} folders.
24749 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
24750 does most of the job for me:
24753 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
24754 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
24755 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
24756 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24757 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
24758 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
24759 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
24764 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
24766 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
24767 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
24768 bogofilter or DCC).
24770 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
24771 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
24772 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
24773 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
24774 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
24775 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
24776 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
24778 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
24779 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
24780 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
24781 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
24782 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
24783 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
24785 @item @b{Ham folders:}
24787 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
24788 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
24789 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
24790 @samp{training.spam}.
24793 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
24795 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24797 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
24798 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
24799 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
24803 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
24806 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
24807 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
24808 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
24809 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
24810 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
24812 @node Spam Back Ends
24813 @subsection Spam Back Ends
24814 @cindex spam back ends
24816 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
24817 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
24818 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
24819 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
24823 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
24824 * BBDB Whitelists::
24825 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
24826 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
24828 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
24830 * SpamAssassin back end::
24831 * ifile spam filtering::
24832 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
24836 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
24837 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
24838 @cindex spam filtering
24839 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
24840 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
24843 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
24845 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
24846 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
24847 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
24848 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
24853 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
24855 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
24856 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
24857 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24858 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
24859 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24863 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
24865 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
24866 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24867 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
24871 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
24873 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24874 customizing the group parameters or the
24875 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24876 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24877 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24881 Instead of the obsolete
24882 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24883 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24884 the same way, we promise.
24888 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24890 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24891 customizing the group parameters or the
24892 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24893 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24894 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24899 Instead of the obsolete
24900 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24901 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24902 the same way, we promise.
24906 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24907 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24908 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24909 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24910 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24912 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24913 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24914 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24915 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24917 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24918 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24919 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24920 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24921 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24922 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24924 @node BBDB Whitelists
24925 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24926 @cindex spam filtering
24927 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24928 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24931 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24933 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24934 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24935 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24936 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24937 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24938 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24939 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24943 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24945 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24946 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24947 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
24948 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24949 classified as spammers.
24951 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24952 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24953 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24954 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24959 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24961 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24962 customizing the group parameters or the
24963 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24964 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24965 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24970 Instead of the obsolete
24971 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24972 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24973 the same way, we promise.
24977 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24978 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24979 @cindex spam reporting
24980 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24981 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24984 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24986 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24987 customizing the group parameters or the
24988 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24989 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24990 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24993 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24997 Instead of the obsolete
24998 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24999 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
25000 same way, we promise.
25004 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
25006 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
25007 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
25008 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
25009 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
25010 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
25014 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
25016 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
25017 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
25018 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
25022 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25023 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25024 @cindex spam filtering
25025 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
25028 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
25030 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
25031 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
25032 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
25033 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
25034 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
25035 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25040 @subsubsection Blackholes
25041 @cindex spam filtering
25042 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
25045 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
25047 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
25048 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
25049 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
25050 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
25051 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
25052 contains outdated servers.
25054 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
25055 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
25056 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
25057 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
25058 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
25059 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
25063 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
25065 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
25069 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
25071 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
25072 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
25076 @defvar spam-use-dig
25078 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
25079 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
25083 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
25084 ham processor for blackholes.
25086 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
25087 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
25088 @cindex spam filtering
25089 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
25092 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
25094 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
25095 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
25096 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
25097 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
25098 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
25099 message is spam or ham, respectively.
25103 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
25105 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25106 the message, positively identify it as spam.
25110 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
25112 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25113 the message, positively identify it as ham.
25117 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
25118 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
25121 @subsubsection Bogofilter
25122 @cindex spam filtering
25123 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
25126 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
25128 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25131 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
25132 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
25133 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
25134 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
25135 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
25136 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
25138 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
25139 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
25142 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
25143 processing will be turned off.
25145 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
25154 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
25155 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
25158 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
25160 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25161 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
25162 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
25163 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
25164 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
25165 installation documents for details.
25167 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
25171 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
25172 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25173 customizing the group parameters or the
25174 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25175 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
25176 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
25180 Instead of the obsolete
25181 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25182 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25183 the same way, we promise.
25186 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
25187 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25188 customizing the group parameters or the
25189 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25190 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25191 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
25192 of non-spam messages.
25196 Instead of the obsolete
25197 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25198 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25199 the same way, we promise.
25202 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
25204 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
25205 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
25206 database directory.
25210 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
25211 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25212 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
25213 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
25214 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
25215 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
25217 @node SpamAssassin back end
25218 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
25219 @cindex spam filtering
25220 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
25223 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
25225 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
25227 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
25228 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
25229 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
25230 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
25233 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
25234 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
25235 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
25236 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
25239 You should not enable this if you use
25240 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
25244 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
25246 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
25247 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
25249 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
25253 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
25255 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
25256 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
25257 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
25258 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
25262 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
25263 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
25264 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
25265 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
25266 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
25267 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
25268 to test this functionality.
25270 @node ifile spam filtering
25271 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
25272 @cindex spam filtering
25273 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
25276 @defvar spam-use-ifile
25278 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
25279 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
25283 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
25285 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
25286 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
25287 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
25291 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
25293 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
25294 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
25295 the default value of @samp{spam}.
25298 @defvar spam-ifile-database
25300 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
25301 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
25305 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
25306 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25307 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
25308 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
25311 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
25312 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
25313 @cindex spam filtering
25314 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
25318 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
25319 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
25320 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
25321 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
25322 spam-stat dictionary}.
25324 @defvar spam-use-stat
25328 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
25329 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25330 customizing the group parameters or the
25331 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25332 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25333 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
25337 Instead of the obsolete
25338 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25339 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25340 the same way, we promise.
25343 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
25344 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25345 customizing the group parameters or the
25346 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25347 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25348 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
25349 of non-spam messages.
25353 Instead of the obsolete
25354 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25355 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25356 the same way, we promise.
25359 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
25360 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
25361 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
25362 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
25363 @code{spam-split} are provided.
25366 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
25367 @cindex spam filtering
25371 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
25372 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
25373 installed separately.
25375 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
25376 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
25377 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
25378 mail as a spam mail or not.
25380 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
25381 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
25382 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
25384 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
25387 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
25388 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
25389 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
25390 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
25391 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
25392 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
25393 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
25394 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
25397 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
25398 spam-split-group "Junk"
25399 ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
25400 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
25401 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
25404 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
25405 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
25409 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
25410 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
25411 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
25415 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
25416 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
25417 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
25418 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
25419 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
25420 database to live somewhere special, set
25421 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
25424 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
25425 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
25426 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
25427 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
25428 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
25429 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
25430 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
25431 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
25432 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
25433 @xref{Spam Package}.
25435 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
25436 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25437 customizing the group parameter or the
25438 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25439 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
25440 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
25444 Instead of the obsolete
25445 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25446 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25447 the same way, we promise.
25450 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
25451 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25452 customizing the group parameter or the
25453 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25454 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
25455 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
25460 Instead of the obsolete
25461 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25462 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25463 the same way, we promise.
25466 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
25467 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
25470 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
25471 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
25472 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
25474 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
25475 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
25476 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
25477 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
25478 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
25479 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
25481 @node Extending the Spam package
25482 @subsection Extending the Spam package
25483 @cindex spam filtering
25484 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
25485 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
25487 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
25488 incoming mail, provide the following:
25496 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
25497 "True if blackbox should be used.")
25500 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
25502 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
25503 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
25504 register/unregister routines as a start, or other register/unregister
25505 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
25506 register/unregister spam and ham.
25511 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
25512 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
25513 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
25514 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
25519 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
25526 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
25527 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
25529 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
25530 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
25531 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
25532 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
25535 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
25536 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
25537 Only applicable to spam groups.")
25539 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
25540 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
25541 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
25550 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25551 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25553 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25554 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25555 variable customization.
25559 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25561 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25562 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25564 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25565 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25571 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25573 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25574 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25575 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25578 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25580 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25581 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25585 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25587 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25588 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25589 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25593 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25595 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25596 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25597 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25600 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25602 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25603 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25607 @code{spam-install-backend}
25609 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25610 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25611 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25614 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25616 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25617 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25618 never install such a back end.
25623 @node Spam Statistics Package
25624 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25625 @cindex Paul Graham
25626 @cindex Graham, Paul
25627 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25628 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25629 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25631 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25632 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25633 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25634 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25635 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25636 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25637 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25638 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25639 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25642 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25643 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25644 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25645 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25646 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25647 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25648 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25649 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25651 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25652 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25653 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25655 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25656 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25657 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25658 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25659 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25662 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25663 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25664 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25667 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25668 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25670 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25671 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25672 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25673 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25674 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25676 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25677 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25678 per mail. Use the following:
25680 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25681 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25682 is treated as one spam mail.
25685 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
25686 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
25687 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
25690 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
25691 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
25692 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
25693 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
25694 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
25695 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
25697 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
25698 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
25699 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
25700 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
25701 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
25704 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
25705 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
25706 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
25707 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
25710 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
25711 reset the dictionary.
25713 @defun spam-stat-reset
25714 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
25717 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
25718 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
25719 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
25720 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
25721 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
25722 only non-spam mails.
25724 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
25725 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
25726 to update the dictionary incrementally.
25729 @defun spam-stat-save
25730 Save the dictionary.
25733 @defvar spam-stat-file
25734 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
25735 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
25738 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
25739 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
25741 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
25742 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
25744 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25747 (require 'spam-stat)
25751 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
25754 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
25755 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
25756 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
25757 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
25759 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
25760 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
25761 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
25762 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
25765 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25766 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25770 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
25771 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
25774 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
25775 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
25776 expression are considered potential spam.
25779 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25780 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25781 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25785 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
25786 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
25787 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
25788 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
25789 mails, when creating the dictionary!
25792 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25793 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25794 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25798 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
25799 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
25800 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
25801 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
25802 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
25806 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25807 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
25808 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25809 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25814 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25815 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25817 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
25819 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
25820 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
25821 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25824 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
25825 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
25826 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25829 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
25830 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
25831 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
25832 already been processed as non-spam.
25835 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
25836 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
25837 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
25838 been processed as spam.
25841 @defun spam-stat-save
25842 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
25843 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25846 @defun spam-stat-load
25847 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
25848 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25851 @defun spam-stat-score-word
25852 Return the spam score for a word.
25855 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
25856 Return the spam score for a buffer.
25859 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
25860 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
25861 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
25864 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
25865 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25868 (require 'spam-stat)
25872 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
25875 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25876 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25877 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25878 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25879 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25880 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25881 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25882 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25883 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25884 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25885 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25886 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25887 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25888 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25891 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25894 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25895 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25896 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25897 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25898 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25899 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25902 @node The Gnus Registry
25903 @section The Gnus Registry
25908 The Gnus registry is a package that tracks messages by their
25909 Message-ID across all backends. This allows Gnus users to do several
25910 cool things, be the envy of the locals, get free haircuts, and be
25911 experts on world issues. Well, maybe not all of those, but the
25912 features are pretty cool.
25914 Although they will be explained in detail shortly, here's a quick list
25915 of said features in case your attention span is... never mind.
25919 Split messages to their parent
25921 This keeps discussions in the same group. You can use the subject and
25922 the sender in addition to the Message-ID. Several strategies are
25926 Refer to messages by ID
25928 Commands like @code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article} can take
25929 advantage of the registry to jump to the referred article, regardless
25930 of the group the message is in.
25933 Store custom flags and keywords
25935 The registry can store custom flags and keywords for a message. For
25936 instance, you can mark a message ``To-Do'' this way and the flag will
25937 persist whether the message is in the nnimap, nnml, nnmaildir,
25941 Store arbitrary data
25943 Through a simple ELisp API, the registry can remember any data for a
25944 message. A built-in inverse map, when activated, allows quick lookups
25945 of all messages matching a particular set of criteria.
25949 * Gnus Registry Setup::
25950 * Fancy splitting to parent::
25951 * Registry Article Refer Method::
25952 * Store custom flags and keywords::
25953 * Store arbitrary data::
25956 @node Gnus Registry Setup
25957 @subsection Gnus Registry Setup
25959 Fortunately, setting up the Gnus registry is pretty easy:
25962 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500)
25964 (gnus-registry-initialize)
25967 This adds registry saves to Gnus newsrc saves (which happen on exit
25968 and when you press @kbd{s} from the @code{*Group*} buffer. It also
25969 adds registry calls to article actions in Gnus (copy, move, etc.) so
25970 it's not easy to undo the initialization. See
25971 @code{gnus-registry-initialize} for the gory details.
25973 Here are other settings used by the author of the registry (understand
25974 what they do before you copy them blindly).
25978 gnus-registry-split-strategy 'majority
25979 gnus-registry-ignored-groups '(("nntp" t)
25983 gnus-registry-max-entries 500000
25984 ;; this is the default
25985 gnus-registry-track-extra '(sender subject))
25988 They say: keep a lot of messages around, track messages by sender and
25989 subject (not just parent Message-ID), and when the registry splits
25990 incoming mail, use a majority rule to decide where messages should go
25991 if there's more than one possibility. In addition, the registry
25992 should ignore messages in groups that match ``nntp'', ``nnrss'',
25993 ``spam'', or ``train.''
25995 You are doubtless impressed by all this, but you ask: ``I am a Gnus
25996 user, I customize to live. Give me more.'' Here you go, these are
25997 the general settings.
25999 @defvar gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups
26000 The groups that will not be followed by
26001 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}. They will still be
26002 remembered by the registry. This is a list of regular expressions.
26003 By default any group name that ends with ``delayed'', ``drafts'',
26004 ``queue'', or ``INBOX'', belongs to the nnmairix backend, or contains
26005 the word ``archive'' is not followed.
26008 @defvar gnus-registry-max-entries
26009 The number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries the
26010 registry will keep.
26013 @defvar gnus-registry-max-pruned-entries
26014 The maximum number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries
26015 the registry will keep after pruning.
26018 @defvar gnus-registry-cache-file
26019 The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions. By
26020 default the file name is @code{.gnus.registry.eioio} in the same
26021 directory as your @code{.newsrc.eld}.
26024 @node Registry Article Refer Method
26025 @subsection Fetching by @code{Message-ID} Using the Registry
26027 The registry knows how to map each @code{Message-ID} to the group it's
26028 in. This can be leveraged to enhance the ``article refer method'',
26029 the thing that tells Gnus how to look up an article given its
26030 Message-ID (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
26033 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
26035 The @code{nnregistry} refer method does exactly that. It has the
26036 advantage that an article may be found regardless of the group it's
26037 in---provided its @code{Message-ID} is known to the registry. It can
26038 be enabled by augmenting the start-up file with something along these
26042 ;; Keep enough entries to have a good hit rate when referring to an
26043 ;; article using the registry. Use long group names so that Gnus
26044 ;; knows where the article is.
26045 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500)
26047 (gnus-registry-initialize)
26049 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
26052 (nnweb "gmane" (nnweb-type gmane))))
26055 The example above instructs Gnus to first look up the article in the
26056 current group, or, alternatively, using the registry, and finally, if
26057 all else fails, using Gmane.
26059 @node Fancy splitting to parent
26060 @subsection Fancy splitting to parent
26062 Simply put, this lets you put followup e-mail where it belongs.
26064 Every message has a Message-ID, which is unique, and the registry
26065 remembers it. When the message is moved or copied, the registry will
26066 notice this and offer the new group as a choice to the splitting
26069 When a followup is made, usually it mentions the original message's
26070 Message-ID in the headers. The registry knows this and uses that
26071 mention to find the group where the original message lives. You only
26072 have to put a rule like this:
26075 (setq nnimap-my-split-fancy '(|
26077 ;; split to parent: you need this
26078 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
26080 ;; other rules, as an example
26086 in your fancy split setup. In addition, you may want to customize the
26087 following variables.
26089 @defvar gnus-registry-track-extra
26090 This is a list of symbols, so it's best to change it from the
26091 Customize interface. By default it's @code{(subject sender)}, which
26092 may work for you. It can be annoying if your mail flow is large and
26093 people don't stick to the same groups.
26096 @defvar gnus-registry-split-strategy
26097 This is a symbol, so it's best to change it from the Customize
26098 interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to set it to
26099 @code{majority} or @code{first} to split by sender or subject based on
26100 the majority of matches or on the first found. I find @code{majority}
26104 @node Store custom flags and keywords
26105 @subsection Store custom flags and keywords
26107 The registry lets you set custom flags and keywords per message. You
26108 can use the Gnus->Registry Marks menu or the @kbd{M M x} keyboard
26109 shortcuts, where @code{x} is the first letter of the mark's name.
26111 @defvar gnus-registry-marks
26112 The custom marks that the registry can use. You can modify the
26113 default list, if you like. If you do, you'll have to exit Emacs
26114 before they take effect (you can also unload the registry and reload
26115 it or evaluate the specific macros you'll need, but you probably don't
26116 want to bother). Use the Customize interface to modify the list.
26118 By default this list has the @code{Important}, @code{Work},
26119 @code{Personal}, @code{To-Do}, and @code{Later} marks. They all have
26120 keyboard shortcuts like @kbd{M M i} for Important, using the first
26124 @defun gnus-registry-mark-article
26125 Call this function to mark an article with a custom registry mark. It
26126 will offer the available marks for completion.
26129 You can use @code{defalias} to install a summary line formatting
26130 function that will show the registry marks. There are two flavors of
26131 this function, either showing the marks as single characters, using
26132 their @code{:char} property, or showing the marks as full strings.
26135 ;; show the marks as single characters (see the :char property in
26136 ;; `gnus-registry-marks'):
26137 ;; (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-M 'gnus-registry-article-marks-to-chars)
26139 ;; show the marks by name (see `gnus-registry-marks'):
26140 ;; (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-M 'gnus-registry-article-marks-to-names)
26144 @node Store arbitrary data
26145 @subsection Store arbitrary data
26147 The registry has a simple API that uses a Message-ID as the key to
26148 store arbitrary data (as long as it can be converted to a list for
26151 @defun gnus-registry-set-id-key (id key value)
26152 Store @code{value} under @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26155 @defun gnus-registry-get-id-key (id key)
26156 Get the data under @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26159 @defvar gnus-registry-extra-entries-precious
26160 If any extra entries are precious, their presence will make the
26161 registry keep the whole entry forever, even if there are no groups for
26162 the Message-ID and if the size limit of the registry is reached. By
26163 default this is just @code{(marks)} so the custom registry marks are
26168 @section Interaction with other modes
26173 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
26174 buffers. It is enabled with
26176 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
26181 @findex gnus-dired-attach
26182 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
26183 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
26184 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
26187 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
26188 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
26189 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
26193 @findex gnus-dired-print
26194 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
26195 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
26198 @node Various Various
26199 @section Various Various
26205 @item gnus-home-directory
26206 @vindex gnus-home-directory
26207 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
26208 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
26210 @item gnus-directory
26211 @vindex gnus-directory
26212 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
26213 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
26214 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
26216 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
26217 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
26218 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
26219 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
26221 @item gnus-default-directory
26222 @vindex gnus-default-directory
26223 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
26224 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
26225 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
26226 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
26227 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
26228 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
26231 @vindex gnus-verbose
26232 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
26233 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
26234 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
26235 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
26236 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
26238 @item gnus-verbose-backends
26239 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
26240 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
26241 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
26243 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26244 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26245 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
26246 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
26247 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
26248 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
26249 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
26250 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
26251 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
26252 displayed in the echo area.
26254 @item nnheader-max-head-length
26255 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
26256 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
26257 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
26258 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
26259 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
26260 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
26261 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
26262 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
26263 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
26265 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
26266 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
26267 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
26268 read when doing the operation described above.
26270 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26271 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26273 @cindex invalid characters in file names
26274 @cindex characters in file names
26275 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
26276 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
26277 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
26281 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26286 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
26287 Windows (phooey) systems.
26289 @item gnus-hidden-properties
26290 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
26291 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
26292 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
26293 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
26295 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
26296 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
26297 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
26298 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
26299 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
26301 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
26302 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
26303 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
26305 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26306 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26308 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
26309 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
26310 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
26311 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
26314 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
26316 @item gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26317 @vindex gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26318 Groups in which links in html articles are considered all safe. The
26319 value may be a regexp matching those groups, a list of group names, or
26320 @code{nil}. This overrides @code{mm-w3m-safe-url-regexp}. The default
26321 value is @code{"\\`nnrss[+:]"}. This is effective only when emacs-w3m
26322 renders html articles, i.e., in the case @code{mm-text-html-renderer} is
26323 set to @code{w3m}. @xref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization,
26324 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}.
26331 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
26332 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
26334 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
26336 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
26342 Not because of victories @*
26345 but for the common sunshine,@*
26347 the largess of the spring.
26351 but for the day's work done@*
26352 as well as I was able;@*
26353 not for a seat upon the dais@*
26354 but at the common table.@*
26359 @chapter Appendices
26362 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
26363 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
26364 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
26365 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
26366 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
26367 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
26368 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
26369 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
26370 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
26377 @cindex installing under XEmacs
26379 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
26380 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
26381 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
26382 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
26383 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
26384 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
26391 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
26392 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
26394 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
26395 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
26396 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
26397 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
26398 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
26400 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
26401 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
26402 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
26403 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
26404 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
26405 appropriate name, don't you think?)
26407 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
26408 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
26409 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
26410 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
26413 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
26414 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
26415 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
26416 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
26417 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
26418 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
26419 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
26420 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
26424 @node Gnus Versions
26425 @subsection Gnus Versions
26427 @cindex September Gnus
26429 @cindex Quassia Gnus
26430 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
26434 @cindex Gnus versions
26436 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
26437 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
26438 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
26440 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
26441 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
26443 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
26444 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
26446 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
26447 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
26449 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
26450 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
26453 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
26454 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
26456 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
26458 On April 19, 2010 Gnus development was moved to Git. See
26459 http://git.gnus.org for details (http://www.gnus.org will be updated
26460 with the information when possible).
26462 On the January 31th 2012, Ma Gnus was begun.
26464 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
26465 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
26466 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'', ``Ma Gnus'' -- don't
26467 panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly.
26468 Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of
26469 its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to
26476 What's the point of Gnus?
26478 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
26479 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
26480 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
26481 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
26482 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
26483 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
26484 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
26485 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
26486 keep track of millions of people who post?
26488 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
26489 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
26490 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
26491 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
26492 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
26493 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
26494 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
26495 every one of you to explore and invent.
26497 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
26498 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
26501 @node Compatibility
26502 @subsection Compatibility
26504 @cindex compatibility
26505 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
26506 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
26507 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
26512 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
26516 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
26519 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
26522 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
26523 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
26524 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
26525 important variables have their values copied into their global
26526 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
26527 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
26529 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
26530 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
26531 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
26532 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
26533 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
26537 @cindex highlighting
26538 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
26539 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
26540 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
26541 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
26542 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
26543 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
26546 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
26547 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
26548 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
26549 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
26551 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
26552 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
26553 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
26554 to stop doing it the old way.
26556 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
26558 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26560 @cindex reporting bugs
26562 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
26563 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
26564 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
26566 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
26567 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
26568 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
26569 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
26574 @subsection Conformity
26576 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
26577 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
26585 There are no known breaches of this standard.
26589 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
26591 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
26592 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
26593 We do have some breaches to this one.
26599 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
26600 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
26601 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
26602 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
26603 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
26608 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
26609 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
26610 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
26611 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
26613 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
26614 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
26615 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
26617 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
26618 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
26620 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
26623 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
26624 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
26625 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
26626 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
26627 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
26630 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
26631 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
26632 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
26633 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
26635 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
26636 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
26638 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
26639 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
26640 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
26641 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
26642 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
26643 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
26644 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
26645 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
26649 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
26650 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
26655 @subsection Emacsen
26661 This version of Gnus should work on:
26669 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26673 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26674 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26675 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26676 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26678 @c No-merge comment: The paragraph added in v5-10 here must not be
26681 @node Gnus Development
26682 @subsection Gnus Development
26684 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26685 discussion on the development mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}, where people
26686 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26687 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26688 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26689 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26690 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26691 have names like ``Oort Gnus'' and ``No Gnus''. @xref{Gnus Versions}.
26693 After futzing around for 10-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26694 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26695 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.10.1'' instead. Normal people are
26696 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26697 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup. This newgroup is mirrored to the
26698 mailing list @samp{info-gnus-english@@gnu.org} which is carried on Gmane
26699 as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.user}. These releases are finally integrated
26703 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26704 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26705 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26706 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26707 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26709 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26710 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26711 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26712 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26713 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26714 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26715 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26716 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26717 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26718 can't be assumed to do so.
26720 So if you have problems with or questions about the alpha versions,
26721 direct those to the ding mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}. This list
26722 is also available on Gmane as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.general}.
26725 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26726 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26727 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26728 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26729 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26732 @subsection Contributors
26733 @cindex contributors
26735 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
26736 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
26737 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
26738 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
26739 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
26740 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
26741 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
26742 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
26743 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
26744 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
26746 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
26752 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
26755 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el,
26756 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
26757 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
26758 functionality and stuff.
26761 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
26762 well as numerous other things).
26765 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
26768 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
26771 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
26774 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
26777 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
26778 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
26781 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
26784 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
26787 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
26790 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
26793 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bug detection and fixes.
26796 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
26799 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
26800 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
26803 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
26806 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
26809 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
26812 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
26816 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
26819 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
26822 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
26825 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
26826 well as autoconf support.
26830 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
26831 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
26833 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
26848 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
26850 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
26854 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
26864 Alexei V. Barantsev,
26879 Massimo Campostrini,
26884 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
26885 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
26889 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
26892 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
26898 Michael Welsh Duggan,
26903 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
26907 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
26915 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
26917 Michelangelo Grigni,
26921 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
26923 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
26925 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
26933 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
26934 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
26935 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
26937 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
26947 Peter Skov Knudsen,
26948 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
26950 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
26951 Thor Kristoffersen,
26954 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
26972 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
26973 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
26980 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
26985 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
26989 John McClary Prevost,
26995 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
27000 Christian von Roques,
27003 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
27010 Philippe Schnoebelen,
27012 Randal L. Schwartz,
27026 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
27031 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
27051 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
27052 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
27053 (550kB and counting).
27055 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
27058 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
27059 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
27063 @subsection New Features
27064 @cindex new features
27067 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
27068 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
27069 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
27070 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
27071 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
27072 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
27073 * No Gnus:: Very punny. Gnus 5.12/5.13.
27074 * Ma Gnus:: Celebrating 25 years of Gnus.
27077 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
27078 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
27079 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
27082 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
27084 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
27089 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
27090 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
27093 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
27094 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
27097 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
27100 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
27101 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
27102 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
27105 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
27106 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
27107 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
27108 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27111 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
27112 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27115 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
27116 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
27117 (@pxref{The Active File}).
27120 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
27121 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
27124 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
27125 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
27126 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27129 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
27130 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
27131 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
27134 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
27135 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
27138 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
27139 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
27142 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
27143 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27146 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
27147 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
27150 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
27151 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27154 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
27157 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
27158 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
27161 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
27162 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
27165 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
27166 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
27169 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
27172 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
27173 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27176 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
27180 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
27184 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
27185 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
27190 @node September Gnus
27191 @subsubsection September Gnus
27195 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
27199 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
27204 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
27205 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
27209 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
27210 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
27214 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
27218 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
27219 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
27222 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
27226 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
27229 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
27232 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
27235 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
27239 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
27240 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
27243 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
27247 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
27251 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
27255 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
27259 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
27262 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
27263 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
27266 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
27270 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
27271 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
27274 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
27277 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
27278 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
27279 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27282 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets.
27285 The Gnus cache is much faster.
27288 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
27292 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
27293 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
27296 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
27297 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
27300 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
27301 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
27304 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
27305 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
27306 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
27309 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
27310 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
27313 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
27316 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27319 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
27322 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
27325 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
27326 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
27329 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
27333 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
27336 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
27341 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27344 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
27348 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
27351 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
27354 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
27355 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27358 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
27359 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
27363 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
27364 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
27367 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
27371 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
27372 buffer to allow easier treatment.
27375 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
27378 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
27382 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
27386 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
27387 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
27390 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
27394 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
27395 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27398 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
27399 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27402 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
27406 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27409 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
27412 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
27418 @subsubsection Red Gnus
27420 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
27424 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
27431 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
27434 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
27435 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27438 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
27439 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
27443 Article washing status can be displayed in the
27444 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
27447 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
27450 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
27451 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
27454 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
27458 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
27459 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
27463 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extensible (@pxref{Document
27464 Server Internals}).
27467 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
27471 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
27474 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
27475 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
27478 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
27479 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
27480 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
27483 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
27484 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27487 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
27488 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
27491 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
27495 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
27496 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27499 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
27500 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27503 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
27507 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
27510 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
27514 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
27515 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27518 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
27519 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27522 A new command for reading collections of documents
27523 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
27524 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
27527 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
27531 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
27532 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
27535 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
27536 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
27537 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
27540 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
27541 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
27545 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
27549 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
27553 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
27558 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
27562 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
27566 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
27567 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
27570 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
27576 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
27578 New features in Gnus 5.6:
27583 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
27584 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
27585 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
27588 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
27589 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
27590 group, which is created automatically.
27593 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
27597 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
27600 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
27601 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
27604 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
27608 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
27611 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
27612 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
27615 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
27618 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
27622 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
27623 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
27626 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
27627 control over simplification.
27630 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
27633 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
27637 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
27640 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
27643 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
27644 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
27645 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
27648 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
27649 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
27652 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
27656 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
27657 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
27660 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
27661 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
27664 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27668 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27671 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27674 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27675 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27678 A new function for citing in Message has been
27679 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27682 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27685 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27689 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27690 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27693 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27694 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27697 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27700 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27704 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27705 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27707 New features in Gnus 5.8:
27712 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
27713 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
27715 If you used procmail like in
27718 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
27719 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
27720 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
27721 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
27724 this now has changed to
27728 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
27732 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
27735 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
27736 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
27739 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
27740 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
27743 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
27744 called to position point.
27747 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
27748 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
27751 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
27752 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
27755 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
27756 subtly different manner.
27759 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
27760 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
27761 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
27764 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
27769 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
27772 New features in Gnus 5.10:
27776 @item Installation changes
27777 @c ***********************
27781 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
27783 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
27784 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
27785 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
27786 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
27787 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
27788 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
27789 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
27790 isn't save in general.
27793 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
27794 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
27795 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
27796 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
27797 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
27798 remove-installed-shadows}.
27801 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
27803 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
27804 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
27805 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, if you want
27806 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
27807 the second parameter.
27809 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
27810 automatic recognition of XEmacs and Emacs, generates
27811 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
27812 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
27813 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
27814 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
27815 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
27816 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
27817 cycle used under Unix systems.
27819 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
27820 superfluous, so they have been removed.
27823 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
27825 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
27826 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
27829 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
27830 @c the repository. We should find a better place for this item.
27832 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
27834 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
27835 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
27836 lisp directory into load-path.
27838 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
27839 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
27843 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
27844 @c *****************************************
27849 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
27850 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
27853 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
27855 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
27856 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GnuTLS.
27859 Improved anti-spam features.
27861 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
27862 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
27863 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
27864 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
27865 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
27866 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
27869 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
27871 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
27872 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
27873 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
27874 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
27875 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
27879 @item Changes in group mode
27880 @c ************************
27885 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
27889 Retrieval of charters and control messages
27891 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
27892 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
27895 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
27897 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
27898 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
27899 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
27900 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
27901 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
27904 (setq gnus-parameters
27906 (gnus-show-threads nil)
27907 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
27908 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
27909 (to-group . "\\1"))))
27913 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
27915 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
27916 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
27917 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
27918 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
27919 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
27920 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
27921 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
27922 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
27923 when getting new mail, remove the function.
27926 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
27928 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
27929 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
27930 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
27933 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27934 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27936 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27937 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27938 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27940 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27944 Old intermediate incoming mail files (@file{Incoming*}) are deleted
27945 after a couple of days, not immediately. @xref{Mail Source
27946 Customization}. (New in Gnus 5.10.10 / Emacs 22.2)
27950 @item Changes in summary and article mode
27951 @c **************************************
27956 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
27957 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
27958 region if the region is active.
27961 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
27962 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
27967 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
27968 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
27969 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
27970 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
27973 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
27978 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
27979 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
27981 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
27982 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
27986 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
27987 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
27990 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
27993 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
27994 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
27997 Warn about email replies to news
27999 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
28000 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
28004 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
28005 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
28009 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
28010 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
28013 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
28014 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
28017 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
28018 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
28021 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
28023 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
28024 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
28025 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
28026 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
28029 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
28030 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
28031 Outlook (Express) articles.
28034 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
28036 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
28037 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
28038 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
28039 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
28041 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
28042 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
28043 message cited below.
28046 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
28049 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
28053 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
28056 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
28057 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
28060 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
28063 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
28065 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
28066 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
28067 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
28068 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
28069 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
28073 Deleting of attachments.
28075 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
28076 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
28077 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
28078 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
28079 that support editing.
28082 @code{gnus-default-charset}
28084 The default value is determined from the
28085 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
28086 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
28087 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
28090 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
28092 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
28093 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
28094 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
28097 Extended format specs.
28099 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
28100 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
28101 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
28102 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
28103 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
28104 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
28107 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
28108 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
28110 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
28111 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
28112 out other articles.
28115 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
28117 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
28118 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
28119 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
28120 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
28123 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
28127 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
28128 @c ****************************************************
28135 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
28136 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
28137 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
28140 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
28141 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
28144 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
28145 Gcc articles as read.
28148 Externalizing of attachments
28150 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
28151 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
28152 local files as external parts.
28155 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
28156 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
28159 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
28161 Earlier it was generated when the user configurable email address was
28162 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
28163 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
28164 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
28165 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
28166 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
28167 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
28168 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
28169 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
28172 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
28174 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
28175 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
28176 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
28177 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
28178 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
28179 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
28182 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
28183 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
28187 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
28190 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
28192 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
28193 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
28194 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
28195 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
28196 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
28197 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
28198 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
28199 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
28200 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
28201 was inserted directly.
28204 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
28206 @c FIXME should that not be 'message-user-agent?
28207 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
28208 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
28209 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
28210 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
28213 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
28215 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
28217 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
28218 'bbdb-complete-name)
28222 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
28224 Add a new format of match like
28226 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
28227 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28229 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
28231 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
28232 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28236 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
28238 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
28239 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
28240 need add those two headers too.
28243 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
28244 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
28245 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
28249 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
28250 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
28251 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
28252 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
28253 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
28256 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
28258 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
28261 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
28263 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
28267 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
28269 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
28270 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
28271 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
28272 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
28273 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
28274 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
28275 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
28276 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
28279 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
28280 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
28282 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
28283 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
28284 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
28285 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
28288 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
28291 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
28292 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
28295 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
28298 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
28299 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
28300 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
28301 invalidate the digital signature.
28304 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
28305 decompressed when activated.
28306 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
28309 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
28311 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
28312 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
28313 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
28314 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
28315 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
28318 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
28319 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
28320 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
28321 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.1)
28323 @item @code{auto-fill-mode} is enabled by default in Message mode.
28324 See @code{message-fill-column}. @xref{Various Message Variables, ,
28325 Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
28326 @c New in Gnus 5.10.12 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.3)
28330 @item Changes in back ends
28331 @c ***********************
28335 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
28338 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
28341 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
28343 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
28346 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
28348 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
28349 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
28350 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
28351 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
28352 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
28353 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
28354 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
28355 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
28356 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
28357 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
28358 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
28368 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
28369 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
28372 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
28373 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
28374 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
28375 message, Message Manual}).
28378 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
28379 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars: @kbd{M-x
28380 customize-apropos RET -tool-bar$} should get you started. This is a new
28381 feature in Gnus 5.10.10. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
28383 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
28384 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
28385 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
28390 @item Miscellaneous changes
28391 @c ************************
28398 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
28399 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
28400 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
28401 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
28402 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
28403 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
28404 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
28405 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
28406 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
28407 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
28408 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
28409 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
28410 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
28411 is not needed any more.
28414 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
28416 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
28417 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
28418 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
28423 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
28424 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
28425 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
28429 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
28432 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
28434 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
28441 @subsubsection No Gnus
28444 New features in No Gnus:
28445 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
28447 @include gnus-news.texi
28450 @subsubsection Ma Gnus
28453 I'm sure there will be lots of text here. It's really spelled 真
28460 @section The Manual
28464 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
28465 either @code{texi2dvi}
28467 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
28468 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
28470 to get what you hold in your hands now.
28472 The following conventions have been used:
28477 This is a @samp{string}
28480 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
28483 This is a @file{file}
28486 This is a @code{symbol}
28490 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
28494 (setq flargnoze "yes")
28497 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
28500 (setq flumphel 'yes)
28503 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
28504 ever get them confused.
28508 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
28509 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
28510 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
28511 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
28512 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
28513 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
28514 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
28520 @node On Writing Manuals
28521 @section On Writing Manuals
28523 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
28524 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
28525 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
28526 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
28527 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
28528 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code go hand
28531 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
28532 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
28533 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
28536 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
28537 reference manual as source material. It would look quite different.
28542 @section Terminology
28544 @cindex terminology
28549 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
28550 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
28551 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
28552 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
28553 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
28557 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
28558 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
28559 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
28560 not posting, and replying is not following up.
28564 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
28568 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
28573 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
28574 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
28575 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
28576 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
28577 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
28578 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
28579 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
28580 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
28581 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
28584 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
28585 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
28586 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
28587 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
28588 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
28589 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
28591 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
28592 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
28593 access the articles.
28595 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
28596 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
28597 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
28602 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
28603 default, way of getting news. Groups from the native select method
28604 have names like @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}.
28608 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same
28609 time. These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends
28610 for getting news. Foreign groups have names like
28611 @samp{nntp+news.gmane.org:gmane.emacs.gnus.devel}.
28615 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and
28616 being foreign, but they mostly act like they are native, but they, too
28617 have names like @samp{nntp+news.gmane.org:gmane.emacs.gnus.devel}.
28621 A message that has been posted as news.
28624 @cindex mail message
28625 A message that has been mailed.
28629 A mail message or news article
28633 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
28638 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
28643 A line from the head of an article.
28647 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
28648 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
28650 @item @acronym{NOV}
28651 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
28652 @acronym{NOV} stands for News OverView, which is a type of news server
28653 header which provide datas containing the condensed header information
28654 of articles. They are produced by the server itself; in the @code{nntp}
28655 back end Gnus uses the ones that the @acronym{NNTP} server makes, but
28656 Gnus makes them by itself for some backends (in particular, @code{nnml}).
28658 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
28659 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
28660 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
28661 normal @sc{head} format.
28663 The @acronym{NOV} data consist of one or more text lines (@pxref{Text
28664 Lines, ,Motion by Text Lines, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual})
28665 where each line has the header information of one article. The header
28666 information is a tab-separated series of the header's contents including
28667 an article number, a subject, an author, a date, a message-id,
28670 Those data enable Gnus to generate summary lines quickly. However, if
28671 the server does not support @acronym{NOV} or you disable it purposely or
28672 for some reason, Gnus will try to generate the header information by
28673 parsing each article's headers one by one. It will take time.
28674 Therefore, it is not usually a good idea to set nn*-nov-is-evil
28675 (@pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}) to a non-@code{nil} value unless you
28676 know that the server makes wrong @acronym{NOV} data.
28680 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
28681 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
28682 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
28683 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
28684 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
28685 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
28687 @item killed groups
28688 @cindex killed groups
28689 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
28690 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
28692 @item zombie groups
28693 @cindex zombie groups
28694 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
28697 @cindex active file
28698 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
28699 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
28700 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28703 @cindex bogus groups
28704 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28705 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28706 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28709 @cindex activating groups
28710 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28711 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28712 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
28716 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
28717 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
28718 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
28722 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
28724 @item select method
28725 @cindex select method
28726 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
28729 @item virtual server
28730 @cindex virtual server
28731 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
28732 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
28733 whole is a virtual server.
28737 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
28738 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
28741 @item ephemeral groups
28742 @cindex ephemeral groups
28743 @cindex temporary groups
28744 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
28745 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
28746 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
28749 @cindex solid groups
28750 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
28751 group buffer are solid groups.
28753 @item sparse articles
28754 @cindex sparse articles
28755 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
28756 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
28760 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
28761 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
28765 @cindex thread root
28766 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
28767 articles in the thread.
28771 An article that has responses.
28775 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
28779 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
28780 specified by RFC 1153.
28783 @cindex splitting, terminology
28784 @cindex mail sorting
28785 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
28786 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
28787 incorrectly called mail filtering.
28793 @node Customization
28794 @section Customization
28795 @cindex general customization
28797 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
28798 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
28799 for some quite common situations.
28802 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
28803 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
28804 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
28805 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
28809 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
28810 @subsection Slow/Expensive Connection
28812 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
28813 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
28814 Gnus has to get from the server.
28818 @item gnus-read-active-file
28819 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
28820 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
28821 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28822 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
28823 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
28825 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
28826 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
28827 Usually this one must @emph{always} be @code{nil} (which is the
28828 default). If, for example, you wish to not use @acronym{NOV}
28829 (@pxref{Terminology}) with the @code{nntp} back end (@pxref{Crosspost
28830 Handling}), set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to a non-@code{nil} value
28831 instead of setting this. But you normally do not need to set
28832 @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} since Gnus by itself will detect whether the
28833 @acronym{NNTP} server supports @acronym{NOV}. Anyway, grabbing article
28834 headers from the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast if you tell
28835 Gnus not to use @acronym{NOV}.
28837 As the variables for the other back ends, there are
28838 @code{nndiary-nov-is-evil}, @code{nndir-nov-is-evil},
28839 @code{nnfolder-nov-is-evil}, @code{nnimap-nov-is-evil},
28840 @code{nnml-nov-is-evil}, and @code{nnspool-nov-is-evil}. Note that a
28841 non-@code{nil} value for @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} overrides all those
28846 @node Slow Terminal Connection
28847 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
28849 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
28850 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
28851 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
28855 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
28856 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
28857 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
28858 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
28859 horizontal and vertical recentering.
28861 @item gnus-visible-headers
28862 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
28863 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
28864 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
28865 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
28867 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
28869 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
28870 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
28871 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
28874 @item gnus-use-full-window
28875 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
28876 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
28877 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
28878 want to read them anyway.
28880 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
28881 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
28885 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
28886 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
28887 lines, which might save some time.
28891 @node Little Disk Space
28892 @subsection Little Disk Space
28895 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
28896 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
28900 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
28901 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
28902 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28903 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28906 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
28907 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
28908 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28909 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28912 @item gnus-save-killed-list
28913 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
28914 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
28915 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
28916 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
28922 @subsection Slow Machine
28923 @cindex slow machine
28925 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
28926 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
28928 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28929 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
28931 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
28932 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
28933 summary buffer faster. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
28937 @node Troubleshooting
28938 @section Troubleshooting
28939 @cindex troubleshooting
28941 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
28949 Make sure your computer is switched on.
28952 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
28953 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
28957 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
28959 @samp{Ma Gnus v0.4} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
28961 you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
28962 files lying around. Delete these.
28965 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
28966 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
28969 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
28970 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
28971 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
28972 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
28973 something like that.
28976 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
28979 @cindex reporting bugs
28981 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
28983 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
28984 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
28985 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
28986 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
28988 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
28989 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
28990 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
28991 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
28994 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
28995 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
28996 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
28997 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
28998 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
28999 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
29001 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
29002 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
29003 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
29007 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
29008 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
29011 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
29012 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
29013 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
29014 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
29015 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
29016 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
29017 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
29018 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
29019 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
29020 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
29021 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
29022 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
29023 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
29024 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
29029 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
29030 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
29031 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
29032 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
29033 helps isolating the real problem areas).
29035 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
29036 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
29037 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
29038 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
29039 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
29040 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
29041 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
29042 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
29043 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
29044 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
29045 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
29046 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
29047 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
29050 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
29051 @cindex ding mailing list
29052 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
29053 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
29054 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
29055 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
29059 @node Gnus Reference Guide
29060 @section Gnus Reference Guide
29062 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
29063 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
29064 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
29065 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
29068 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
29069 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
29070 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
29071 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
29072 and general methods of operation.
29075 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
29076 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
29077 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
29078 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
29079 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
29080 * Group Info:: The group info format.
29081 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
29082 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
29083 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
29087 @node Gnus Utility Functions
29088 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
29089 @cindex Gnus utility functions
29090 @cindex utility functions
29092 @cindex internal variables
29094 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
29095 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
29096 Below is a list of the most common ones.
29100 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
29101 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
29102 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
29104 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
29105 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
29106 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
29108 @item gnus-group-real-name
29109 @findex gnus-group-real-name
29110 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
29113 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
29114 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
29115 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
29116 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
29118 @item gnus-get-info
29119 @findex gnus-get-info
29120 Returns the group info list for @var{group} (@pxref{Group Info}).
29122 @item gnus-group-unread
29123 @findex gnus-group-unread
29124 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
29128 @findex gnus-active
29129 The active entry (i.e., a cons cell containing the lowest and highest
29130 article numbers) for @var{group}.
29132 @item gnus-set-active
29133 @findex gnus-set-active
29134 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
29136 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29137 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29138 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
29141 @item gnus-continuum-version
29142 @findex gnus-continuum-version
29143 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
29144 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
29147 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
29148 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
29149 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
29151 @item gnus-news-group-p
29152 @findex gnus-news-group-p
29153 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
29155 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29156 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29157 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
29159 @item gnus-server-to-method
29160 @findex gnus-server-to-method
29161 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
29163 @item gnus-server-equal
29164 @findex gnus-server-equal
29165 Says whether two virtual servers are essentially equal. For instance,
29166 two virtual servers may have server parameters in different order, but
29167 this function will consider them equal.
29169 @item gnus-group-native-p
29170 @findex gnus-group-native-p
29171 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
29173 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
29174 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
29175 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
29177 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
29178 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
29179 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
29181 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
29182 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
29183 Returns the parameter list of @var{group} (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
29184 If given a second parameter, returns the value of that parameter for
29187 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
29188 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
29189 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
29191 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
29192 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
29193 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
29195 @item gnus-check-backend-function
29196 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
29197 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
29198 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
29201 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
29205 @item gnus-read-method
29206 @findex gnus-read-method
29207 Prompts the user for a select method.
29212 @node Back End Interface
29213 @subsection Back End Interface
29215 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
29216 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
29217 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
29218 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
29219 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
29220 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
29222 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
29223 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
29224 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
29225 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
29226 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
29227 been opened, the function should fail.
29229 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
29230 name. Take this example:
29234 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
29235 (nntp-port-number 4324))
29238 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
29239 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
29241 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
29242 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
29243 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
29245 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
29246 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
29247 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
29249 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
29250 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
29251 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
29252 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
29253 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
29254 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
29257 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
29258 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
29259 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
29260 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
29263 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
29264 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
29265 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
29266 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
29267 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
29268 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
29269 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
29270 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
29271 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
29272 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
29274 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
29275 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
29276 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
29277 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
29278 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
29279 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
29280 of numbers as long as possible.
29282 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
29283 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
29284 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
29286 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
29289 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
29292 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
29293 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
29294 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
29295 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
29296 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
29297 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
29301 @node Required Back End Functions
29302 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
29306 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
29308 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
29309 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
29310 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
29311 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
29313 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
29314 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
29315 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
29316 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
29318 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
29319 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
29320 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
29321 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
29322 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
29323 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
29324 number, do maximum fetches.
29326 Here's an example HEAD:
29329 221 1056 Article retrieved.
29330 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
29331 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
29332 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
29333 Subject: Re: Something very droll
29334 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
29335 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
29337 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
29338 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
29339 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
29343 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
29344 these in the data buffer.
29346 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
29350 head = error / valid-head
29351 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
29352 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
29353 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
29354 header = <text> eol
29358 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
29360 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
29361 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
29365 nov-buffer = *nov-line
29366 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
29367 field = <text except TAB>
29370 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
29374 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
29376 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
29377 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
29379 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
29380 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
29381 server. In fact, it should do so.
29383 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
29384 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
29387 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
29389 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
29390 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
29393 There should be no data returned.
29396 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
29398 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
29399 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
29400 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
29401 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
29403 There should be no data returned.
29406 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
29408 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
29409 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
29410 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
29411 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
29413 There should be no data returned.
29416 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
29418 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
29420 There should be no data returned.
29423 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
29425 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
29426 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
29427 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
29428 it would be nice if that were possible.
29430 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
29431 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
29432 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
29433 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
29434 into its article buffer.
29436 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
29437 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
29438 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
29439 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
29440 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
29441 on successful article retrieval.
29444 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST INFO)
29446 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
29447 making @var{group} the current group.
29449 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
29452 If @var{info}, it allows the backend to update the group info
29455 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
29458 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
29461 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
29462 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
29463 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
29464 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
29465 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
29466 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
29467 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
29468 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
29469 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
29473 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
29474 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
29475 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
29479 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29481 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
29482 a no-op on most back ends.
29484 There should be no data returned.
29487 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
29489 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
29492 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
29495 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
29496 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
29499 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
29500 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
29501 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
29502 and the highest as 0.
29505 active-file = *active-line
29506 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
29508 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
29511 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
29512 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
29513 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
29516 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
29518 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
29519 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
29520 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
29521 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
29522 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
29523 clear if the posting could not be completed.
29525 There should be no result data from this function.
29530 @node Optional Back End Functions
29531 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
29535 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
29537 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
29538 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
29539 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
29541 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
29542 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
29543 former is in the same format as the data from
29544 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
29545 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
29548 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
29552 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
29554 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
29555 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
29556 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
29557 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
29558 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
29559 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
29560 the network resources).
29562 There should be no result data from this function.
29565 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
29567 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
29568 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
29569 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
29570 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
29571 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
29572 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
29573 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
29574 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
29576 There should be no result data from this function.
29579 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
29581 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
29582 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
29583 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
29584 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
29585 propagate the mark information to the server.
29587 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
29590 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
29593 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
29594 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
29595 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
29596 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
29597 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
29598 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend}, and
29599 @code{forward}, but your back end should, if possible, not limit
29602 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
29603 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
29604 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
29605 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
29607 An example action list:
29610 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
29611 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
29612 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
29615 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
29616 mark on (currently not used for anything).
29618 There should be no result data from this function.
29620 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
29622 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
29623 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
29624 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
29625 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
29626 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
29628 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
29629 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
29630 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
29633 There should be no result data from this function.
29636 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
29638 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
29639 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
29640 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
29641 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
29642 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
29643 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
29644 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
29645 local if that's practical.
29647 There should be no result data from this function.
29650 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
29652 The result data from this function should be a description of
29656 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
29658 description = <text>
29661 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
29663 The result data from this function should be the description of all
29664 groups available on the server.
29667 description-buffer = *description-line
29671 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
29673 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
29674 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
29675 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
29676 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
29677 in the active buffer format.
29679 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
29680 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
29681 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
29682 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
29683 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
29684 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
29685 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
29688 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29690 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
29692 There should be no return data.
29695 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
29697 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
29698 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
29699 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
29700 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
29701 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
29704 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
29707 There should be no result data returned.
29710 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
29712 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
29713 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
29715 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
29716 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
29717 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
29718 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
29719 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
29720 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
29722 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
29723 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
29726 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29727 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29729 There should be no data returned.
29732 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
29734 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
29735 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
29736 this function in short order.
29738 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29739 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29741 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
29742 article for that group.
29744 There should be no data returned.
29747 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
29749 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
29750 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
29752 There should be no data returned.
29755 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
29757 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
29758 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
29759 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
29761 There should be no data returned.
29764 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
29766 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
29767 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
29769 There should be no data returned.
29774 @node Error Messaging
29775 @subsubsection Error Messaging
29777 @findex nnheader-report
29778 @findex nnheader-get-report
29779 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
29780 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
29781 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
29782 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
29783 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
29784 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
29787 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
29789 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
29792 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
29793 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
29794 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
29795 takes one argument---the server symbol.
29797 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
29798 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
29799 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
29802 @node Writing New Back Ends
29803 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
29805 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
29806 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
29807 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
29808 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
29809 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
29812 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
29813 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
29814 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
29816 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
29817 package called @code{nnoo}.
29819 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
29820 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
29826 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
29827 parameters. For instance:
29830 (nnoo-declare nndir
29834 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
29835 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
29838 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
29839 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
29840 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
29842 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
29843 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
29844 a function in those back ends.
29847 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29848 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29849 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29852 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
29853 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
29854 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
29856 @item nnoo-define-basics
29857 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
29861 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29865 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
29866 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
29867 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
29869 @item nnoo-map-functions
29870 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
29871 functions from the parent back ends.
29874 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29875 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29876 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
29879 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
29880 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
29881 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
29882 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
29885 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
29886 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
29887 haven't already been defined.
29893 nnmh-request-newgroups)
29897 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
29898 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
29899 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
29904 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
29907 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
29908 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
29912 (require 'nnheader)
29916 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
29918 (nnoo-declare nndir
29921 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29922 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29923 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29925 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
29926 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
29929 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
29931 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
29932 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
29933 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
29935 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
29936 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
29938 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
29940 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29942 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
29943 (setq nndir-directory
29944 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
29946 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
29947 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
29948 (push `(nndir-current-group
29949 ,(file-name-nondirectory
29950 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29952 (push `(nndir-top-directory
29953 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29955 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
29957 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29958 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29959 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29960 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
29961 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
29965 nnmh-status-message
29967 nnmh-request-newgroups))
29973 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29974 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29976 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
29977 @findex gnus-declare-backend
29978 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
29979 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
29980 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
29982 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
29983 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
29988 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
29991 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
29993 The abilities can be:
29997 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
29999 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
30001 This back end supports both mail and news.
30003 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
30006 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
30007 articles and groups.
30009 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
30010 true for almost all back ends.
30011 @item prompt-address
30012 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
30013 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
30014 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
30018 @node Mail-like Back Ends
30019 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
30021 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
30022 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
30023 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
30024 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
30027 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
30028 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
30029 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
30032 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
30033 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
30036 This function takes four parameters.
30040 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
30043 @item exit-function
30044 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
30046 @item temp-directory
30047 Where the temporary files should be stored.
30050 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
30051 performed for one group only.
30054 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
30055 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
30056 find the article number assigned to this article.
30058 The function also uses the following variables:
30059 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
30060 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
30061 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
30062 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
30066 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
30067 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
30071 @node Score File Syntax
30072 @subsection Score File Syntax
30074 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
30075 malleable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
30076 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
30078 Here's a typical score file:
30082 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
30089 BNF definition of a score file:
30092 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
30093 element = rule / atom
30094 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
30095 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
30096 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
30097 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
30099 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
30100 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
30101 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
30102 date-header = "date"
30103 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30104 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30105 score = "nil" / <integer>
30106 date = "nil" / <natural number>
30107 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
30108 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
30109 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
30110 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
30111 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30112 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30113 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
30114 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30115 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
30116 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
30117 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
30118 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
30119 exclude-files / read-only / touched
30120 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
30121 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
30122 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
30123 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
30124 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
30125 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
30126 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
30127 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
30128 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
30129 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
30130 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
30131 eval = "eval" space <form>
30132 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
30135 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
30138 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
30139 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
30140 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
30141 one looong line, then that's ok.
30143 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
30144 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
30148 @subsection Headers
30150 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
30151 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
30152 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
30153 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
30155 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
30156 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
30157 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
30158 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
30159 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
30160 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
30161 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
30163 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
30164 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
30165 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
30166 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
30167 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
30169 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
30170 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
30176 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
30177 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
30179 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
30180 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
30181 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
30182 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
30184 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
30188 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
30191 is transformed into
30194 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
30197 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
30198 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
30201 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
30204 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
30205 is slightly tricky:
30208 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
30214 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
30217 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
30223 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
30230 and is equal to the previous range.
30232 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
30233 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
30234 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
30238 range = simple-range / normal-range
30239 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
30240 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
30241 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
30242 number *[ " " contents ]
30245 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
30246 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
30247 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
30248 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
30249 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
30254 @subsection Group Info
30256 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
30257 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
30258 describes the group.
30260 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
30261 second is a more complex one:
30264 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
30266 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
30267 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
30269 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
30272 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
30273 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
30274 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
30275 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
30276 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
30277 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
30278 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
30279 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
30280 this section is about.
30282 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
30283 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
30284 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
30286 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
30289 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
30290 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
30291 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30292 group = quote <string> quote
30293 ralevel = rank / level
30294 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30295 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
30296 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30298 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
30299 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
30300 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
30301 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
30304 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
30305 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
30308 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
30309 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
30312 @item gnus-info-group
30313 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
30314 @findex gnus-info-group
30315 @findex gnus-info-set-group
30316 Get/set the group name.
30318 @item gnus-info-rank
30319 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
30320 @findex gnus-info-rank
30321 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
30322 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
30324 @item gnus-info-level
30325 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
30326 @findex gnus-info-level
30327 @findex gnus-info-set-level
30328 Get/set the group level.
30330 @item gnus-info-score
30331 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
30332 @findex gnus-info-score
30333 @findex gnus-info-set-score
30334 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
30336 @item gnus-info-read
30337 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
30338 @findex gnus-info-read
30339 @findex gnus-info-set-read
30340 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
30342 @item gnus-info-marks
30343 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
30344 @findex gnus-info-marks
30345 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
30346 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
30348 @item gnus-info-method
30349 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
30350 @findex gnus-info-method
30351 @findex gnus-info-set-method
30352 Get/set the group select method.
30354 @item gnus-info-params
30355 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
30356 @findex gnus-info-params
30357 @findex gnus-info-set-params
30358 Get/set the group parameters.
30361 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
30362 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
30364 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
30365 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
30366 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
30367 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
30370 @node Extended Interactive
30371 @subsection Extended Interactive
30372 @cindex interactive
30373 @findex gnus-interactive
30375 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
30376 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
30377 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
30380 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
30381 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
30386 The best thing to do would have been to implement
30387 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
30388 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
30389 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
30390 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
30391 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
30392 @code{interactive}.
30394 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
30399 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
30400 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
30404 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
30405 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
30406 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
30409 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
30413 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
30417 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
30423 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
30424 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
30428 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
30429 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
30430 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
30432 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
30433 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
30434 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
30435 Gnus, that's very useful.
30437 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
30438 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
30439 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
30440 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
30441 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
30442 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
30443 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
30444 following function:
30447 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
30451 (,function ,@@args))
30455 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
30456 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
30457 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
30460 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
30461 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
30462 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
30464 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
30465 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
30466 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
30469 @node Various File Formats
30470 @subsection Various File Formats
30473 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
30474 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
30478 @node Active File Format
30479 @subsubsection Active File Format
30481 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
30482 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
30485 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
30488 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
30489 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
30490 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
30491 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
30492 no.general 1000 900 y
30495 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
30498 active = *group-line
30499 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
30500 group = <non-white-space string>
30502 high-number = <non-negative integer>
30503 low-number = <positive integer>
30504 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
30507 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
30508 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
30511 @node Newsgroups File Format
30512 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
30514 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
30515 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
30516 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
30519 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
30520 Here's the definition:
30524 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
30525 group = <non-white-space string>
30527 description = <string>
30532 @node Emacs for Heathens
30533 @section Emacs for Heathens
30535 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
30536 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
30537 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
30538 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
30539 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
30540 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
30541 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
30545 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
30546 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
30551 @subsection Keystrokes
30555 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
30558 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
30561 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
30562 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
30563 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
30564 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
30565 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
30566 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
30568 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
30569 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
30570 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
30571 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
30572 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
30573 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
30574 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
30576 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
30577 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
30578 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
30579 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
30580 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
30581 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
30582 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
30584 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
30585 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
30586 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
30587 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
30588 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
30594 @subsection Emacs Lisp
30596 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
30597 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
30598 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
30599 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
30601 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
30602 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
30603 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
30604 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
30605 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
30606 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
30607 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
30608 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
30609 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
30610 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
30612 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
30613 write the following:
30616 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
30619 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
30620 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
30621 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
30622 change how Gnus works.
30624 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
30625 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
30626 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
30627 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
30628 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
30630 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
30631 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
30632 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
30636 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
30640 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
30643 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server-file} to
30644 @samp{/etc/nntpserver}'', that means:
30647 (setq gnus-nntp-server-file "/etc/nntpserver")
30650 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
30651 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
30654 @include gnus-faq.texi
30656 @node GNU Free Documentation License
30657 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
30658 @include doclicense.texi
30676 @c Local Variables: