10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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290 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
291 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
294 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
295 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
296 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
297 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
298 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
299 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
300 License'' in the Emacs manual.
302 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
303 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
304 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
306 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
307 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
308 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
309 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
317 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
319 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
320 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
322 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
323 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
324 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
325 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
326 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
327 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
328 License'' in the Emacs manual.
330 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
331 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
332 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
334 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
335 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
336 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
337 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
345 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
349 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
350 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
352 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
353 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
354 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
355 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
356 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
357 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
358 License'' in the Emacs manual.
360 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
361 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
362 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
364 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
365 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
366 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
367 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
376 @top The Gnus Newsreader
380 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
381 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
382 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
385 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.06.
396 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
397 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
399 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
400 being accused of plagiarism:
402 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
403 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
404 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
405 can even read news with it!
407 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
408 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
409 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
410 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
411 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
417 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
418 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
419 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
420 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
421 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
422 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
423 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
424 * Various:: General purpose settings.
425 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
426 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
427 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
428 * Key Index:: Key Index.
431 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
435 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
436 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
437 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
438 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
439 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
440 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
441 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
442 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
443 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
444 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
445 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
449 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
450 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
451 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
455 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
456 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
457 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
458 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
459 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
460 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
461 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
462 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
463 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
464 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
465 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
466 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
467 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
468 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
469 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
470 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
471 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
475 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
476 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
477 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
483 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
484 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
485 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
489 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
490 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
491 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
492 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
493 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
497 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
498 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
499 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
500 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
501 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
503 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
504 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
505 * Threading:: How threads are made.
506 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
507 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
508 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
509 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
510 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
511 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
512 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
513 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
514 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
515 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
516 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
517 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
518 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
519 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
520 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
521 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
522 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
523 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
524 or reselecting the current group.
525 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
526 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
527 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
528 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
530 Summary Buffer Format
532 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
533 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
534 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
535 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
539 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
540 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
542 Reply, Followup and Post
544 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
545 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
546 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
547 * Canceling and Superseding::
551 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
552 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
553 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
555 * Generic Marking Commands::
556 * Setting Process Marks::
560 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
561 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
562 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
566 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
567 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
569 Customizing Threading
571 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
572 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
573 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
574 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
578 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
579 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
580 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
581 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
582 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
583 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
587 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
588 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
589 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
593 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
594 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
595 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
596 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
597 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
598 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
599 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
600 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
601 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
602 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
604 Alternative Approaches
606 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
607 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
609 Various Summary Stuff
611 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
612 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
613 * Summary Generation Commands::
614 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
618 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
619 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
620 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
621 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
622 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
626 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
627 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
628 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
629 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
630 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
631 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
632 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
633 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
637 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
638 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
639 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
640 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
641 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
642 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
643 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
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 @sc{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.
669 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
670 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
671 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
672 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
673 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
674 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
675 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
676 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
677 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
678 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
679 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
680 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
681 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
685 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
686 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
687 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
689 Choosing a Mail Back End
691 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
692 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
693 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
694 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
695 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
696 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
701 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
702 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
703 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
704 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
705 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
706 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
710 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
711 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
712 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
716 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
717 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
718 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
719 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
720 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
724 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
728 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
729 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
730 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
734 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
735 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
739 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
740 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
741 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
742 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
743 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
744 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
745 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
746 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
747 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
748 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
752 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
753 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
754 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
758 * Group Agent Commands::
759 * Summary Agent Commands::
760 * Server Agent Commands::
764 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
765 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
766 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
767 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
768 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
769 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
770 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
771 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
772 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
773 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
774 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
775 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
776 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
777 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
778 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
779 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
780 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
784 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
785 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
786 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
787 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
791 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
792 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
793 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
797 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
798 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
799 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
800 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
801 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
802 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
803 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
804 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
805 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
806 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
807 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
808 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
809 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
810 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
811 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
812 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
813 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
814 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
815 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
819 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
820 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
821 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
822 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
823 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
824 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
825 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
826 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
830 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
831 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
832 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
833 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
834 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
838 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
839 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
840 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
841 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
842 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
846 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
847 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
848 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
849 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
850 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
851 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
852 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
853 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
854 * Frequently Asked Questions::
858 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
859 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
860 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
861 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
862 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
863 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
864 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
865 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
866 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
870 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
871 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
872 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
873 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
874 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
878 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
879 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
880 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
881 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
885 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
886 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
887 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
888 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
889 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
890 * Group Info:: The group info format.
891 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
892 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
893 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
897 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
898 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
899 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
900 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
901 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
902 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
906 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
907 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
911 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
912 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
918 @chapter Starting Gnus
923 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
924 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
927 @findex gnus-other-frame
928 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
929 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
930 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
932 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
933 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
934 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
936 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
937 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
940 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
941 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
942 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
943 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
944 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
945 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
946 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
947 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
948 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
949 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
950 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
954 @node Finding the News
955 @section Finding the News
958 @vindex gnus-select-method
960 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
961 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
962 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
963 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
966 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
967 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
970 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
973 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
976 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
979 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
980 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
981 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
983 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
985 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
986 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
987 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
988 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
989 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
990 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
992 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
993 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
994 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
995 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
997 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
998 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
999 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1000 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1001 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1002 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1003 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1004 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1005 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1008 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1010 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1011 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1012 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1013 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1014 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1015 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1017 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1019 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1020 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1021 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1022 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1023 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1024 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1027 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1028 you would typically set this variable to
1031 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1035 @node The First Time
1036 @section The First Time
1037 @cindex first time usage
1039 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1040 be subscribed by default.
1042 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1043 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1044 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1045 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1048 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1049 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1050 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1052 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1053 help you with most common problems.
1055 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1056 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1060 @node The Server is Down
1061 @section The Server is Down
1062 @cindex server errors
1064 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1065 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1066 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1068 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1069 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1070 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1071 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1072 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1073 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1074 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1076 @findex gnus-no-server
1077 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1079 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1080 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1081 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1082 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1083 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1084 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1085 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1089 @section Slave Gnusae
1092 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1093 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1094 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1095 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1097 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1098 @code{.newsrc} file.
1100 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1101 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1102 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1103 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1104 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1105 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1106 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1108 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1109 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1110 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1111 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1112 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1113 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1114 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1115 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1117 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1118 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1120 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1121 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1122 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1123 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1124 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1126 @node Fetching a Group
1127 @section Fetching a Group
1128 @cindex fetching a group
1130 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1131 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1132 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1133 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1134 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1135 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1141 @cindex subscription
1143 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1144 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1145 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1146 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1147 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1148 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1149 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1150 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1151 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1154 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1155 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1156 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1160 @node Checking New Groups
1161 @subsection Checking New Groups
1163 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1164 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1165 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1166 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1167 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1168 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1169 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1170 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1171 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1172 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1174 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1175 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1176 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1177 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1178 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1179 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1180 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1181 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1182 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1183 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1184 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1186 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1187 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1188 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1189 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1190 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1191 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1194 @node Subscription Methods
1195 @subsection Subscription Methods
1197 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1198 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1199 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1201 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1202 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1204 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1208 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1209 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1210 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1211 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1212 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1214 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1215 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1216 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1217 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1219 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1220 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1221 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1223 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1224 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1225 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1226 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1227 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1228 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1229 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1230 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1231 up. Or something like that.
1233 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1235 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1236 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1237 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1241 Kill all new groups.
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1245 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1246 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1247 topic parameter that looks like
1253 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1256 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1261 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1262 A closely related variable is
1263 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1264 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1265 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1266 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1269 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1270 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1271 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1272 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1275 @node Filtering New Groups
1276 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1278 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1279 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1280 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1283 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1286 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1287 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1288 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1289 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1290 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1291 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1292 subscribing these groups.
1293 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1294 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1296 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1297 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1298 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1299 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1300 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1301 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1302 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1303 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1305 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1306 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1307 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1308 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1309 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1310 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1311 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1312 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1313 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1314 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1317 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1318 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1321 @node Changing Servers
1322 @section Changing Servers
1323 @cindex changing servers
1325 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1326 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1327 very flaky and you want to use another.
1329 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1330 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1334 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1335 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1336 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1337 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1340 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1341 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1342 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1343 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1345 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1346 @findex gnus-change-server
1347 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1348 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1349 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1350 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1351 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1353 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1354 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1355 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1356 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1357 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1359 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1360 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1361 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1362 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1363 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1364 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
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 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1388 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1390 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1391 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1392 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1393 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1394 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1395 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1396 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1398 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1399 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1400 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1401 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1402 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1403 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1405 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1406 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1407 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1408 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1409 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1410 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1411 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1412 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1413 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1414 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1416 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1417 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1418 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1419 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1420 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1421 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1422 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1423 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1424 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1425 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1426 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1427 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1429 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1430 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1431 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1432 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1434 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1435 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1436 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1437 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1438 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1439 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1440 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1441 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1442 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1443 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1446 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1447 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1449 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1450 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1453 @vindex gnus-init-file
1454 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1455 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1456 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1457 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1458 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1459 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1460 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1461 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1462 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1468 @cindex dribble file
1471 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1472 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1473 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1474 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1475 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1478 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1479 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1482 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1483 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1484 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1486 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1487 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1488 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1489 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1490 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1491 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1493 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1494 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1495 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1498 @node The Active File
1499 @section The Active File
1501 @cindex ignored groups
1503 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1504 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1505 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1507 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1508 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1509 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1510 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1511 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1512 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1513 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1516 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1517 @c if you set it to anything else.
1519 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1521 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1522 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1523 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1525 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1526 you actually subscribe to.
1528 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1529 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1530 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1531 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1533 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1534 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1535 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1536 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1537 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1538 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1540 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1541 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1542 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1545 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1546 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1547 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1548 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1549 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1550 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1552 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1553 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1555 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1556 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1558 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1559 secondary select methods.
1562 @node Startup Variables
1563 @section Startup Variables
1567 @item gnus-load-hook
1568 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1569 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1570 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1571 times you start Gnus.
1573 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1574 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1575 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1577 @item gnus-startup-hook
1578 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1579 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1581 @item gnus-started-hook
1582 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1583 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1586 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1587 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1588 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1589 generating the group buffer.
1591 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1592 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1593 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1594 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1595 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1596 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1597 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1598 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1600 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1601 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1602 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1603 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1604 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1605 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1607 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1608 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1609 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1611 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1612 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1613 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1615 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1616 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1617 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1618 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1624 @chapter Group Buffer
1625 @cindex group buffer
1627 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1629 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1630 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1631 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1632 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1633 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1634 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1635 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1636 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1637 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1638 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1639 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1640 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1641 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1642 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1643 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1644 @c human rights at 9...
1647 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1648 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1649 long as Gnus is active.
1653 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1654 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1655 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1656 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1657 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1658 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1659 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1660 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1666 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1667 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1668 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1669 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1670 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1671 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1672 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1673 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1674 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1675 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1676 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1677 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1678 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1679 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1680 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1681 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1682 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1686 @node Group Buffer Format
1687 @section Group Buffer Format
1690 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1691 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1692 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1696 @node Group Line Specification
1697 @subsection Group Line Specification
1698 @cindex group buffer format
1700 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1701 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1703 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1706 25: news.announce.newusers
1707 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1712 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1713 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1714 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1715 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1717 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1718 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1719 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1720 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1721 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1722 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1724 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1726 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1727 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1728 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1729 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1730 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1732 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1733 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1734 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1736 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1741 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1744 Whether the group is subscribed.
1747 Level of subscribedness.
1750 Number of unread articles.
1753 Number of dormant articles.
1756 Number of ticked articles.
1759 Number of read articles.
1762 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1763 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1765 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1766 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1767 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1768 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1769 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1770 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1771 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1772 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1775 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1778 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1787 Newsgroup description.
1790 @samp{m} if moderated.
1793 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1802 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1806 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1809 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1810 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1811 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1812 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1813 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1816 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1818 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1822 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1825 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1829 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1830 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1831 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1832 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1833 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1834 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1839 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1840 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1841 group, or a bogus native group.
1844 @node Group Modeline Specification
1845 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1846 @cindex group modeline
1848 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1849 The mode line can be changed by setting
1850 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1851 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1855 The native news server.
1857 The native select method.
1861 @node Group Highlighting
1862 @subsection Group Highlighting
1863 @cindex highlighting
1864 @cindex group highlighting
1866 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1867 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1868 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1869 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1870 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1872 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1876 (cond (window-system
1877 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1878 (defface my-group-face-1
1879 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1880 (defface my-group-face-2
1881 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1882 (defface my-group-face-3
1883 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1884 (defface my-group-face-4
1885 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1886 (defface my-group-face-5
1887 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1889 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1890 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1891 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1892 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1893 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1894 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1897 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1899 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1906 The number of unread articles in the group.
1910 Whether the group is a mail group.
1912 The level of the group.
1914 The score of the group.
1916 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1918 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1919 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1921 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1922 topic being inserted.
1925 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1926 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1927 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1929 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1930 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1931 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1932 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1933 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1936 @node Group Maneuvering
1937 @section Group Maneuvering
1938 @cindex group movement
1940 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1941 expected, hopefully.
1947 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1948 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1949 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1955 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1956 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1957 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1961 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1962 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1966 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1967 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1971 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1972 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1973 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1977 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1978 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1979 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1982 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1988 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1989 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1990 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1995 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1996 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1997 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2001 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2002 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2003 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2006 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2007 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2008 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2009 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2013 @node Selecting a Group
2014 @section Selecting a Group
2015 @cindex group selection
2020 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2021 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2022 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2023 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2024 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2025 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2026 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2027 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2028 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2029 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2031 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2032 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2033 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2035 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2036 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2041 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2042 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2043 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2044 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2045 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2049 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2050 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2051 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2052 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2053 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2054 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2055 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2056 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2057 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2058 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2061 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2062 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2063 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2064 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2065 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2068 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2069 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2070 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2071 doing any processing of its contents
2072 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2073 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2074 manner will have no permanent effects.
2078 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2079 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2080 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2081 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2082 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2083 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2084 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2085 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2088 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2089 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2090 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2091 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2092 Which article this is is controlled by the
2093 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2099 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2102 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2105 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2107 @item unseen-or-unread
2108 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2109 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2113 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2117 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2118 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2120 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2121 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2122 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2123 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2127 @node Subscription Commands
2128 @section Subscription Commands
2129 @cindex subscription
2137 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2138 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2139 Toggle subscription to the current group
2140 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2146 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2147 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2148 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2149 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2155 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2156 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2157 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2163 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2164 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2167 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2168 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2169 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2170 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2171 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2177 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2178 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2182 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2183 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2186 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2187 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2188 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2189 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2190 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2191 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2192 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2193 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2194 @file{.newsrc} file.
2198 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2208 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2209 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2210 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2211 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2212 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2213 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2218 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2219 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2220 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2224 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2225 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2226 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2228 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2229 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2230 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2231 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2232 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2233 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2240 @section Group Levels
2244 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2245 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2246 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2247 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2248 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2250 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2256 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2257 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2258 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2259 prompted for a level.
2262 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2263 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2264 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2265 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2266 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2267 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2268 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2269 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2270 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2271 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2272 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2273 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2274 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2275 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2276 reasons of efficiency.
2278 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2279 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2281 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2282 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2283 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2284 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2285 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2286 groups are hidden, in a way.
2288 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2289 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2290 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2291 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2292 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2293 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2295 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2296 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2297 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2298 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2299 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2300 list of killed groups.)
2302 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2303 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2304 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2306 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2307 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2308 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2309 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2310 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2311 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2312 relevant valid ranges.
2314 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2315 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2316 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2317 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2318 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2319 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2322 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2323 one with the best level.
2325 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2326 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2327 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2330 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2331 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2332 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2333 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2336 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2337 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2338 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2339 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2341 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2342 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2343 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2344 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2345 to 5. The default is 6.
2349 @section Group Score
2354 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2355 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2356 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2359 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2360 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2361 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2362 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2363 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2364 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2365 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2366 least significant part.))
2368 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2369 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2370 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2371 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2372 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2373 action after each summary exit, you can add
2374 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2375 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2376 slow things down somewhat.
2379 @node Marking Groups
2380 @section Marking Groups
2381 @cindex marking groups
2383 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2384 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2385 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2386 bidding on those groups.
2388 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2389 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2390 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2398 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2399 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2406 Remove the mark from the current group
2407 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2411 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2412 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2416 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2417 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2421 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2422 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2426 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2427 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2428 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2431 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2433 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2434 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2435 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2436 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2437 the command to be executed.
2440 @node Foreign Groups
2441 @section Foreign Groups
2442 @cindex foreign groups
2444 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2445 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2446 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2447 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2454 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2455 @cindex making groups
2456 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2457 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2458 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2462 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2463 @cindex renaming groups
2464 Rename the current group to something else
2465 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2466 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2472 @findex gnus-group-customize
2473 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2477 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2478 @cindex renaming groups
2479 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2480 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2485 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2486 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2490 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2491 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2492 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2498 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2499 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2504 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2505 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2509 @cindex (ding) archive
2510 @cindex archive group
2511 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2512 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2513 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2514 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2515 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2516 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2517 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2521 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2523 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2524 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2525 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2526 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2530 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2532 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2533 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2534 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2539 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2541 Make a group based on some file or other
2542 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2543 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2544 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2545 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2546 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2547 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2548 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2549 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2550 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2554 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2556 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2557 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2561 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2566 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2567 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2568 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2569 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2570 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2571 @xref{Web Searches}.
2573 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2574 to a particular group by using a match string like
2575 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2578 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2579 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2580 This function will delete the current group
2581 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2582 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2583 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2584 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2585 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2589 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2590 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2591 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2595 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2596 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2597 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2600 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2603 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2604 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2605 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2606 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2607 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2608 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2612 @node Group Parameters
2613 @section Group Parameters
2614 @cindex group parameters
2616 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2617 Here's an example group parameter list:
2620 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2624 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2625 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2626 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2627 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2629 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2630 is an alist of regexps and values.
2632 The following group parameters can be used:
2637 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2640 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2643 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2644 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2645 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2646 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2647 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2649 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2650 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2651 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2652 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2653 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2654 list address instead.
2656 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2660 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2663 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2666 It is totally ignored
2667 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2668 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2670 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2671 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2672 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2673 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2674 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2676 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2677 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2678 sending the message.
2680 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2681 @cindex Mail List Groups
2682 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2683 entering summary buffer.
2685 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2690 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2691 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2692 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information
2693 will help it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To headers for your
2694 posts to these lists.
2696 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2697 directly uses this group parameter.
2701 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2702 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2703 of whether it has any unread articles.
2705 @item broken-reply-to
2706 @cindex broken-reply-to
2707 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2708 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2709 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2710 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2711 broken behavior. So there!
2715 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2716 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2720 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2721 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2722 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2727 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2728 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2729 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2730 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2731 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2732 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2733 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2734 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2735 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2739 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2740 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2741 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2743 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2746 @cindex total-expire
2747 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2748 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2749 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2750 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2753 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2757 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2758 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2759 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2760 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2761 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2762 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2765 @cindex score file group parameter
2766 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2767 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2768 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2771 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2772 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2773 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2774 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2777 @cindex admin-address
2778 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2779 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2780 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2781 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2785 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2786 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2790 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2793 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2794 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2797 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2801 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2803 Here are some examples:
2807 Display only unread articles.
2810 Display everything except expirable articles.
2812 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2813 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2817 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2818 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2819 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2820 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2821 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2825 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2826 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2827 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2831 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2832 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2833 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2838 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2839 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2840 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2842 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2844 @item ignored-charsets
2845 @cindex ignored-charset
2846 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2847 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2848 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2850 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2853 @cindex posting-style
2854 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2855 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2856 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2857 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2858 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2860 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2861 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2862 like this in the group parameters:
2867 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2872 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2873 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2877 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2878 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2879 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2880 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2881 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2885 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2886 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2887 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2888 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2890 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2891 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2892 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2893 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2896 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2897 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2901 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2904 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2905 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2906 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2907 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2908 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2909 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2910 @code{eval}ed there.
2912 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2913 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2914 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2915 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2916 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2917 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2918 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2919 parameters for the group.
2922 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2923 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2924 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2925 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2926 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2930 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2931 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2932 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2933 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2934 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2936 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2937 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2941 (setq gnus-parameters
2943 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2944 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2945 (gnus-summary-line-format
2946 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2950 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2954 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2958 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2961 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2962 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2965 @node Listing Groups
2966 @section Listing Groups
2967 @cindex group listing
2969 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2977 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2978 List all groups that have unread articles
2979 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2980 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2981 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2982 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2989 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2990 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2991 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2992 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2993 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2994 unsubscribed groups).
2998 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2999 List all unread groups on a specific level
3000 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3001 with no unread articles.
3005 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3006 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3007 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3008 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3013 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3014 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3018 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3019 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3020 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3024 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3025 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3029 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3030 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3031 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3032 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3033 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3034 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3035 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3036 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3040 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3041 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3042 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3046 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3047 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3048 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3052 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3053 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3057 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3058 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3062 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3063 List groups limited within the current selection
3064 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3068 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3069 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3073 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3074 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3078 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3079 @cindex visible group parameter
3080 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3081 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3082 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3083 get the same effect.
3085 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3086 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3087 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3088 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3089 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3092 @node Sorting Groups
3093 @section Sorting Groups
3094 @cindex sorting groups
3096 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3097 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3098 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3099 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3100 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3101 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3106 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3107 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3108 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3110 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3111 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3112 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3114 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3115 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3116 Sort by group level.
3118 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3119 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3120 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3122 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3123 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3124 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3125 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3127 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3128 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3129 Sort by number of unread articles.
3131 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3132 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3133 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3135 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3136 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3137 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3142 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3143 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3147 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3148 some sorting criteria:
3152 @kindex G S a (Group)
3153 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3154 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3155 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3158 @kindex G S u (Group)
3159 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3160 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3161 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3164 @kindex G S l (Group)
3165 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3166 Sort the group buffer by group level
3167 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3170 @kindex G S v (Group)
3171 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3172 Sort the group buffer by group score
3173 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3176 @kindex G S r (Group)
3177 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3178 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3179 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3182 @kindex G S m (Group)
3183 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3184 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3185 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3189 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3190 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3192 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3193 commands will sort in reverse order.
3195 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3199 @kindex G P a (Group)
3200 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3201 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3202 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3205 @kindex G P u (Group)
3206 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3207 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3208 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3211 @kindex G P l (Group)
3212 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3213 Sort the groups by group level
3214 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3217 @kindex G P v (Group)
3218 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3219 Sort the groups by group score
3220 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3223 @kindex G P r (Group)
3224 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3225 Sort the groups by group rank
3226 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3229 @kindex G P m (Group)
3230 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3231 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3232 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3235 @kindex G P s (Group)
3236 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3237 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3241 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3245 @node Group Maintenance
3246 @section Group Maintenance
3247 @cindex bogus groups
3252 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3253 Find bogus groups and delete them
3254 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3258 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3259 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3260 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3261 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3262 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3266 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3267 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3268 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3269 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3270 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3271 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3274 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3275 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3276 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3277 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3282 @node Browse Foreign Server
3283 @section Browse Foreign Server
3284 @cindex foreign servers
3285 @cindex browsing servers
3290 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3291 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3292 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3293 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3296 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3297 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3298 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3299 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3301 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3306 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3307 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3311 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3312 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3315 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3316 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3317 Enter the current group and display the first article
3318 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3321 @kindex RET (Browse)
3322 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3323 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3327 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3328 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3329 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3335 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3336 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3340 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3341 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3342 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3347 @section Exiting Gnus
3348 @cindex exiting Gnus
3350 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3355 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3356 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3357 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3358 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3362 @findex gnus-group-exit
3363 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3364 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3368 @findex gnus-group-quit
3369 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3370 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3373 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3374 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3375 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3376 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3377 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3382 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3383 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3384 trying to customize meta-variables.
3389 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3390 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3391 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3397 @section Group Topics
3400 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3401 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3402 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3403 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3404 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3405 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3409 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3410 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3421 2: alt.religion.emacs
3424 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3426 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3427 13: comp.sources.unix
3430 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3432 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3433 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3434 is a toggling command.)
3436 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3437 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3438 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3439 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3442 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3443 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3444 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3447 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3451 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3452 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3453 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3454 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3455 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3459 @node Topic Commands
3460 @subsection Topic Commands
3461 @cindex topic commands
3463 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3464 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3465 definitions slightly.
3467 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3468 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3469 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3470 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3471 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3472 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3474 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3481 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3482 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3483 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3487 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3489 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3490 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3491 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3492 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3495 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3496 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3497 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3498 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3502 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3503 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3504 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3505 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3511 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3512 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3513 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3517 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3518 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3519 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3522 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3523 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3524 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3525 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3526 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3528 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3529 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3533 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3534 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3541 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3543 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3544 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3545 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3546 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3547 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3548 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3552 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3558 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3559 Move the current group to some other topic
3560 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3561 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3565 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3566 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3570 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3571 Copy the current group to some other topic
3572 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3573 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3577 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3578 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3579 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3583 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3584 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3585 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3589 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3590 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3591 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3592 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3593 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3594 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3595 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3598 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3599 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3603 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3604 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3605 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3609 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3610 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3611 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3615 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3616 Toggle hiding empty topics
3617 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3621 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3622 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3623 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3626 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3627 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3628 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3629 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3632 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3633 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3634 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3635 expiry process (if any)
3636 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3640 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3641 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3644 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3645 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3646 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3650 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3651 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3652 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3655 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3656 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3657 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3660 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3661 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3662 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3666 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3667 @cindex group parameters
3668 @cindex topic parameters
3670 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3671 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3676 @node Topic Variables
3677 @subsection Topic Variables
3678 @cindex topic variables
3680 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3681 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3683 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3684 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3685 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3698 Number of groups in the topic.
3700 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3702 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3705 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3706 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3707 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3710 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3711 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3713 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3714 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3715 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3719 @subsection Topic Sorting
3720 @cindex topic sorting
3722 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3728 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3729 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3730 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3731 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3734 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3735 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3736 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3737 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3740 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3741 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3742 Sort the current topic by group level
3743 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3746 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3747 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3748 Sort the current topic by group score
3749 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3752 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3753 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3754 Sort the current topic by group rank
3755 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3758 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3759 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3760 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3761 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3764 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3765 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3766 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3767 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3771 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3772 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3773 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3774 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3778 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3779 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3783 @node Topic Topology
3784 @subsection Topic Topology
3785 @cindex topic topology
3788 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3794 2: alt.religion.emacs
3797 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3799 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3800 13: comp.sources.unix
3803 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3804 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3805 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3810 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3811 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3815 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3816 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3817 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3818 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3819 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3820 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3822 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3823 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3824 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3827 @node Topic Parameters
3828 @subsection Topic Parameters
3829 @cindex topic parameters
3831 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3832 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3833 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3835 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3840 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3841 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3842 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3845 @item subscribe-level
3846 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3847 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3848 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3852 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3853 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3854 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3855 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3861 2: alt.religion.emacs
3865 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3867 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3868 13: comp.sources.unix
3872 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3873 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3874 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3875 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3876 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3877 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3879 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3880 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3881 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3882 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3883 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3885 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3886 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3887 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3888 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3889 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3890 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3891 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3892 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3895 @node Misc Group Stuff
3896 @section Misc Group Stuff
3899 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3900 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3901 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3902 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3903 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3910 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3911 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3912 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3916 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3917 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3918 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3919 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3920 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3921 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3922 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3926 @findex gnus-group-mail
3927 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3928 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3929 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3930 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3934 @findex gnus-group-news
3935 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3936 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3937 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3939 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3940 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3941 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3942 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3943 for this to work though.
3947 Variables for the group buffer:
3951 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3952 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3953 is called after the group buffer has been
3956 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3957 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3958 is called after the group buffer is
3959 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3962 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3963 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3964 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3965 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3967 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3968 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3969 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3970 whether they are empty or not.
3972 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3973 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3974 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3975 non-ASCII group names.
3979 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3980 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3983 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3984 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3985 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3986 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3987 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3988 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3992 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3993 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3998 @node Scanning New Messages
3999 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4000 @cindex new messages
4001 @cindex scanning new news
4007 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4008 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4009 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4010 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4011 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4012 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4017 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4018 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4019 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4020 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4021 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4022 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4023 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4025 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4026 @cindex activating groups
4028 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4029 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4034 @findex gnus-group-restart
4035 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4036 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4037 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4041 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4042 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4044 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4045 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4049 @node Group Information
4050 @subsection Group Information
4051 @cindex group information
4052 @cindex information on groups
4059 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4060 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4063 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4064 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4065 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4066 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4067 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4068 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4069 for fetching the file.
4071 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4072 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4076 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4078 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4079 @cindex describing groups
4080 @cindex group description
4081 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4082 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4083 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4087 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4088 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4089 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4096 @findex gnus-version
4097 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4101 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4102 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4105 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4108 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4109 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4113 @node Group Timestamp
4114 @subsection Group Timestamp
4116 @cindex group timestamps
4118 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4119 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4120 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4123 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4126 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4128 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4129 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4132 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4133 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4136 This will result in lines looking like:
4139 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4140 0: custom 19961002T012713
4143 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4144 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4148 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4149 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4152 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4153 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4157 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4158 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4159 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4160 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4162 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4168 @subsection File Commands
4169 @cindex file commands
4175 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4176 @vindex gnus-init-file
4177 @cindex reading init file
4178 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4179 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4183 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4184 @cindex saving .newsrc
4185 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4186 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4187 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4190 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4191 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4192 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4197 @node Sieve Commands
4198 @subsection Sieve Commands
4199 @cindex group sieve commands
4201 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4202 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4203 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4204 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4205 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4207 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4208 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4209 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4210 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4211 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4212 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4213 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4214 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4215 regenerate the Sieve script.
4217 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4218 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4219 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4220 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4221 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4222 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4223 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4224 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4225 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4226 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4229 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4230 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4235 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4241 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4242 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4243 @cindex generating sieve script
4244 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4245 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4249 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4250 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4251 @cindex updating sieve script
4252 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4253 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4254 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4259 @node Summary Buffer
4260 @chapter Summary Buffer
4261 @cindex summary buffer
4263 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4264 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4266 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4267 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4269 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4272 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4273 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4274 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4275 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4276 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4277 * Delayed Articles::
4278 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4279 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4280 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4281 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4282 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4283 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4284 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4285 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4286 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4287 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4288 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4289 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4290 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4291 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4292 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4293 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4294 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4295 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4296 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4297 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4298 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4299 or reselecting the current group.
4300 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4301 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4302 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4303 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4307 @node Summary Buffer Format
4308 @section Summary Buffer Format
4309 @cindex summary buffer format
4313 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4314 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4315 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4321 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4322 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4323 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4324 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4327 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4328 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4329 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4330 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4331 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4332 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4333 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4334 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4335 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4336 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4337 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4340 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4341 'mail-extract-address-components)
4344 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4345 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4346 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4347 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4350 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4351 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4353 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4354 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4355 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4356 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4357 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4359 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4360 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4361 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4362 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4363 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4364 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4366 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4368 The following format specification characters and extended format
4369 specification(s) are understood:
4375 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4376 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4378 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4379 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4380 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4382 Full @code{From} header.
4384 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4386 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4387 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4389 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4390 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4391 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4392 may be more thorough.
4394 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4397 Number of lines in the article.
4399 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4400 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4402 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4404 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4407 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4408 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4410 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4411 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4413 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4414 for adopted articles.
4416 One space for each thread level.
4418 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4420 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4423 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4424 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4425 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4428 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4430 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4431 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4432 default level. If the difference between
4433 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4434 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4442 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4444 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4450 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4451 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4453 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4454 article has any children.
4460 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4461 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4463 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4464 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4465 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4466 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4467 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4468 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4471 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4472 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4473 There can only be one such area.
4475 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4476 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4477 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4478 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4479 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4480 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4482 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4483 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4485 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4488 @node To From Newsgroups
4489 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4493 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4494 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4495 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4496 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4497 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4501 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4502 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4503 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4507 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4508 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4511 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4512 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4515 @findex gnus-extra-header
4516 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4517 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4518 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4521 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4525 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4526 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4527 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4528 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4529 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4530 headers are used instead.
4534 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4535 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4536 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4537 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4540 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4541 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4542 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4543 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4545 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4549 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4551 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4552 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4553 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4554 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4558 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4561 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4562 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4569 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4570 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4573 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4574 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4576 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4577 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4578 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4579 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4581 Here are the elements you can play with:
4587 Unprefixed group name.
4589 Current article number.
4591 Current article score.
4595 Number of unread articles in this group.
4597 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4600 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4601 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4602 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4603 and no unselected ones.
4605 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4606 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4608 Subject of the current article.
4610 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4612 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4614 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4616 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4618 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4620 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4624 @node Summary Highlighting
4625 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4629 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4630 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4631 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4632 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4633 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4635 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4636 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4637 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4638 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4640 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4641 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4642 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4643 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4645 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4646 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4647 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4648 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4649 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4650 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4653 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4654 ((> score default) . bold))
4656 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4657 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4661 @node Summary Maneuvering
4662 @section Summary Maneuvering
4663 @cindex summary movement
4665 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4666 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4668 None of these commands select articles.
4673 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4674 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4675 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4676 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4677 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4681 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4682 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4683 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4684 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4685 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4688 @kindex G g (Summary)
4689 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4690 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4691 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4694 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4695 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4696 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4697 to the group buffer.
4699 Variables related to summary movement:
4703 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4704 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4705 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4706 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4707 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4708 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4709 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4710 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4711 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4712 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4713 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4714 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4715 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4716 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4718 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4719 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4720 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4721 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4722 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4723 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4724 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4726 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4728 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4729 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4730 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4731 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4732 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4734 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4735 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4736 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4737 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4738 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4739 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4740 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4741 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4744 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4745 the given number of lines from the top.
4750 @node Choosing Articles
4751 @section Choosing Articles
4752 @cindex selecting articles
4755 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4756 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4760 @node Choosing Commands
4761 @subsection Choosing Commands
4763 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4764 and they all select and display an article.
4766 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4767 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4771 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4772 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4773 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4774 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4779 @kindex G n (Summary)
4780 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4781 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4782 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4787 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4788 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4789 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4794 @kindex G N (Summary)
4795 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4796 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4801 @kindex G P (Summary)
4802 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4803 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4806 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4807 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4808 Go to the next article with the same subject
4809 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4812 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4813 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4814 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4815 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4819 @kindex G f (Summary)
4821 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4822 Go to the first unread article
4823 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4827 @kindex G b (Summary)
4829 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4830 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4831 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4832 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4837 @kindex G l (Summary)
4838 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4839 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4842 @kindex G o (Summary)
4843 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4845 @cindex article history
4846 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4847 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4848 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4849 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4850 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4851 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4856 @kindex G j (Summary)
4857 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4858 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4859 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4864 @node Choosing Variables
4865 @subsection Choosing Variables
4867 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4870 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4871 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4872 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4873 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4874 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4875 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4877 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4878 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4879 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4880 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4882 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4883 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4884 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4885 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4886 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4887 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4888 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4889 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4890 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4891 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4892 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4893 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4894 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4895 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4900 @node Paging the Article
4901 @section Scrolling the Article
4902 @cindex article scrolling
4907 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4908 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4909 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4910 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4911 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4914 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4915 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4916 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4919 @kindex RET (Summary)
4920 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4921 Scroll the current article one line forward
4922 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4925 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4926 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4927 Scroll the current article one line backward
4928 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4932 @kindex A g (Summary)
4934 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4935 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4936 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4937 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4938 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4939 the way it came from the server.
4941 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4942 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4943 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4946 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4951 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4956 @kindex A < (Summary)
4957 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4958 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4959 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4964 @kindex A > (Summary)
4965 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4966 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4970 @kindex A s (Summary)
4972 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4973 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4974 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4978 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4979 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4984 @node Reply Followup and Post
4985 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4988 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4989 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4990 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4991 * Canceling and Superseding::
4995 @node Summary Mail Commands
4996 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4998 @cindex composing mail
5000 Commands for composing a mail message:
5006 @kindex S r (Summary)
5008 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5009 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5010 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5011 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5012 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5017 @kindex S R (Summary)
5018 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5019 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5020 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5021 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5022 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5025 @kindex S w (Summary)
5026 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5027 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5028 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5029 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5030 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5033 @kindex S V (Summary)
5034 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5035 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5036 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5037 the process/prefix convention.
5040 @kindex S v (Summary)
5041 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5042 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5043 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5044 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5045 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5046 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5050 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5051 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5052 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5053 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5054 Forward the current article to some other person
5055 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5056 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5057 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5058 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5059 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5060 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5061 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5062 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5063 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5069 @kindex S m (Summary)
5070 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5071 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5072 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5073 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5074 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5079 @kindex S i (Summary)
5080 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5081 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5082 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5083 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5085 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5086 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5087 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5088 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5089 for this to work though.
5092 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5094 @cindex bouncing mail
5095 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5096 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5097 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5098 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5099 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5100 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5101 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5102 very well fail, though.
5105 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5106 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5107 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5108 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5109 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5110 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5111 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5112 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5113 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5114 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5116 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5117 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5118 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5119 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5120 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5122 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5123 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5126 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5127 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5128 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5129 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5130 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5133 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5135 @cindex crossposting
5136 @cindex excessive crossposting
5137 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5138 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5140 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5141 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5142 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5143 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5144 command understands the process/prefix convention
5145 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5149 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5150 Manual}, for more information.
5153 @node Summary Post Commands
5154 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5156 @cindex composing news
5158 Commands for posting a news article:
5164 @kindex S p (Summary)
5165 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5166 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5167 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5168 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5169 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5174 @kindex S f (Summary)
5175 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5176 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5177 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5181 @kindex S F (Summary)
5183 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5184 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5185 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5186 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5187 process/prefix convention.
5190 @kindex S n (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5192 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5193 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5196 @kindex S N (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5198 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5199 message through mail and include the original message
5200 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5201 the process/prefix convention.
5204 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5205 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5206 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5207 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5208 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5209 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5210 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5211 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5212 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5213 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5214 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5215 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5216 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5219 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5220 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5222 @cindex making digests
5223 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5224 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5225 process/prefix convention.
5228 @kindex S u (Summary)
5229 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5230 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5231 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5232 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5235 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5236 Manual}, for more information.
5239 @node Summary Message Commands
5240 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5244 @kindex S y (Summary)
5245 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5246 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5247 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5248 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5249 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5254 @node Canceling and Superseding
5255 @subsection Canceling Articles
5256 @cindex canceling articles
5257 @cindex superseding articles
5259 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5260 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5262 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5264 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5266 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5267 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5268 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5269 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5270 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5271 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5273 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5274 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5277 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5278 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5279 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5281 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5282 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5283 your original article.
5285 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5287 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5288 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5289 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5292 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5293 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5294 have posted almost the same article twice.
5296 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5297 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5298 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5299 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5300 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5301 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5302 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5303 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5304 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5305 canceled/superseded.
5307 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5309 @node Delayed Articles
5310 @section Delayed Articles
5311 @cindex delayed sending
5312 @cindex send delayed
5314 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5315 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5316 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5317 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5320 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5323 @findex gnus-delay-article
5324 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5325 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5326 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5327 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5331 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5332 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5333 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5334 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5337 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5338 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5339 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5342 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5343 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5344 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5345 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5346 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5347 that means a time tomorrow.
5350 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5351 couple of variables:
5354 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5355 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5356 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5357 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5359 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5360 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5361 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5362 formats described above.
5364 @item gnus-delay-group
5365 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5366 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5367 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5368 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5370 @item gnus-delay-header
5371 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5372 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5373 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5374 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5377 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5378 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5379 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5380 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5381 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5383 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5384 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5385 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5386 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5387 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5388 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5391 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5392 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5393 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5394 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5395 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5396 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5397 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5398 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5400 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5401 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5402 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5403 forget to set that up :-)
5407 @node Marking Articles
5408 @section Marking Articles
5409 @cindex article marking
5410 @cindex article ticking
5413 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5415 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5416 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5417 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5419 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5422 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5423 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5424 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5428 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5432 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5433 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5434 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5438 @node Unread Articles
5439 @subsection Unread Articles
5441 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5446 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5447 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5449 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5450 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5451 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5452 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5453 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5454 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5455 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5458 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5459 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5461 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5462 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5463 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5464 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5468 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5469 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5471 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5476 @subsection Read Articles
5477 @cindex expirable mark
5479 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5484 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5485 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5486 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5489 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5490 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5493 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5494 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5495 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5498 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5499 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5502 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5503 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5506 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5507 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5510 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5511 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5514 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5515 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5518 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5519 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5522 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5523 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5527 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5528 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5529 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5533 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5534 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5536 One more special mark, though:
5540 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5541 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5543 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5544 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5545 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5546 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5552 @subsection Other Marks
5553 @cindex process mark
5556 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5562 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5563 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5564 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5565 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5566 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5569 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5570 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5571 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5572 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5575 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5576 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5577 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5580 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5581 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5582 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5585 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5586 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5587 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5588 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5591 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5592 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5593 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5594 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5595 mark, in which case it simply never appears.
5598 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5599 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5600 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5603 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5604 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5605 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5606 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5607 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5610 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5611 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5612 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5613 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5614 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5615 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5619 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5620 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5621 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5623 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5624 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5625 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5629 @subsection Setting Marks
5630 @cindex setting marks
5632 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5637 @kindex M c (Summary)
5638 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5639 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5640 @cindex mark as unread
5641 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5642 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5648 @kindex M t (Summary)
5649 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5650 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5651 @xref{Article Caching}.
5656 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5657 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5658 Mark the current article as dormant
5659 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5663 @kindex M d (Summary)
5665 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5666 Mark the current article as read
5667 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5671 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5672 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5673 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5678 @kindex M k (Summary)
5679 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5680 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5681 and then select the next unread article
5682 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5686 @kindex M K (Summary)
5687 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5688 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5689 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5690 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5693 @kindex M C (Summary)
5694 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5695 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5696 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5699 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5700 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5701 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5702 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5705 @kindex M H (Summary)
5706 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5707 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5708 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5711 @kindex M h (Summary)
5712 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5713 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5714 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5717 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5718 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5719 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5720 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5723 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5724 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5725 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5726 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5730 @kindex M e (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5733 Mark the current article as expirable
5734 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5737 @kindex M b (Summary)
5738 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5739 Set a bookmark in the current article
5740 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5743 @kindex M B (Summary)
5744 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5745 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5746 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5749 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5751 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5752 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5755 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5756 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5757 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5758 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5761 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5762 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5763 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5764 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5765 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5768 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5769 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5770 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5771 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5772 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5773 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5774 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5775 The default is @code{t}.
5778 @node Generic Marking Commands
5779 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5781 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5782 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5783 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5784 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5785 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5788 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5789 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5792 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5793 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5794 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5795 to list in this manual.
5797 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5798 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5799 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5800 article, you could say something like:
5803 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5804 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5805 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5811 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5812 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5816 @node Setting Process Marks
5817 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5818 @cindex setting process marks
5825 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5826 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5827 Mark the current article with the process mark
5828 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5829 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5833 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5834 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5835 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5836 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5839 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5840 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5841 Remove the process mark from all articles
5842 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5845 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5846 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5847 Invert the list of process marked articles
5848 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5851 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5852 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5853 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5854 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5857 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5858 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5859 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5860 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5863 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5864 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5865 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5868 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5869 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5870 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5871 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5874 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5875 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5876 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5877 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5880 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5881 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5882 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5883 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5886 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5887 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5888 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5891 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5892 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5893 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5894 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5897 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5898 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5899 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5902 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5904 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5905 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5908 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5910 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5911 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5914 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5915 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5916 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5917 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5920 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5922 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5923 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5927 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5928 set process marks based on article body contents.
5935 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5936 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5937 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5940 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5941 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5942 additional articles.
5948 @kindex / / (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5950 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5951 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5955 @kindex / a (Summary)
5956 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5957 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5958 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5962 @kindex / x (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5964 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5965 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5966 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5971 @kindex / u (Summary)
5973 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5974 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5975 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5976 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5977 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5980 @kindex / m (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5982 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5983 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5986 @kindex / t (Summary)
5987 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5988 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5989 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5990 articles younger than that number of days.
5993 @kindex / n (Summary)
5994 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5995 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5996 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5997 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6000 @kindex / w (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6002 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6003 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6007 @kindex / v (Summary)
6008 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6009 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6010 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6013 @kindex / p (Summary)
6014 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6015 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6016 group parameter predicate
6017 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6018 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6022 @kindex M S (Summary)
6023 @kindex / E (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6025 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6026 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6029 @kindex / D (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6031 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6032 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6035 @kindex / * (Summary)
6036 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6037 Include all cached articles in the limit
6038 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6041 @kindex / d (Summary)
6042 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6043 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6044 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6047 @kindex / M (Summary)
6048 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6049 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6052 @kindex / T (Summary)
6053 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6054 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6057 @kindex / c (Summary)
6058 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6059 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6060 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6063 @kindex / C (Summary)
6064 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6065 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6066 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6067 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6070 @kindex / N (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6072 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6073 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6076 @kindex / o (Summary)
6077 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6078 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6079 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6087 @cindex article threading
6089 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6090 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6091 hierarchical fashion.
6093 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6094 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6095 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6096 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6097 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6098 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6099 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6101 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6105 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6108 A tree-like article structure.
6111 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6114 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6115 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6116 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6117 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6118 called loose threads.
6120 @item thread gathering
6121 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6123 @item sparse threads
6124 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6125 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6131 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6132 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6136 @node Customizing Threading
6137 @subsection Customizing Threading
6138 @cindex customizing threading
6141 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6142 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6143 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6144 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6149 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6152 @cindex loose threads
6155 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6156 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6157 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6158 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6159 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6160 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6162 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6163 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6164 There are four possible values:
6168 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6169 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6170 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6171 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6172 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6177 @cindex adopting articles
6182 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6183 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6184 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6185 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6188 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6189 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6190 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6191 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6192 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6193 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6194 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6197 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6198 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6199 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6203 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6204 display them after one another.
6207 Don't gather loose threads.
6210 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6211 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6212 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6213 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6214 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6215 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6216 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6217 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6218 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6219 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6220 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6222 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6223 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6224 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6227 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6228 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6229 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6230 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6231 simplification is used.
6233 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6234 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6235 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6236 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6238 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6240 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6246 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6247 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6248 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6249 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6254 (mapconcat 'identity
6255 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6257 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6260 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6263 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6264 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6265 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6266 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6267 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6268 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6270 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6273 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6274 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6275 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6277 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6278 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6281 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6282 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6283 Remove excessive whitespace.
6286 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6289 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6290 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6291 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6292 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6293 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6294 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6295 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6296 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6298 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6299 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6300 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6301 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6302 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6303 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6304 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6305 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6306 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6310 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6311 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6312 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6313 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6315 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6316 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6317 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6320 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6324 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6325 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6331 @node Filling In Threads
6332 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6335 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6336 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6337 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6338 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6339 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6340 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6341 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6342 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6343 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6344 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6345 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6346 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6349 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6350 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6351 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6353 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6354 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6355 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6356 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6357 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6358 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6359 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6360 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6361 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6362 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6363 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6364 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6365 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6366 @code{nil} by default.
6368 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6369 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6370 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6371 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6372 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6373 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6374 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6376 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6377 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6378 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6383 @node More Threading
6384 @subsubsection More Threading
6387 @item gnus-show-threads
6388 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6389 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6390 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6391 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6392 slower and more awkward.
6394 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6395 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6396 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6399 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6400 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6401 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6406 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6407 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6408 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6411 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6412 unread, but you get my drift.)
6415 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6416 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6417 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6418 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6419 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6420 threads are expunged.
6422 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6423 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6424 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6427 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6428 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6429 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6430 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6431 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6432 result in a new thread.
6434 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6435 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6436 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6439 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6440 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6441 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6442 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6443 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6444 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6445 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6446 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6447 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6448 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6449 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6454 @node Low-Level Threading
6455 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6459 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6460 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6461 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6463 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6464 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6465 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6466 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6467 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6468 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6469 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6470 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6471 meaningful. Here's one example:
6474 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6476 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6477 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6479 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6481 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6488 @node Thread Commands
6489 @subsection Thread Commands
6490 @cindex thread commands
6496 @kindex T k (Summary)
6497 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6498 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6499 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6500 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6501 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6506 @kindex T l (Summary)
6507 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6508 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6509 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6510 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6513 @kindex T i (Summary)
6514 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6515 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6516 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6519 @kindex T # (Summary)
6520 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6521 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6522 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6525 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6526 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6527 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6528 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6531 @kindex T T (Summary)
6532 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6533 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6536 @kindex T s (Summary)
6537 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6538 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6539 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6542 @kindex T h (Summary)
6543 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6544 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6547 @kindex T S (Summary)
6548 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6549 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6552 @kindex T H (Summary)
6553 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6554 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6557 @kindex T t (Summary)
6558 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6559 Re-thread the current article's thread
6560 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6561 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6564 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6565 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6566 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6567 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6571 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6572 understand the numeric prefix.
6577 @kindex T n (Summary)
6579 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6581 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6582 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6583 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6586 @kindex T p (Summary)
6588 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6590 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6591 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6592 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6595 @kindex T d (Summary)
6596 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6597 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6600 @kindex T u (Summary)
6601 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6602 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6605 @kindex T o (Summary)
6606 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6607 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6610 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6611 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6612 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6613 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6614 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6615 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6616 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6617 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6618 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6619 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6620 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6621 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6625 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6626 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6628 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6629 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6630 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6631 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6632 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6633 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6634 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6635 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6636 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6637 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6638 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6639 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6641 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6642 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6643 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6644 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6645 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6646 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date} and
6647 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6649 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6650 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6651 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6653 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6654 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6655 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6656 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6657 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6658 ascending article order.
6660 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6661 by number, you could do something like:
6664 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6665 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6666 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6667 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6670 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6671 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6672 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6673 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6674 which the articles arrived.
6676 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6680 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6682 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6683 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6686 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6687 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6688 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6689 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6692 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6693 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6694 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6695 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6696 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6697 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6698 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6699 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6700 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6701 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6702 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6703 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6704 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6706 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6710 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6711 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6712 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6717 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6718 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6719 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6720 @cindex article pre-fetch
6723 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6724 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6725 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6726 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6727 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6729 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6730 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6732 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6733 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6734 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6735 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6736 connection is blocked.
6738 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6739 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6740 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6741 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6743 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6744 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6745 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6746 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6749 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6752 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6753 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6754 happen automatically.
6756 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6757 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6758 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6759 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6760 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6761 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6762 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6764 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6765 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6766 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6767 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6768 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6769 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6770 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6771 data structure as the only parameter.
6773 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6776 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6777 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6778 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6779 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6782 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6785 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6786 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6787 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6789 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6790 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6791 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6792 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6796 Remove articles when they are read.
6799 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6802 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6804 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6805 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6806 @c from the next group.
6809 @node Article Caching
6810 @section Article Caching
6811 @cindex article caching
6814 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6815 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6816 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6817 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6818 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6820 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6822 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6823 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6824 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6825 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6826 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6827 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6828 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6829 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6831 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6832 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6833 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6834 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6835 as dormant, and don't worry.
6837 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6839 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6840 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6841 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6842 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6843 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6844 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6845 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6846 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6847 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6848 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6850 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6851 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6852 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6853 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6854 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6855 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6856 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6857 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6858 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6859 not then be downloaded by this command.
6861 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6862 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6863 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6864 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6865 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6866 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6868 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6869 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6870 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6871 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6872 variables, the group is not cached.
6874 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6875 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6876 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6877 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6878 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6879 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6880 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6881 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6882 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6885 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
6886 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
6887 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
6888 where, isn't that cool?
6890 @node Persistent Articles
6891 @section Persistent Articles
6892 @cindex persistent articles
6894 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6895 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6896 useful in my opinion.
6898 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6899 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6900 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6901 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6902 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6903 the expiry going on at the news server.
6905 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6906 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6907 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6913 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6914 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6917 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6918 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6919 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6920 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6924 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6926 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6927 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6928 interested in persistent articles:
6931 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6935 @node Article Backlog
6936 @section Article Backlog
6938 @cindex article backlog
6940 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6941 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6942 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6943 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6944 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6945 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6946 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6947 increase memory usage some.
6949 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6950 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6951 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6952 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6953 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6954 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6955 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6957 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6960 @node Saving Articles
6961 @section Saving Articles
6962 @cindex saving articles
6964 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6965 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6966 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6967 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6968 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6970 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
6971 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
6972 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
6974 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6975 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6976 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6978 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6979 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6980 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6981 deleted before saving.
6987 @kindex O o (Summary)
6989 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6990 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6991 Save the current article using the default article saver
6992 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6995 @kindex O m (Summary)
6996 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6997 Save the current article in mail format
6998 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7001 @kindex O r (Summary)
7002 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7003 Save the current article in rmail format
7004 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7007 @kindex O f (Summary)
7008 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7009 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7010 Save the current article in plain file format
7011 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7014 @kindex O F (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7016 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7017 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7020 @kindex O b (Summary)
7021 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7022 Save the current article body in plain file format
7023 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7026 @kindex O h (Summary)
7027 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7028 Save the current article in mh folder format
7029 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7032 @kindex O v (Summary)
7033 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7034 Save the current article in a VM folder
7035 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7039 @kindex O p (Summary)
7041 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7042 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7043 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7046 @kindex O P (Summary)
7047 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7048 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7049 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7050 external program Muttprint (see
7051 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7052 options to use is controlled by the variable
7053 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7057 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7058 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7059 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7060 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7061 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7062 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7063 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7064 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7065 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7066 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7067 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7068 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7072 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7073 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7074 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7075 functions below, or you can create your own.
7079 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7080 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7081 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7082 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7083 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7084 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7085 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7087 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7088 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7089 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7090 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7091 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7092 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7094 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7095 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7096 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7097 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7098 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7099 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7100 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7102 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7103 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7104 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7105 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7106 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7107 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7109 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7110 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7111 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7112 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7113 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7115 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7116 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7117 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7118 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7119 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7122 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7123 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7124 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7125 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7126 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7128 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7129 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7130 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7131 reader to use this setting.
7134 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7135 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7136 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7137 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7140 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7141 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7142 available functions that generate names:
7146 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7147 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7148 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7150 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7151 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7152 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7154 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7155 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7156 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7158 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7159 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7160 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7162 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7163 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7164 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7167 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7168 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7169 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7170 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7171 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7175 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7176 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7177 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7178 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7181 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7182 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7183 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7184 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7185 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7186 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7187 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7188 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7189 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7191 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7192 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7193 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7194 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7196 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7197 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7198 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7201 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7202 lots of mail groups called things like
7203 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7204 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7205 following will do just that:
7208 (defun my-save-name (group)
7209 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7210 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7212 (setq gnus-split-methods
7213 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7218 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7219 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7220 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7221 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7222 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7223 all the files in the top level directory
7224 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7225 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7226 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7227 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7229 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7230 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7231 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7232 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7233 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7236 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7240 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7241 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7242 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7245 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7246 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7247 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7248 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7251 @node Decoding Articles
7252 @section Decoding Articles
7253 @cindex decoding articles
7255 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7256 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7259 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7260 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7261 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7262 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7263 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7264 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7268 @cindex article series
7269 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7270 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7271 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7272 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7273 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7275 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7276 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7277 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7279 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7280 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7281 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7283 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7284 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7285 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7288 @node Uuencoded Articles
7289 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7291 @cindex uuencoded articles
7296 @kindex X u (Summary)
7297 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7298 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7299 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7302 @kindex X U (Summary)
7303 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7304 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7305 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7308 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7309 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7310 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7313 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7314 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7315 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7316 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7320 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7321 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7322 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7323 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7324 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7326 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7327 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7328 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7329 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7332 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7333 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7334 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7335 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7336 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7337 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7341 @node Shell Archives
7342 @subsection Shell Archives
7344 @cindex shell archives
7345 @cindex shared articles
7347 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7348 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7349 some commands to deal with these:
7354 @kindex X s (Summary)
7355 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7356 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7359 @kindex X S (Summary)
7360 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7361 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7364 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7365 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7366 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7369 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7371 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7372 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7376 @node PostScript Files
7377 @subsection PostScript Files
7383 @kindex X p (Summary)
7384 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7385 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7388 @kindex X P (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7390 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7391 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7394 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7396 View the current PostScript series
7397 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7400 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7402 View and save the current PostScript series
7403 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7408 @subsection Other Files
7412 @kindex X o (Summary)
7413 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7414 Save the current series
7415 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7418 @kindex X b (Summary)
7419 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7420 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7421 doesn't really work yet.
7425 @node Decoding Variables
7426 @subsection Decoding Variables
7428 Adjective, not verb.
7431 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7432 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7433 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7437 @node Rule Variables
7438 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7439 @cindex rule variables
7441 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7442 variables are of the form
7445 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7452 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7453 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7455 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7456 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7459 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7460 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7463 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7464 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7465 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7466 user and default view rules.
7468 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7469 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7470 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7475 @node Other Decode Variables
7476 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7479 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7481 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7482 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7483 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7484 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7485 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7489 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7490 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7493 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7494 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7495 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7498 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7499 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7500 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7501 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7502 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7505 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7506 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7507 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7509 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7510 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7511 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7512 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7513 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7516 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7517 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7518 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7520 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7521 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7522 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7523 looking for files to display.
7525 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7526 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7527 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7530 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7531 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7532 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7535 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7536 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7537 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7540 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7541 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7542 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7545 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7546 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7547 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7548 decoded articles as unread.
7550 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7551 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7552 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7553 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7555 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7556 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7557 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7559 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7560 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7562 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7563 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7564 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7565 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7567 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7568 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7569 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7570 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7571 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7572 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7573 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7574 simply dropped them.
7579 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7580 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7584 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7585 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7586 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7587 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7588 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7589 for you when you post the article.
7591 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7592 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7593 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7594 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7596 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7597 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7598 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7599 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7600 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7601 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7602 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7604 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7605 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7606 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7607 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7608 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7609 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7610 Default is @code{t}.
7616 @subsection Viewing Files
7617 @cindex viewing files
7618 @cindex pseudo-articles
7620 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7621 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7622 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7623 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7624 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7625 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7626 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7628 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7629 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7630 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7631 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7633 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7634 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7635 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7637 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7638 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7639 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7640 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7641 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7643 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7644 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7645 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7646 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7647 a list of parameters to that command.
7649 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7650 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7651 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7653 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7654 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7655 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7658 @node Article Treatment
7659 @section Article Treatment
7661 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7662 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7663 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7664 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7665 these articles easier.
7668 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7669 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7670 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7671 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7672 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7673 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7674 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7675 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7676 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7677 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7681 @node Article Highlighting
7682 @subsection Article Highlighting
7683 @cindex highlighting
7685 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7686 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7691 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7692 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7693 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7694 Do much highlighting of the current article
7695 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7696 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7699 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7700 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7701 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7702 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7703 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7704 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7705 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7706 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7707 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7708 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7709 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7710 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7713 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7714 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7715 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7717 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7720 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7722 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7723 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7724 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7726 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7727 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7728 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7730 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7731 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7732 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7733 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7734 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7735 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7737 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7738 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7739 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7741 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7742 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7743 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7745 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7746 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7747 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7748 that it's a citation.
7750 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7751 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7752 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7754 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7755 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7756 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7758 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7759 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7760 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7761 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7767 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7768 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7769 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7770 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7771 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7772 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7773 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7774 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7779 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7782 @node Article Fontisizing
7783 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7785 @cindex article emphasis
7787 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7788 @kindex W e (Summary)
7789 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7790 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7791 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7792 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7794 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7795 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7796 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7797 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7798 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7799 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7800 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7801 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7805 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7806 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7807 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7816 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7817 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7818 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7819 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7820 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7821 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7822 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7823 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7824 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7825 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7826 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7827 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7828 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7830 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7831 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7832 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7836 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7839 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7841 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7842 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7843 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7844 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7846 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7849 @node Article Hiding
7850 @subsection Article Hiding
7851 @cindex article hiding
7853 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7854 too much cruft in most articles.
7859 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7860 @findex gnus-article-hide
7861 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7862 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7863 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7866 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7867 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7868 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7872 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7873 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7874 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7875 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7878 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7879 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7880 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7884 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7885 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7886 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7887 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7888 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7889 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7890 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7891 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7895 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7896 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7897 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7898 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7903 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7904 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7905 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7906 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7907 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7908 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7909 articles that have signatures in them do:
7911 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7913 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7915 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7916 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7918 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7921 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7926 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7927 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7928 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7929 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7932 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7933 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7936 @cindex stripping advertisements
7937 @cindex advertisements
7938 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7939 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7940 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7941 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7942 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7943 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7944 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7945 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7946 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7947 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7951 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7952 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7953 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7954 customizing the hiding:
7958 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7959 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7960 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7961 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7962 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7963 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7964 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7969 Starting point of the hidden text.
7971 Ending point of the hidden text.
7973 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7975 Number of lines of hidden text.
7978 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7979 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7980 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7981 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7982 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7987 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7988 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7990 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7991 following two variables:
7994 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7995 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7996 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7997 50), hide the cited text.
7999 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8000 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8001 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8006 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8007 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8008 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8009 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8010 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8011 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8015 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8016 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8017 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8019 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8020 citation customization.
8022 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8026 @node Article Washing
8027 @subsection Article Washing
8029 @cindex article washing
8031 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8032 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8034 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8035 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8038 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8039 articles by default.
8044 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8045 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8049 @kindex W l (Summary)
8050 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8051 Remove page breaks from the current article
8052 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8056 @kindex W r (Summary)
8057 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8058 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8059 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8060 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8061 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8062 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8064 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8065 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8066 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8067 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8071 @kindex W t (Summary)
8073 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8074 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8075 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8078 @kindex W v (Summary)
8079 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8080 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8081 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8084 @kindex W o (Summary)
8085 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8086 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8089 @kindex W d (Summary)
8090 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8091 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8093 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8095 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8096 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8097 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8098 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8101 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8102 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8103 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8104 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8107 @kindex W k (Summary)
8108 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8109 @cindex Outlook Express
8110 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8111 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8114 @kindex W w (Summary)
8115 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8116 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8118 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8122 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8123 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8124 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8127 @kindex W C (Summary)
8128 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8129 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8130 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8133 @kindex W c (Summary)
8134 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8135 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8136 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8137 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8138 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8141 @kindex W q (Summary)
8142 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8143 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8144 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8145 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8146 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8147 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
8148 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8149 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8150 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8153 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8154 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8155 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8156 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8157 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8158 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8159 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8161 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8164 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8165 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8166 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8167 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8168 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8171 @kindex W u (Summary)
8172 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8173 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8174 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8175 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8176 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8179 @kindex W h (Summary)
8180 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8181 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that the this is
8182 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8183 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8185 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8187 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8188 The default is to use w3 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is
8189 controlled by the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable.
8190 Pre-defined functions you can use include:
8193 @item gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3
8194 @findex gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3
8195 Use w3 (this is the default).
8197 @item gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3m
8198 @findex gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3m
8199 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8204 @kindex W b (Summary)
8205 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8206 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8207 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8210 @kindex W B (Summary)
8211 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8212 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8213 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8216 @kindex W p (Summary)
8217 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8218 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8219 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8220 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8221 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8222 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8223 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8226 @kindex W s (Summary)
8227 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8228 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8229 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8232 @kindex W a (Summary)
8233 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8234 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8235 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8238 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8239 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8240 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8241 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8244 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8245 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8246 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8247 lines with a single empty line.
8248 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8251 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8252 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8253 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8254 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8257 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8258 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8259 Do all the three commands above
8260 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8263 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8264 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8265 Remove all blank lines
8266 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8269 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8270 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8271 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8272 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8275 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8276 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8277 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8278 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8282 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8285 @node Article Header
8286 @subsection Article Header
8288 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8293 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8294 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8295 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8298 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8299 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8300 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8301 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8304 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8305 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8306 Fold all the message headers
8307 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8311 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8312 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8313 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8318 @node Article Buttons
8319 @subsection Article Buttons
8322 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8323 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8324 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8325 button on these references.
8327 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8328 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8329 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8334 @item gnus-button-alist
8335 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8336 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8339 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8345 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8346 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8347 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8350 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8351 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8352 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8355 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8356 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8357 avoid false matches.
8360 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8363 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8364 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8368 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8371 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8374 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8375 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8376 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8377 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8378 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8381 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8384 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8386 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8387 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8388 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8389 default values of the variables above.
8391 @item gnus-article-button-face
8392 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8393 Face used on buttons.
8395 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8396 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8397 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8401 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8405 @subsection Article Date
8407 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8408 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8409 when the article was sent.
8414 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8415 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8416 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8417 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8420 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8421 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8423 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8424 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8427 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8428 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8429 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8432 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8433 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8434 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8435 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8438 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8439 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8440 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8441 @findex format-time-string
8442 Display the date using a user-defined format
8443 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8444 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8445 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8446 for a list of possible format specs.
8449 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8450 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8451 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8452 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8453 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8454 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8457 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8460 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8461 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8464 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8465 into wonderful absurdities.
8467 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8470 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8473 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8474 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8478 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8480 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8481 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8482 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8483 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8484 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8488 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8489 preferred format automatically.
8492 @node Article Display
8493 @subsection Article Display
8498 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8499 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8501 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8502 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8504 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8505 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8507 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8508 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8510 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8515 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8516 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8517 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8518 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8521 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8522 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8523 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8526 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8527 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8528 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8531 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8532 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8533 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8534 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8537 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8538 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8539 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8540 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8543 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8545 Remove all images from the article buffer
8546 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8552 @node Article Signature
8553 @subsection Article Signature
8555 @cindex article signature
8557 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8558 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8559 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8560 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8561 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8562 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8563 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8564 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8565 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8568 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8569 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8570 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8571 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8572 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8573 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8574 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8575 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8578 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8581 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8582 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8583 signature when displaying articles.
8587 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8590 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8593 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8594 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8596 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8597 in question is not a signature.
8600 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8601 listed above. Here's an example:
8604 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8605 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8608 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8609 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8610 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8611 signature after all.
8614 @node Article Miscellania
8615 @subsection Article Miscellania
8619 @kindex A t (Summary)
8620 @findex gnus-article-babel
8621 Translate the article from one language to another
8622 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8628 @section MIME Commands
8629 @cindex MIME decoding
8631 @cindex viewing attachments
8633 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8634 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8640 @kindex K v (Summary)
8641 View the @sc{mime} part.
8644 @kindex K o (Summary)
8645 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8648 @kindex K c (Summary)
8649 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8652 @kindex K e (Summary)
8653 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8656 @kindex K i (Summary)
8657 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8660 @kindex K | (Summary)
8661 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8664 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8669 @kindex K b (Summary)
8670 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8671 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8675 @kindex K m (Summary)
8676 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8677 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8678 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8679 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8680 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8683 @kindex X m (Summary)
8684 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8685 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8686 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8687 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8690 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8691 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8692 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8693 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8696 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8697 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8698 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8701 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8702 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8703 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8705 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8706 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8707 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8708 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8709 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8710 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8713 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8714 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8715 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8722 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8723 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8724 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8725 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8728 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8731 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8735 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8736 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8737 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8738 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8739 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8740 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8743 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8744 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8745 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8746 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8747 displayed. This variable overrides
8748 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8750 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8751 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8752 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8754 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8755 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8756 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8757 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8758 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8759 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8760 save all jpegs into some directory).
8762 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8765 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8766 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8768 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8769 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8770 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8771 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8772 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8775 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8776 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8777 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8779 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8780 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8781 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8782 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8784 Ready-made functions include@*
8785 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8786 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8787 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8788 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8789 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8790 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8791 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8792 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8793 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8794 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8795 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8796 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8798 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8799 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8801 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8802 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8803 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8806 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8807 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8808 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8809 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8813 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8822 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8823 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8824 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8825 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8826 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8827 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8828 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8830 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8831 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8832 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8833 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8835 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8836 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8837 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8838 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8839 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8840 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8841 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8842 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8844 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8845 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8846 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8847 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8848 quoted-printable header encoding.
8850 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8851 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8852 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8856 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8859 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8860 means encode all charsets),
8862 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8863 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8864 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8871 @cindex coding system aliases
8872 @cindex preferred charset
8874 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8876 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8877 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8880 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8881 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8884 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8885 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8887 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8890 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8893 This will almost do the right thing.
8895 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8899 (codepage-setup 1251)
8900 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8904 @node Article Commands
8905 @section Article Commands
8912 @kindex A P (Summary)
8913 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8914 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8915 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8916 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8917 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8918 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8923 @node Summary Sorting
8924 @section Summary Sorting
8925 @cindex summary sorting
8927 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8928 can't really see why you'd want that.
8933 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8934 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8935 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8938 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8939 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8940 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8943 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8944 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8945 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8948 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8949 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8950 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8953 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8954 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8955 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8958 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8959 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8960 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8963 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8964 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8965 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8968 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8969 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8970 Sort using the default sorting method
8971 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8974 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8975 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8976 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8977 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8978 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8982 @node Finding the Parent
8983 @section Finding the Parent
8984 @cindex parent articles
8985 @cindex referring articles
8990 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8991 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8992 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8993 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8994 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8995 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8996 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8997 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8998 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9000 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9001 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9002 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9003 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9004 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9008 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9009 @kindex A R (Summary)
9010 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9011 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9014 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9015 @kindex A T (Summary)
9016 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9017 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9018 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9019 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9020 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9021 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9022 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9024 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9025 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9026 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9027 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9028 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9029 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9032 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9033 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9035 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9036 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9037 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9038 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9039 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9040 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9041 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9044 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9045 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9046 by giving this command a prefix.
9048 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9049 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9050 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9051 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9052 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9053 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9056 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9057 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9058 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9061 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9062 then ask Deja if that fails:
9065 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9067 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
9070 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9071 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9072 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9073 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9074 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9075 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9076 support this at all.
9079 @node Alternative Approaches
9080 @section Alternative Approaches
9082 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9083 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9086 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9087 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9092 @subsection Pick and Read
9093 @cindex pick and read
9095 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9096 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9097 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9098 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9100 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9101 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9102 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9103 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9104 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9105 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9107 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9112 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9113 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9114 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9115 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9116 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9117 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9118 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9119 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9122 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9123 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9124 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9125 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9129 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9130 Unpick the thread or article
9131 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9132 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9133 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9134 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9135 the thread or article at that line.
9139 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9140 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9141 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9142 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9143 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9144 will still be visible when you are reading.
9148 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9149 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9150 which is mapped to the same function
9151 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9153 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9156 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9159 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9160 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9162 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9163 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9164 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9166 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9167 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9168 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9169 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9170 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9171 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9172 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9176 @subsection Binary Groups
9177 @cindex binary groups
9179 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9180 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9181 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9182 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9183 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9184 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9185 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9188 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9189 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9190 command, when you have turned on this mode
9191 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9193 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9194 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9198 @section Tree Display
9201 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9202 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9203 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9204 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9207 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9210 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9211 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9212 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9214 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9215 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9216 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9217 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9218 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9220 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9221 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9222 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9223 default is @code{modeline}.
9225 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9226 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9227 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9228 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9229 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9230 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9231 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9237 The name of the poster.
9239 The @code{From} header.
9241 The number of the article.
9243 The opening bracket.
9245 The closing bracket.
9250 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9252 Variables related to the display are:
9255 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9256 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9257 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9258 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9259 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9260 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9262 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9263 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9264 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9265 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9269 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9270 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9271 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9272 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9273 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9274 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9275 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9276 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9277 other windows displayed next to it.
9279 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9283 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9284 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9287 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9288 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9289 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9290 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9291 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9292 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9293 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9297 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9300 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9310 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9314 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9315 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9317 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9319 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9324 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9325 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9326 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9329 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9330 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9331 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9332 (gnus-add-configuration
9336 (summary 0.75 point)
9341 @xref{Window Layout}.
9344 @node Mail Group Commands
9345 @section Mail Group Commands
9346 @cindex mail group commands
9348 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9349 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9351 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9352 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9357 @kindex B e (Summary)
9358 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9359 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9360 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9361 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9362 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9365 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9366 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9367 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9368 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9369 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9370 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9373 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9374 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9375 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9376 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9377 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9378 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9381 @kindex B m (Summary)
9383 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9384 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9385 Move the article from one mail group to another
9386 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9387 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9390 @kindex B c (Summary)
9392 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9393 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9394 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9395 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9396 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9399 @kindex B B (Summary)
9400 @cindex crosspost mail
9401 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9402 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9403 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9404 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9405 be properly updated.
9408 @kindex B i (Summary)
9409 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9410 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9411 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9412 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9415 @kindex B I (Summary)
9416 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9417 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9418 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9419 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9422 @kindex B r (Summary)
9423 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9424 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9425 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9426 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9427 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9428 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9429 (which is the default).
9433 @kindex B w (Summary)
9435 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9436 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9437 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9438 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9439 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9440 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9441 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9444 @kindex B q (Summary)
9445 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9446 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9447 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9448 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9451 @kindex B t (Summary)
9452 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9453 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9454 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9457 @kindex B p (Summary)
9458 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9459 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9460 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9461 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9462 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9463 article from your news server (or rather, from
9464 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9465 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9466 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9467 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9468 just not have arrived yet.
9471 @kindex K E (Summary)
9472 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9473 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9474 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9475 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9476 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9480 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9481 @cindex moving articles
9482 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9483 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9484 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9485 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9486 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9487 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9488 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9491 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9492 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9493 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9494 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9498 @node Various Summary Stuff
9499 @section Various Summary Stuff
9502 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9503 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9504 * Summary Generation Commands::
9505 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9509 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9510 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9511 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9513 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9514 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9515 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9516 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9517 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9518 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9521 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9522 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9523 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9524 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9525 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9527 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9528 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9529 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9532 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9533 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9534 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9535 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9536 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9537 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9538 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9539 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9540 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9541 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9543 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9544 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9545 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9546 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9547 list of articles to be selected.
9549 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9550 the list in one particular group:
9553 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9554 (if (string= group "some.group")
9555 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9559 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9560 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9561 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9562 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9563 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9564 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9565 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9566 buffers. For example:
9569 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9570 '(message-use-followup-to
9571 (gnus-visible-headers .
9572 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9578 @node Summary Group Information
9579 @subsection Summary Group Information
9584 @kindex H f (Summary)
9585 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9586 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9587 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9588 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9589 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9590 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9591 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9592 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9593 be used for fetching the file.
9596 @kindex H d (Summary)
9597 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9598 Give a brief description of the current group
9599 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9600 rereading the description from the server.
9603 @kindex H h (Summary)
9604 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9605 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9606 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9609 @kindex H i (Summary)
9610 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9611 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9615 @node Searching for Articles
9616 @subsection Searching for Articles
9621 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9622 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9623 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9624 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9627 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9628 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9629 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9630 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9634 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9635 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9636 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9637 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9638 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9639 search backward instead.
9641 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9642 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9645 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9646 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9647 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9648 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9651 @node Summary Generation Commands
9652 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9657 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9658 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9659 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9662 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9663 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9664 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9665 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9670 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9671 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9677 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9678 @kindex A D (Summary)
9679 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9680 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9681 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9682 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9683 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9684 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9685 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9686 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9690 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9691 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9692 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9693 several documents into one biiig group
9694 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9695 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9696 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9697 command understands the process/prefix convention
9698 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9701 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9702 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9703 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9704 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9705 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9706 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9710 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9711 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9712 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9715 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9716 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9717 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9718 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9721 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9722 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9723 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9724 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9729 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9730 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9731 @cindex summary exit
9732 @cindex exiting groups
9734 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9735 group and return you to the group buffer.
9741 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9743 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9744 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9745 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9746 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9747 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9748 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9749 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9750 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9751 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9752 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9753 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9757 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9759 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9760 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9761 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9765 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9767 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9768 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9769 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9770 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9773 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9774 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9775 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9776 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9779 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9780 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9781 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9782 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9785 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9786 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9787 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9788 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9789 all articles, both read and unread.
9793 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9794 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9795 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9796 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9797 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9798 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9799 articles, both read and unread.
9802 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9803 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9804 Exit the group and go to the next group
9805 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9808 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9809 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9810 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9811 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9814 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9815 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9816 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9817 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9818 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9819 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9822 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9823 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9824 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9825 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9827 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9828 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9829 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9830 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9831 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9832 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9833 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9834 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9835 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9836 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9837 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9838 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9840 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9842 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9843 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9844 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9845 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9846 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9847 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9848 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9849 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9850 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9853 @node Crosspost Handling
9854 @section Crosspost Handling
9858 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9859 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9860 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9861 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9862 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9863 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9866 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9867 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9868 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9869 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9870 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9872 @cindex cross-posting
9875 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9876 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9877 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9878 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9879 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9880 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9881 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9882 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9883 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9884 the cross reference mechanism.
9886 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9887 @cindex overview.fmt
9888 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9889 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9890 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9891 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9892 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9893 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9896 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9897 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9898 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9903 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9906 @node Duplicate Suppression
9907 @section Duplicate Suppression
9909 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9910 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9911 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9912 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9917 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9918 is evil and not very common.
9921 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9922 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9925 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9926 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9929 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9932 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9933 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9935 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9936 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9937 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9938 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9939 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9940 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9941 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9944 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9945 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9946 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9947 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9948 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9952 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9953 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9954 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9956 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9957 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9958 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9959 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9960 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9961 session are suppressed.
9963 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9964 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9965 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9966 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9968 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9969 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9970 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9971 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9974 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9975 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9976 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9977 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9978 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9979 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9980 to you to figure out, I think.
9985 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9986 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
9987 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
9991 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
9992 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
9995 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
9996 or newer is recommended.
10000 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10001 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10004 @item mm-verify-option
10005 @vindex mm-verify-option
10006 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10007 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10008 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10010 @item mm-decrypt-option
10011 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10012 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10013 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10014 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10019 @section Mailing List
10021 @kindex A M (summary)
10022 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10023 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10024 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10025 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10026 summary buffer, or say:
10029 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10032 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10037 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10038 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10039 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10042 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10043 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10044 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10047 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10048 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10049 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10053 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10054 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10055 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10058 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10059 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10060 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10063 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10064 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10065 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10069 @node Article Buffer
10070 @chapter Article Buffer
10071 @cindex article buffer
10073 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10074 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10075 tell Gnus otherwise.
10078 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10079 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10080 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10081 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10082 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10086 @node Hiding Headers
10087 @section Hiding Headers
10088 @cindex hiding headers
10089 @cindex deleting headers
10091 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10092 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10094 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10095 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10096 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10097 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10098 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10099 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10100 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10101 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10102 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10104 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10108 @item gnus-visible-headers
10109 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10110 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10111 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10112 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10114 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10115 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10118 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10121 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10124 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10125 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10126 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10127 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10128 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10129 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10131 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10132 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10135 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10138 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10141 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10142 variable will have no effect.
10146 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10147 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10148 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10149 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10150 the headers are to be displayed.
10152 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10153 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10156 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10159 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10160 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10162 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10163 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10164 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10165 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10166 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10167 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10168 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10171 These conditions are:
10174 Remove all empty headers.
10176 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10177 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10179 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10180 @code{From} header.
10182 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10185 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10186 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10188 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10191 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10193 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10196 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10199 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10200 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10203 This is also the default value for this variable.
10207 @section Using MIME
10210 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10211 while people stand around yawning.
10213 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10214 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10216 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10217 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10218 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10220 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10221 @findex gnus-display-mime
10222 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10223 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10224 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10225 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10227 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10231 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10232 @item RET (Article)
10233 @kindex RET (Article)
10234 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10235 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10236 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10237 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10238 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10239 object is displayed inline.
10241 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10242 @item M-RET (Article)
10243 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10245 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10246 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10248 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10250 @kindex t (Article)
10251 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10252 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10254 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10256 @kindex C (Article)
10257 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10258 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10260 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10262 @kindex o (Article)
10263 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10264 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10266 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10267 @item C-o (Article)
10268 @kindex C-o (Article)
10269 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10270 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10271 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10272 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10273 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10274 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10276 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10278 @kindex c (Article)
10279 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10280 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10282 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10284 @kindex p (Article)
10285 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10286 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10287 @file{.mailcap} file.
10289 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10291 @kindex i (Article)
10292 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10293 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10294 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10295 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10296 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10299 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10301 @kindex E (Article)
10302 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10303 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10304 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10306 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10308 @kindex e (Article)
10309 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10310 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10312 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10314 @kindex | (Article)
10315 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10317 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10319 @kindex . (Article)
10320 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10321 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10325 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10326 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10329 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10330 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10331 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10332 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10333 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10334 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10335 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10336 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10337 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10339 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10341 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10344 @node Customizing Articles
10345 @section Customizing Articles
10346 @cindex article customization
10348 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10349 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10350 called automatically when you select the articles.
10352 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10353 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10354 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10355 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10357 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10358 for sensible values.
10362 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10365 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10368 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10371 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10374 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10378 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10379 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10380 regexps in the list.
10383 A list where the first element is not a string:
10385 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10386 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10387 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10391 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10396 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10397 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10398 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10399 considered to contain just a single part.
10401 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10402 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10403 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10404 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10405 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10406 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10407 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10409 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10410 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10411 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10412 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10415 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10416 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10418 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10420 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10421 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10422 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10423 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10424 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10425 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10426 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10427 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10428 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10429 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10431 @xref{Article Washing}.
10433 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10434 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10435 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10436 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10437 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10438 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10439 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10441 @xref{Article Date}.
10443 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10444 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10445 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10449 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10451 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10453 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10454 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10455 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10459 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10463 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10464 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10465 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10466 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10467 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10468 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10469 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10470 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10472 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10474 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10475 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10476 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10478 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10480 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10481 @item gnus-treat-translate
10482 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10484 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10485 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10486 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10487 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10489 @xref{Article Header}.
10494 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10495 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10496 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10497 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10498 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10502 @node Article Keymap
10503 @section Article Keymap
10505 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10506 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10507 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10508 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10511 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10516 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10517 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10518 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10521 @kindex DEL (Article)
10522 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10523 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10526 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10527 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10528 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10529 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10530 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10533 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10534 @findex gnus-article-mail
10535 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10536 given a prefix, include the mail.
10539 @kindex s (Article)
10540 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10541 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10542 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10545 @kindex ? (Article)
10546 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10547 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10548 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10551 @kindex TAB (Article)
10552 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10553 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10554 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10557 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10558 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10559 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10562 @kindex R (Article)
10563 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10564 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10565 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10566 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10570 @kindex F (Article)
10571 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10572 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10573 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10574 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10582 @section Misc Article
10586 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10587 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10588 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10589 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10592 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10593 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10595 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10596 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10598 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10599 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10600 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10601 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10602 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10603 the contents of the article buffer.
10605 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10606 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10607 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10609 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10610 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10611 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10612 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10614 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10615 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10616 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10617 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10618 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10624 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10625 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10626 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10631 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10634 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10637 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10638 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10639 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10642 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10645 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10648 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10653 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10657 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10659 @item gnus-break-pages
10660 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10661 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10662 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10663 paging will not be done.
10665 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10666 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10667 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10672 @node Composing Messages
10673 @chapter Composing Messages
10674 @cindex composing messages
10677 @cindex sending mail
10682 @cindex using s/mime
10683 @cindex using smime
10685 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10686 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10687 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10688 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10689 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10690 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10693 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10694 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10695 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10696 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10697 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10698 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10699 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10700 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10703 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10704 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10710 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10713 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10714 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10715 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10716 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10718 @item gnus-add-to-list
10719 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10720 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10721 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10726 @node Posting Server
10727 @section Posting Server
10729 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10730 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10732 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10734 It can be quite complicated.
10736 @vindex gnus-post-method
10737 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10738 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10739 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10740 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10741 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10742 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10743 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10744 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10745 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10748 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10751 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10752 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10753 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10754 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10756 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10757 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10759 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10760 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10763 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10764 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10766 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10767 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10768 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10769 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10770 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10771 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10772 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10773 package correctly. An example:
10776 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10777 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10780 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10781 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10782 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10784 @node Mail and Post
10785 @section Mail and Post
10787 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10791 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10792 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10793 @cindex mailing lists
10795 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10796 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10797 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10798 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10799 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10800 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10801 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10802 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10803 still a pain, though.
10807 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10808 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10809 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10812 @findex ispell-message
10814 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10817 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10818 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10821 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10825 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10826 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10828 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10831 Modify to suit your needs.
10834 @node Archived Messages
10835 @section Archived Messages
10836 @cindex archived messages
10837 @cindex sent messages
10839 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10840 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10841 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10842 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10845 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
10846 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
10849 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10850 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10851 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10854 (nnfolder "archive"
10855 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10856 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10857 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10858 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10861 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10862 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10863 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10864 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10867 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10868 '(nnfolder "archive"
10869 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10870 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10871 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10874 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10876 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10877 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10878 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10880 This variable can be used to do the following:
10885 Messages will be saved in that group.
10887 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10888 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10889 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10890 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10891 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10892 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10893 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10894 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10898 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10900 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10901 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10904 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10909 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10911 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10914 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10916 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10919 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10921 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10922 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10923 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10924 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10927 More complex stuff:
10929 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10930 '((if (message-news-p)
10935 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10936 messages in one file per month:
10939 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10940 '((if (message-news-p)
10942 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10945 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10946 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10948 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10949 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10950 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10951 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10952 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10953 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10954 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10955 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10956 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10957 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10959 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10960 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10961 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10962 this will disable archiving.
10965 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10966 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10967 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10968 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10969 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10972 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10973 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10974 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10977 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10978 but the latter is the preferred method.
10980 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10981 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10982 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10984 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10985 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10986 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
10987 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
10988 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
10989 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
10990 changed in the future.
10995 @node Posting Styles
10996 @section Posting Styles
10997 @cindex posting styles
11000 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11002 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11003 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11004 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11007 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11008 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11009 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11010 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11011 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11016 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11017 (organization "What me?"))
11019 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11020 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11021 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11024 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11025 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11026 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11027 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11028 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11029 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11030 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11031 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11033 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11034 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11035 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11036 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11037 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. If it's a function symbol, that
11038 function will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol,
11039 then the variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list
11040 will be @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil}
11041 value, then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
11043 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11044 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11045 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11046 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11047 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11048 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11049 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11050 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11051 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11052 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11055 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11056 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11057 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11058 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11059 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11060 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11061 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11062 references chars lines xref extra.
11064 @vindex message-reply-headers
11066 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11067 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11068 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11070 @findex message-mail-p
11071 @findex message-news-p
11073 So here's a new example:
11076 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11078 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11080 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11081 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11083 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11084 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11085 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11086 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11087 (signature my-news-signature))
11088 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11089 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11090 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11091 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
11092 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11093 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11094 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11095 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11096 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11097 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11099 (From (save-excursion
11100 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11101 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11103 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11106 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11107 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11108 if you fill many roles.
11115 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11116 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11117 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11118 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11119 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11121 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11122 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11123 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11124 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11125 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11129 @vindex nndraft-directory
11130 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11131 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11132 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11133 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11134 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11135 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11137 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11138 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11141 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11142 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11143 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11144 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11145 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11146 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11147 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11148 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11149 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11150 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11151 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11152 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11153 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11154 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11156 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11157 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11158 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11160 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11161 @kindex D e (Draft)
11162 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11163 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11164 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11166 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11169 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11170 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11171 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11172 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11173 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11174 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11175 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11178 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11179 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11180 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11183 @node Rejected Articles
11184 @section Rejected Articles
11185 @cindex rejected articles
11187 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11188 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11189 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11190 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11192 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11193 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11194 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11195 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11196 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11198 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11199 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11200 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11202 @node Signing and encrypting
11203 @section Signing and encrypting
11205 @cindex using s/mime
11206 @cindex using smime
11208 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11209 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11210 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11211 (@pxref{Security}).
11213 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11214 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11215 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11217 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11218 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11219 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11224 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11225 @findex mml-secure-sign-smime
11227 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using @sc{s/mime}.
11230 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11231 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11233 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using PGP.
11236 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11237 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11239 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11242 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11243 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-smime
11245 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using @sc{s/mime}.
11248 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11249 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgp
11251 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using PGP.
11254 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11255 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgpmime
11257 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11260 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11261 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11262 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11266 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11268 @node Select Methods
11269 @chapter Select Methods
11270 @cindex foreign groups
11271 @cindex select methods
11273 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11274 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11275 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11276 personal mail group.
11278 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11279 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11280 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11281 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11282 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11283 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11285 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11286 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11288 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11291 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11292 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11293 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11294 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11295 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11297 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11300 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11301 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11302 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11303 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11304 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11305 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11306 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11307 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11311 @node Server Buffer
11312 @section Server Buffer
11314 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11315 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11316 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11317 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11318 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11319 back end represents a virtual server.
11321 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11322 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11323 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11324 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11326 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11327 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11328 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11329 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11330 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11331 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11332 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11334 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11335 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11338 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11339 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11340 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11341 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11342 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11343 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11344 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11347 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11348 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11351 @node Server Buffer Format
11352 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11353 @cindex server buffer format
11355 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11356 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11357 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11358 variable, with some simple extensions:
11363 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11366 The name of this server.
11369 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11372 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11375 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11376 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11377 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11378 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11388 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11391 @node Server Commands
11392 @subsection Server Commands
11393 @cindex server commands
11399 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11400 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11404 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11405 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11408 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11409 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11410 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11414 @findex gnus-server-exit
11415 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11419 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11420 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11424 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11425 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11429 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11430 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11434 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11435 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11439 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11440 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11441 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11446 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11447 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11448 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11449 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11454 @node Example Methods
11455 @subsection Example Methods
11457 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11460 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11463 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11469 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11470 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11473 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11474 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11476 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11477 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11481 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11484 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11485 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11487 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11488 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11489 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11493 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11496 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11499 Here's the method for a public spool:
11503 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11504 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11510 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11511 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11512 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11513 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11514 should probably look something like this:
11518 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11519 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11520 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11521 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11524 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11525 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11526 configuration to the example above:
11529 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11532 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11533 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11534 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11538 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11539 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11540 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11541 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11544 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11545 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11546 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11547 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11550 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11551 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11553 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11554 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11556 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11557 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11558 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11560 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11562 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11563 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11564 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11565 will contain the following:
11575 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11576 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11577 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11580 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11581 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11582 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11585 @node Server Variables
11586 @subsection Server Variables
11588 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11589 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11590 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11591 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11592 won't change the "derived" variables.
11594 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11595 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11596 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11597 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11598 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11599 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11600 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11601 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11602 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11606 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11607 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11608 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11612 @node Servers and Methods
11613 @subsection Servers and Methods
11615 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11616 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11617 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11618 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11622 @node Unavailable Servers
11623 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11625 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11626 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11627 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11628 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11629 actually the case or not.
11631 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11632 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11633 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11634 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11635 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11636 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11637 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11638 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11640 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11641 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11643 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11644 with the following commands:
11650 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11651 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11652 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11656 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11657 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11658 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11662 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11663 Mark the current server as unreachable
11664 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11667 @kindex M-o (Server)
11668 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11669 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11670 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11673 @kindex M-c (Server)
11674 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11675 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11676 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11680 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11681 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11682 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11686 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11687 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11693 @section Getting News
11694 @cindex reading news
11695 @cindex news back ends
11697 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11698 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11699 or it can read from a local spool.
11702 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11703 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11711 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11712 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11713 server as the, uhm, address.
11715 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11716 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11717 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11718 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11720 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11721 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11722 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11724 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11729 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11730 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11731 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11733 @cindex authentification
11734 @cindex nntp authentification
11735 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11736 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11737 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11738 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11739 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11740 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11741 present in this hook.
11743 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11744 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11745 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11746 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11747 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11748 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11749 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11750 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11751 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11752 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11753 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11754 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11758 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11761 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11763 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11764 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11765 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11766 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11767 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11768 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11769 @samp{force} is explained below.
11773 Here's an example file:
11776 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11777 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11780 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11781 have to be first, for instance.
11783 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11784 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11785 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11786 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11787 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11788 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11789 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11791 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11792 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11798 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11799 previously mentioned.
11801 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11803 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11804 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11805 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11806 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11807 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11810 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11811 '(("innd" (ding))))
11814 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11816 The default value is
11819 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11820 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11821 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11824 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11825 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11827 @item nntp-maximum-request
11828 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11829 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11830 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11831 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11832 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11833 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11834 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11836 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11837 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11838 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11839 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11840 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11841 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11842 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11843 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11844 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11845 no timeouts are done.
11847 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11848 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11849 @c @cindex PPP connections
11850 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11851 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11852 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11853 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11854 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11855 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11856 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11857 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11858 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11859 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11861 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11862 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11863 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11864 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11865 @c described above.
11867 @item nntp-server-hook
11868 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11869 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11872 @item nntp-buggy-select
11873 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11874 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11876 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11877 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11878 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11879 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11882 @item nntp-xover-commands
11883 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11886 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11887 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11891 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11892 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11893 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11894 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11895 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11896 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11897 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11898 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11899 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11900 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11901 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11903 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11904 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11905 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11907 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11908 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11909 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11910 server closes connection.
11912 @item nntp-record-commands
11913 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11914 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11915 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11916 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11917 that doesn't seem to work.
11919 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11920 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11921 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11922 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11923 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11924 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11925 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11926 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11928 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11929 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11930 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11931 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11932 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11933 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11934 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11937 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11940 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11941 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11945 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11946 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11947 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11951 @node Direct Functions
11952 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11953 @cindex direct connection functions
11955 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11956 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11957 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11958 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11961 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11962 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11963 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11966 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11967 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11968 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11969 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11970 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11971 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11972 define a server as follows:
11975 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11977 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11979 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11980 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11981 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11982 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11985 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11986 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11987 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11988 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11989 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11990 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11991 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11992 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11996 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11997 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11998 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12001 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12002 session, which is not a good idea.
12006 @node Indirect Functions
12007 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12008 @cindex indirect connection functions
12010 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12011 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12012 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12013 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12014 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12015 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12018 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12019 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12020 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12021 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12022 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12024 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12027 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12028 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12029 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12030 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12033 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12034 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12035 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12036 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12038 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12041 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12042 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12043 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12046 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12047 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12048 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12049 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12051 @item nntp-via-user-password
12052 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12053 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12055 @item nntp-via-envuser
12056 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12057 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12058 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12059 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12061 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12062 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12063 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12064 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12071 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12076 @item nntp-via-user-name
12077 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12078 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12080 @item nntp-via-address
12081 @vindex nntp-via-address
12082 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12087 @node Common Variables
12088 @subsubsection Common Variables
12090 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12091 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12096 @item nntp-pre-command
12097 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12098 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12099 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12100 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12101 wrapper for instance.
12104 @vindex nntp-address
12105 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12107 @item nntp-port-number
12108 @vindex nntp-port-number
12109 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12111 @item nntp-end-of-line
12112 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12113 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12114 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12115 using a non native connection function.
12117 @item nntp-telnet-command
12118 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12119 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12120 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12121 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12123 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12124 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12125 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12132 @subsection News Spool
12136 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12137 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12138 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12141 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12142 anything else) as the address.
12144 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12145 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12146 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12147 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12151 @item nnspool-inews-program
12152 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12153 Program used to post an article.
12155 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12156 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12157 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12159 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12160 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12161 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12162 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12164 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12165 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12166 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12167 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12169 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12170 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12171 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12173 @item nnspool-active-file
12174 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12175 The path to the active file.
12177 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12178 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12179 The path to the group descriptions file.
12181 @item nnspool-history-file
12182 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12183 The path to the news history file.
12185 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12186 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12187 The path to the active date file.
12189 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12190 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12191 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12194 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12195 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12197 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12198 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12199 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12205 @section Getting Mail
12206 @cindex reading mail
12209 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12213 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12214 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12215 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12216 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12217 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12218 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12219 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12220 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12221 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12222 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12223 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12224 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12225 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12229 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12230 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12232 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12233 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12234 of a culture shock.
12236 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12237 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12239 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12240 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12241 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12242 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12244 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12246 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12247 deleted? How awful!
12249 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12250 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12251 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12252 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12255 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12256 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12257 they want to treat a message.
12259 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12260 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12261 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12262 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12263 archived somewhere else.
12265 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12266 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12267 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12268 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12269 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12271 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12272 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12273 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12275 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12276 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12279 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12280 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12281 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12282 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12283 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12285 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12286 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12287 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12288 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12289 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12290 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12294 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12295 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12297 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12298 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12299 and things will happen automatically.
12301 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12302 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12305 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12308 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12309 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12310 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12311 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12312 like any other group.
12314 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12317 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12318 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12319 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12323 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12324 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12325 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12328 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12329 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12330 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12333 @node Splitting Mail
12334 @subsection Splitting Mail
12335 @cindex splitting mail
12336 @cindex mail splitting
12338 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12339 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12340 to be split into groups.
12343 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12344 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12345 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12346 ("mail.other" "")))
12349 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12350 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12351 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12352 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12353 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12354 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12355 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12358 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12361 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12362 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12363 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12364 mail belongs in that group.
12366 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12367 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12368 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12369 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12370 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12371 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12373 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12374 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12375 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12376 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12377 thinks should carry this mail message.
12379 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12380 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12381 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12382 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12384 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12385 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12386 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12387 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12388 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12390 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12393 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12394 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12395 links. If that's the case for you, set
12396 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12397 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12399 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12400 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12401 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12402 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12403 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12404 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12407 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12408 Header lines longer than the value of
12409 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12412 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12413 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12414 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12415 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12416 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12417 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12418 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12419 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12420 month's rent money.
12424 @subsection Mail Sources
12426 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12427 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12431 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12432 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12433 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12437 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12438 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12440 @cindex mail server
12443 @cindex mail source
12445 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12446 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12451 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12454 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12455 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12456 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12459 The following mail source types are available:
12463 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12469 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12470 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12473 An example file mail source:
12476 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12479 Or using the default path:
12485 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12486 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12487 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12490 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12494 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12497 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12501 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12504 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12506 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12509 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12513 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12514 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12515 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12516 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12517 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12518 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12519 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12520 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12526 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12530 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12534 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12535 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12536 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12537 predicate are considered.
12541 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12545 An example directory mail source:
12548 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12553 Get mail from a POP server.
12559 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12560 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12563 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12564 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12565 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12566 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12567 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12570 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12574 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12578 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12579 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12582 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12585 The valid format specifier characters are:
12589 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12590 included in this string.
12593 The name of the server.
12596 The port number of the server.
12599 The user name to use.
12602 The password to use.
12605 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12606 corresponding keywords.
12609 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12610 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12613 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12614 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12617 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12618 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12621 @item :authentication
12622 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12623 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12628 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12629 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12631 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12632 default user name, and default fetcher:
12638 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12641 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12642 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12645 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12648 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12652 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12653 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12654 contains exactly one mail.
12660 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12661 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12664 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12665 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12667 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12668 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12669 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12672 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12673 from locking problems).
12677 Two example maildir mail sources:
12680 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12681 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12685 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12690 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12691 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12692 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12693 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12696 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12697 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12703 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12704 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12707 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12708 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12711 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12715 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12719 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12720 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12721 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12722 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12724 @item :authentication
12725 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12726 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12727 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12728 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12731 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12732 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12733 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12739 The valid format specifier characters are:
12743 The name of the server.
12746 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12749 The port number of the server.
12752 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12753 corresponding keywords.
12756 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12757 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12760 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12761 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12762 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12763 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12764 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12765 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
12768 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12769 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12770 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12771 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
12774 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12775 after finishing the fetch.
12779 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12782 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12784 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12788 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
12789 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
12790 @uref{www.my-deja.com}.
12792 NOTE: Now @uref{mail.yahoo.com} provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12795 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12796 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12798 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12804 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12805 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12808 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12812 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12816 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12817 folder after finishing the fetch.
12821 An example webmail source:
12824 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12826 :password "secret")
12831 @item Common Keywords
12832 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12838 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12839 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12843 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12848 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12849 useful when you use local mail and news.
12854 @subsubsection Function Interface
12856 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12857 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12858 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12859 consider the following mail-source setting:
12862 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12863 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12866 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12867 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12868 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12869 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12870 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12872 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12875 @node Mail Source Customization
12876 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12878 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12879 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12883 @item mail-source-crash-box
12884 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12885 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12886 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12888 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12889 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12890 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12892 @item mail-source-directory
12893 @vindex mail-source-directory
12894 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12895 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12896 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12899 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12900 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12901 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12902 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12903 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12904 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12906 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12907 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12908 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12910 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12911 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12912 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12913 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12918 @node Fetching Mail
12919 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12921 @vindex mail-sources
12922 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12923 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12924 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12925 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12927 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12928 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12931 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12932 mail server, you'd say something like:
12937 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12938 :password "secret")))
12941 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12945 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12946 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12949 :password "secret")))
12953 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12954 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12955 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12956 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12957 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12958 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12962 @node Mail Back End Variables
12963 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12965 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12969 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12970 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12971 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12972 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12974 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12975 @item nnmail-split-hook
12976 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12977 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12978 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12979 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12980 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12981 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12982 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12983 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12984 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12987 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12988 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12989 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12990 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12991 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12992 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12993 starting to handle the new mail) and
12994 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12995 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12996 default file modes the new mail files get:
12999 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13000 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13002 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13003 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13006 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13007 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13008 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13009 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13010 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13011 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13012 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13014 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13015 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13016 @findex delete-file
13017 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13019 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13020 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13021 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13022 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13023 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13028 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13029 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13030 @cindex mail splitting
13031 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13033 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13034 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13035 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13036 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13037 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13038 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13040 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13043 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13044 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13045 ;; from real errors.
13046 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13048 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13049 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13050 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13051 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13052 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13053 ;; Other mailing lists...
13054 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13055 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13056 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13057 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13058 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13059 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13060 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13061 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13063 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13064 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13068 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13069 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13070 the five possible split syntaxes:
13075 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13076 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13080 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13081 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13082 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13083 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13084 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13085 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13086 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13087 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13090 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13091 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13092 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13093 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13096 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13097 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13100 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13101 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13104 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13105 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13106 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13107 function should return a @var{split}.
13110 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13111 body of the messages:
13114 (defun split-on-body ()
13116 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13117 (goto-char (point-min))
13118 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13122 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13123 when the @code{:} function is run.
13126 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13127 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13128 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13132 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13136 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13137 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13138 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13139 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13140 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13142 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13143 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13144 are expanded as specified by the variable
13145 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13146 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13149 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13150 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13151 when all this splitting is performed.
13153 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13154 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13155 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13158 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13161 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13162 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13164 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13165 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13166 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13167 groupings 1 through 9.
13169 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13170 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13171 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13172 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13173 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13174 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13175 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13176 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13177 it once per thread.
13179 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13180 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13181 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13184 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13185 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13186 ;; other splits go here
13190 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13191 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13192 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13193 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13194 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13195 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13196 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13197 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13198 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13199 unless the group name matches the regexp
13200 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13201 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13202 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13203 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13204 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13205 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13206 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13207 messages goes into the new group.
13210 @node Group Mail Splitting
13211 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13212 @cindex mail splitting
13213 @cindex group mail splitting
13215 @findex gnus-group-split
13216 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13217 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13218 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13219 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13220 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13221 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13222 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13223 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13225 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13226 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13227 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13228 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13230 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13231 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13232 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13233 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13234 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13235 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13236 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13238 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13239 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13240 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13241 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13242 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13243 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13244 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13246 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13247 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13248 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13249 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13250 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13251 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13252 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13253 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13254 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13255 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13256 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13257 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13258 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13260 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13265 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13266 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13268 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13269 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13270 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13271 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13273 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13276 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13277 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13278 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13281 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13282 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13283 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13287 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13288 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13289 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13293 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13296 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13297 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13298 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13299 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13300 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13301 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13302 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13303 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13304 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13306 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13307 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13308 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13309 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13310 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13311 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13312 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13313 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13314 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13316 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13317 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13318 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13319 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13320 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13321 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13324 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13327 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13328 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13329 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13330 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13331 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13334 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13335 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13336 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13337 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13339 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13340 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13341 @cindex incorporating old mail
13342 @cindex import old mail
13344 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13345 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13346 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13349 Doing so can be quite easy.
13351 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13352 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13353 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13354 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13355 your @code{nnml} groups.
13361 Go to the group buffer.
13364 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13365 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13368 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13371 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13372 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13375 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13376 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13379 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13380 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13381 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13382 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13383 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13385 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13386 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13387 using the new mail back end.
13390 @node Expiring Mail
13391 @subsection Expiring Mail
13392 @cindex article expiry
13394 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13395 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13396 different approach to mail reading.
13398 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13399 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13400 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13401 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13402 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13403 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13406 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13407 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13408 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13409 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13410 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13411 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13412 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13413 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13415 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13416 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13417 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13418 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13419 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13420 column in the summary buffer.
13422 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13423 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13424 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13425 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13428 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13430 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13431 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13432 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13435 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13436 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13437 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13438 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13439 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13441 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13442 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13445 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13446 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13449 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13450 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13452 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13453 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13454 don't really mix very well.
13456 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13457 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13458 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13459 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13462 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13463 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13464 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13465 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13468 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13470 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13472 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13474 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13476 ((string= group "important")
13482 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13483 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13485 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13486 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13487 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13490 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13491 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13493 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13494 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13495 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13496 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13497 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13498 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13499 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13500 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13501 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13502 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13503 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13504 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13505 name or @code{delete}.
13507 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13509 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13512 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13513 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13514 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13515 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13516 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13519 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13520 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13521 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13522 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13523 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13526 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13527 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13528 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13529 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13530 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13531 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13533 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13534 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13535 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13536 easier for procmail users.
13538 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13539 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13540 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13541 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13542 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13543 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13544 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13545 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13546 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13547 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13548 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13549 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13550 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13553 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13555 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13556 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13557 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13558 auto-expire turned on.
13562 @subsection Washing Mail
13563 @cindex mail washing
13564 @cindex list server brain damage
13565 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13567 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13568 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13569 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13570 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13571 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13572 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13574 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13575 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13576 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13579 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13580 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13581 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13582 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13585 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13586 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13587 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13588 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13589 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13592 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13593 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13594 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13595 Emacs running on MS machines.
13599 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13600 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13601 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13602 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13605 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13606 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13607 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13608 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13610 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13611 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13612 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13613 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13614 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13615 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13616 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13619 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13620 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13623 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13624 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13627 This can also be done non-destructively with
13628 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13630 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13631 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13632 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13634 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13635 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13637 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13638 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13639 @code{References} headers.
13643 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13644 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13645 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13649 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13650 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13651 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13658 @subsection Duplicates
13660 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13661 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13662 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13663 @cindex duplicate mails
13664 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13665 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13666 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13667 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13668 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13669 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13670 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13671 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13672 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13673 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13674 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13675 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13676 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13678 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13679 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13680 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13681 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13683 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13686 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13687 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13691 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13692 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13693 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13694 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13695 (any mail "mail.misc")
13702 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13703 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13708 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13709 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13710 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13711 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13712 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13715 @node Not Reading Mail
13716 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13718 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13719 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13720 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13722 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13723 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13724 mail, which should help.
13726 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13727 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13728 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13729 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13730 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13731 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13732 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13733 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13734 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13735 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13736 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13738 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13739 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13743 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13744 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13746 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13747 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13748 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13750 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13751 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13752 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
13753 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
13754 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
13755 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
13756 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
13759 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13760 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13761 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13762 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13763 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13764 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13768 @node Unix Mail Box
13769 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13771 @cindex unix mail box
13773 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13774 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13775 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13776 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13777 which group it belongs in.
13779 Virtual server settings:
13782 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13783 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13784 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13787 @item nnmbox-active-file
13788 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13789 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13790 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13792 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13793 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13794 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13795 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13800 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13804 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13805 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13806 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13807 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13808 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13810 Virtual server settings:
13813 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13814 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13815 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13817 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13818 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13819 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13820 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13822 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13823 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13824 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13830 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13832 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13834 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13835 format. It should be used with some caution.
13837 @vindex nnml-directory
13838 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13839 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13840 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13841 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13843 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13846 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13847 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13848 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13849 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13850 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13851 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13852 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13853 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13855 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13856 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13857 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
13858 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
13860 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13862 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13863 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13864 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13865 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13866 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13867 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13868 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13869 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13872 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
13873 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
13874 them next time it starts.
13876 Virtual server settings:
13879 @item nnml-directory
13880 @vindex nnml-directory
13881 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13882 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13885 @item nnml-active-file
13886 @vindex nnml-active-file
13887 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13888 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13890 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13891 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13892 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13893 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13895 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13896 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13897 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13900 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13901 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13902 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13903 default is @code{nil}.
13905 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13906 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13907 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13909 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13910 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13911 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13913 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13914 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13915 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13916 default is @code{nil}.
13918 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13919 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13920 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13922 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
13923 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
13924 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
13929 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13930 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13931 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13932 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13933 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13934 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13935 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13940 @subsubsection MH Spool
13942 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13944 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13945 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13946 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13947 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13949 Virtual server settings:
13952 @item nnmh-directory
13953 @vindex nnmh-directory
13954 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13955 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13958 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13959 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13960 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13964 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13965 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13966 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13967 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13968 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13969 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13970 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13975 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13977 @cindex mbox folders
13978 @cindex mail folders
13980 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13981 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13982 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13985 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13987 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13988 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13989 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13990 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13991 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13992 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13993 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13994 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13995 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13996 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13998 Virtual server settings:
14001 @item nnfolder-directory
14002 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14003 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14004 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14007 @item nnfolder-active-file
14008 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14009 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14011 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14012 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14013 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14014 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14016 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14017 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14018 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14021 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14022 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14023 @cindex backup files
14024 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14025 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14026 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14027 your @file{.emacs} file:
14030 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14031 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14033 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14036 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14037 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14038 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14039 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14040 extract some information from it before removing it.
14042 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14043 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14044 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14045 default is @code{nil}.
14047 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14048 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14049 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14051 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14052 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14053 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14054 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14056 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14057 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14058 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14059 default is @code{nil}.
14061 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14062 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14063 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14065 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14066 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14067 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14068 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14073 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14074 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14075 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14076 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14077 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14078 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14081 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14082 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14084 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14085 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14086 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14087 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14088 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14090 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14091 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14092 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14093 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14094 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14095 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14096 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14097 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14100 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14101 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14102 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14103 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14108 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14109 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14110 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14111 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14112 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14113 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14114 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14115 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14116 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14117 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14118 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14119 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14120 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14125 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14126 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14127 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14128 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14129 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14130 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14131 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14132 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14133 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14134 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14135 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14136 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14137 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14138 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14140 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14141 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14146 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14147 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14148 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14149 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14150 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14151 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14152 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14153 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14154 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14155 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14156 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14157 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14158 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14159 provided by the active file and overviews.
14161 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14162 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14163 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14164 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14165 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14168 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14169 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14174 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14175 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14176 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14177 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14178 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14179 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14180 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14184 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14185 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14186 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14187 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14188 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14189 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14190 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14191 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14192 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14194 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14195 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14196 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14197 friendly mail back end all over.
14201 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14202 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14203 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14204 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14205 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14206 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14207 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14208 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14211 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14212 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14213 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14214 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14215 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14216 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14217 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14218 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14219 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14220 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14221 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14223 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14224 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14225 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14226 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14227 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14228 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14229 This will probably be changed in the future.
14231 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14232 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14233 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14234 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14235 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14238 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14239 parameters slightly different from those of other mail backends.
14241 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14242 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14243 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14244 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14245 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14246 would) to make it use less memory.
14248 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14249 with other backends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14250 depending in part on your filesystem.
14252 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14253 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived backend.
14258 @node Browsing the Web
14259 @section Browsing the Web
14261 @cindex browsing the web
14265 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14266 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14267 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14268 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14269 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14270 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14271 even know what a news group is.
14273 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14274 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14275 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14276 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14277 you mad in the end.
14279 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14282 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14283 interfaces to these sources.
14287 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14288 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14289 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14290 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14291 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14292 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14295 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14297 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14298 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14299 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14300 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14301 though, you should be ok.
14303 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14304 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14305 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14306 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14307 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14309 @node Archiving Mail
14310 @subsection Archiving Mail
14311 @cindex archiving mail
14312 @cindex backup of mail
14314 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14315 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14316 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14317 marks is fairly simple.
14319 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14320 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14323 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14324 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14325 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14326 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14327 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14328 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14329 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14330 before you restore the data.
14332 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14333 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14334 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14335 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14336 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14337 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14338 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14339 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14340 is unnecessary in that case.
14343 @subsection Web Searches
14347 @cindex InReference
14348 @cindex Usenet searches
14349 @cindex searching the Usenet
14351 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14352 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14353 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14354 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14355 searches without having to use a browser.
14357 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14358 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14359 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14360 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14361 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14363 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14364 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14365 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14366 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14367 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14368 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14369 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14370 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14371 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14372 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14375 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14376 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14377 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14378 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14379 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14380 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14382 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14383 to use @code{nnweb}.
14385 Virtual server variables:
14390 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14391 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
14395 @vindex nnweb-search
14396 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14398 @item nnweb-max-hits
14399 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14400 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14403 @item nnweb-type-definition
14404 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14405 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14406 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14411 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14415 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14418 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14421 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14425 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14432 @subsection Slashdot
14436 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14437 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14438 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14440 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14441 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14444 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14445 '((nnslashdot "")))
14448 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14449 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14450 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14451 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14452 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14455 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14456 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14458 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14459 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14460 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14461 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14462 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14463 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14466 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14469 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14470 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14471 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14472 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14473 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14474 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14475 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14477 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14478 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14479 The login name to use when posting.
14481 @item nnslashdot-password
14482 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14483 The password to use when posting.
14485 @item nnslashdot-directory
14486 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14487 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14488 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14490 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14491 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14492 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14493 news articles and comments. The default is
14494 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14496 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14497 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14498 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14500 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14502 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14503 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14504 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14506 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14508 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14509 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14510 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14512 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14513 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14514 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14515 updated. The default is 0.
14522 @subsection Ultimate
14524 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14526 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14527 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14528 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14529 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14531 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14532 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14533 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14534 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14535 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14536 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14537 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14539 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14542 @item nnultimate-directory
14543 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14544 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14545 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14550 @subsection Web Archive
14552 @cindex Web Archive
14554 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14555 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14556 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14557 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14560 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14561 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14562 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14563 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14564 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14565 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14566 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14568 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14571 @item nnwarchive-directory
14572 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14573 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14574 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14576 @item nnwarchive-login
14577 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14578 The account name on the web server.
14580 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14581 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14582 The password for your account on the web server.
14590 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14591 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14592 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14595 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14596 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14599 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14602 @item nnrss-directory
14603 @vindex nnrss-directory
14604 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14605 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14609 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14610 the summary buffer.
14613 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14614 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14616 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14618 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14619 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14622 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14625 (require 'browse-url)
14627 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14629 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14632 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14633 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14635 (browse-url (cdr url))
14636 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14638 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14639 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14640 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14641 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14644 @node Customizing w3
14645 @subsection Customizing w3
14651 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14652 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14653 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14655 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14656 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14657 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14660 (eval-after-load "w3"
14662 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14663 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14664 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14665 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14667 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14670 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14671 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14680 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14681 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14682 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14683 specify the network address of the server.
14685 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14686 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14687 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14688 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14689 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14691 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14692 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14693 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14694 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14696 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14697 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14698 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14699 usage explained in this section.
14701 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14702 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14703 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14706 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14707 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14708 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14710 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14711 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14712 ; a UW server running on localhost
14714 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14715 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14716 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14717 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14718 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14719 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14720 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14721 (nnimap-stream network))
14722 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14724 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14725 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14726 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14729 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14734 @item nnimap-address
14735 @vindex nnimap-address
14737 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14738 server name if not specified.
14740 @item nnimap-server-port
14741 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14742 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14744 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14747 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14748 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14751 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14752 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14753 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14754 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14755 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14756 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14757 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14759 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14760 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14761 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14764 Example server specification:
14767 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14768 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14769 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14772 @item nnimap-stream
14773 @vindex nnimap-stream
14774 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14775 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14776 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14777 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14779 Example server specification:
14782 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14783 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14786 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14790 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
14791 @samp{imtest} program.
14793 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14795 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14796 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14799 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14800 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14801 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14803 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14805 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14808 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14809 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14810 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14811 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14812 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14813 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14814 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14815 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14816 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14819 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14820 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14821 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14822 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14823 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14824 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14825 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14826 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14827 distribution, for instance).
14829 @vindex imap-shell-program
14830 @vindex imap-shell-host
14831 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14832 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14834 @item nnimap-authenticator
14835 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14837 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14838 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14840 Example server specification:
14843 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14844 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14847 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14851 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
14852 external program @code{imtest}.
14854 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
14857 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
14858 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14860 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14862 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14864 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14867 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14869 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14870 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14871 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14872 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14873 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14874 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14877 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14878 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14879 running in circles yet?
14881 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14882 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14885 The possible options are:
14890 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14893 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14894 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14895 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14896 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14898 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14903 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14904 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14906 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other
14907 @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still
14908 (only) be marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand
14909 out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap} clients. (In other
14910 words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap} has only one.)
14912 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14913 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14916 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14917 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14918 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14919 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14922 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14923 as ticked for other users.
14925 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14927 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14929 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
14930 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14931 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14932 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14934 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14935 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14936 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14937 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14939 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14940 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14942 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14943 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14944 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14950 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14951 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14952 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14957 @node Splitting in IMAP
14958 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
14959 @cindex splitting imap mail
14961 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14962 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14963 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14964 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14965 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14969 Here are the variables of interest:
14973 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14974 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14976 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14978 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14979 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14981 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14983 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14984 @cindex splitting, inbox
14986 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14988 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14989 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14993 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14994 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14997 No nnmail equivalent.
14999 @item nnimap-split-rule
15000 @cindex Splitting, rules
15001 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15003 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15006 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15007 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15008 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15009 Neither did I, we need examples.
15012 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15014 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15015 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15016 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15019 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15020 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15021 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15023 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15024 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15028 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15031 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15032 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15033 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15034 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15036 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15037 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15038 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15039 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15040 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15041 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15043 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15044 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15045 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15047 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15048 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15049 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15051 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15053 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15054 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15055 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15058 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15059 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15060 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15061 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15062 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15063 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15066 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15067 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15068 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15069 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15070 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15071 group/function elements.
15073 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15075 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15077 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15079 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15080 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15082 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15083 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15084 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15087 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15088 @cindex splitting, fancy
15089 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15090 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15092 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15093 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15094 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15096 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15097 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15098 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15099 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15104 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15105 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15108 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15112 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15113 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15114 @cindex editing imap acls
15115 @cindex Access Control Lists
15116 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15118 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15120 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15121 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15122 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15125 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15126 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15127 editing window with detailed instructions.
15129 Some possible uses:
15133 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15134 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15135 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15137 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15138 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15139 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15143 @node Expunging mailboxes
15144 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15148 @cindex Manual expunging
15150 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15152 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15153 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15154 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15156 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15161 @node Other Sources
15162 @section Other Sources
15164 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15165 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15169 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15170 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15171 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15172 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15173 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15177 @node Directory Groups
15178 @subsection Directory Groups
15180 @cindex directory groups
15182 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15183 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15186 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15187 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15188 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15189 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15191 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15192 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15193 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15194 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15195 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15197 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15199 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15200 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15201 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15202 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15205 @node Anything Groups
15206 @subsection Anything Groups
15209 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15210 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15211 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15214 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15215 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15216 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15217 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15218 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15219 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15220 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15221 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15222 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15223 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15226 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15227 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15228 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15229 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15231 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15232 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15233 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15234 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15236 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15237 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15238 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15239 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15240 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15241 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15242 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15243 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15248 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15249 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15250 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15251 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15253 @item nneething-exclude-files
15254 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15255 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15256 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15258 @item nneething-include-files
15259 @vindex nneething-include-files
15260 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15261 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15263 @item nneething-map-file
15264 @vindex nneething-map-file
15265 Name of the map files.
15269 @node Document Groups
15270 @subsection Document Groups
15272 @cindex documentation group
15275 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15276 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15283 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15288 The standard Unix mbox file.
15290 @cindex MMDF mail box
15292 The MMDF mail box format.
15295 Several news articles appended into a file.
15298 @cindex rnews batch files
15299 The rnews batch transport format.
15300 @cindex forwarded messages
15303 Forwarded articles.
15306 Netscape mail boxes.
15309 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15311 @item standard-digest
15312 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15315 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15317 @item lanl-gov-announce
15318 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15320 @item rfc822-forward
15321 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15324 The Outlook mail box.
15327 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15330 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15333 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15336 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15342 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15345 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15351 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15352 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15353 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15356 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15357 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15358 group. And that's it.
15360 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15361 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15362 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15363 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15364 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15365 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15366 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15367 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15368 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15369 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15371 Virtual server variables:
15374 @item nndoc-article-type
15375 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15376 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15377 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15378 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15379 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15380 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15382 @item nndoc-post-type
15383 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15384 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15385 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15390 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15394 @node Document Server Internals
15395 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15397 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15398 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15399 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15400 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15402 First, here's an example document type definition:
15406 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15407 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15410 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15411 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15412 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15413 types can be defined with very few settings:
15416 @item first-article
15417 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15418 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15421 @item article-begin
15422 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15423 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15425 @item head-begin-function
15426 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15429 @item nndoc-head-begin
15430 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15433 @item nndoc-head-end
15434 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15435 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15437 @item body-begin-function
15438 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15442 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15445 @item body-end-function
15446 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15450 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15453 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15454 regexp will be totally ignored.
15458 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15459 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15460 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15461 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15462 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15465 @item prepare-body-function
15466 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15467 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15468 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15470 @item article-transform-function
15471 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15472 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15473 body of the article.
15475 @item generate-head-function
15476 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15477 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15478 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15479 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15483 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15488 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15489 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15490 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15491 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15492 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15493 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15494 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15495 (subtype digest guess))
15498 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15499 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15500 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15501 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15502 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15504 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15505 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15506 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15507 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15508 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
15509 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15510 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15511 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15512 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15513 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15521 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15522 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15523 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15525 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15526 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15527 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15530 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15531 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15532 that interested in doing things properly.
15534 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15535 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15538 First some terminology:
15543 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15544 get news and/or mail from.
15547 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15548 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15551 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15555 @item message packets
15556 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15557 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15558 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15560 @item response packets
15561 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15562 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15563 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15573 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15574 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15575 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15576 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15579 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15582 You put the packet in your home directory.
15585 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15586 the native or secondary server.
15589 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15590 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15593 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15597 You transfer this packet to the server.
15600 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15603 You then repeat until you die.
15607 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15608 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15611 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15612 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15613 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15617 @node SOUP Commands
15618 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15620 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15624 @kindex G s b (Group)
15625 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15626 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15627 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15628 process/prefix convention.
15631 @kindex G s w (Group)
15632 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15633 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15636 @kindex G s s (Group)
15637 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15638 Send all replies from the replies packet
15639 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15642 @kindex G s p (Group)
15643 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15644 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15647 @kindex G s r (Group)
15648 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15649 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15652 @kindex O s (Summary)
15653 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15654 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15655 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15656 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15661 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15666 @item gnus-soup-directory
15667 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15668 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15669 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15671 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15672 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15673 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15674 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15676 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15677 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15678 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15679 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15681 @item gnus-soup-packer
15682 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15683 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15684 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15686 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15687 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15688 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15689 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15691 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15692 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15693 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15695 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15696 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15697 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15698 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15704 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
15707 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15708 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15709 you can read them at leisure.
15711 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15715 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15716 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15717 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15718 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15720 @item nnsoup-directory
15721 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15722 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15723 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15725 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15726 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15727 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15728 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15730 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15731 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15732 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15733 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15734 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15736 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15737 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15738 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15739 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15741 @item nnsoup-active-file
15742 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15743 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15744 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15745 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15746 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15748 @item nnsoup-packer
15749 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15750 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15751 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15753 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15754 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15755 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15756 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15758 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15759 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15760 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15763 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15764 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15765 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15768 @item nnsoup-always-save
15769 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15770 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15776 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15778 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15779 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15780 more for that to happen.
15782 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15783 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15784 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15787 In specific, this is what it does:
15790 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15791 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15794 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15795 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15796 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15799 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15800 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15801 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15804 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15805 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15806 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15808 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15814 @item nngateway-address
15815 @vindex nngateway-address
15816 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15818 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15819 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15820 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15821 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15822 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15823 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15824 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15827 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15828 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15829 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15832 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15835 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15838 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15841 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15843 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15846 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15847 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15848 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15850 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15852 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15853 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15854 @code{nngateway-address}.
15859 (setq gnus-post-method
15861 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15862 (nngateway-header-transformation
15863 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15871 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15874 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15879 @node Combined Groups
15880 @section Combined Groups
15882 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15886 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15887 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15891 @node Virtual Groups
15892 @subsection Virtual Groups
15894 @cindex virtual groups
15895 @cindex merging groups
15897 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15900 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15901 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15902 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15904 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15905 regexp to match component groups.
15907 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15908 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15909 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
15910 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
15911 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
15912 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
15913 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
15914 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
15916 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15917 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15920 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15923 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15924 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15926 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15927 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15928 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15929 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15932 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15935 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15936 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15937 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15939 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15940 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15941 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15942 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15943 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15945 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15946 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15947 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15949 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15950 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15951 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15952 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15953 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15954 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15955 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15956 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15957 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15958 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15959 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15961 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15962 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15963 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15964 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15965 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15966 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15967 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15969 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15970 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15972 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
15973 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
15977 @node Kibozed Groups
15978 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15982 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15983 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15984 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15985 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15987 @kindex G k (Group)
15988 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15991 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15992 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15993 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15994 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15996 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15997 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15998 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16000 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16001 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16002 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16003 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16004 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16005 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16006 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16007 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16009 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16010 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16011 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16012 Stranger things have happened.
16014 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16015 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16017 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16018 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16019 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16020 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16021 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16022 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16024 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16025 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16028 @node Gnus Unplugged
16029 @section Gnus Unplugged
16034 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16036 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16037 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16038 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16039 read news. Believe it or not.
16041 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16042 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16043 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16044 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16045 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16047 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16048 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16049 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16050 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16051 reading news on a machine.
16053 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
16057 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
16058 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
16062 Then, put the following magical incantation in your @file{.gnus.el}
16066 (setq gnus-agent t)
16070 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
16072 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16075 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16076 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16077 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16078 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16079 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16080 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16081 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16082 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16083 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16084 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16089 @subsection Agent Basics
16091 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16093 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16094 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16095 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16096 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16098 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16099 connected to the net continuously.
16101 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16102 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16104 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16109 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16110 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16111 already fetched while in this mode.
16114 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16115 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16116 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16117 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16118 Source Specifiers}).
16121 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16122 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16123 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16124 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16125 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16128 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16129 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16130 then you read the news offline.
16133 And then you go to step 2.
16136 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16142 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16143 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16144 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16145 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16146 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
16147 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
16150 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16157 @node Agent Categories
16158 @subsection Agent Categories
16160 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16161 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16162 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16163 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16164 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16165 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16166 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16168 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16169 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16170 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16171 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16172 managing categories.
16175 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16176 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16177 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16181 @node Category Syntax
16182 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16184 A category consists of two things.
16188 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16189 are eligible for downloading; and
16192 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16193 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16194 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16197 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16198 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16199 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16200 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16202 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16203 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16204 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16206 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16207 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16208 operators sprinkled in between.
16210 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16212 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16213 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16219 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16220 short (for some value of ``short'').
16222 Here's a more complex predicate:
16231 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16232 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16235 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16236 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16237 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16239 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16240 you want to do, you can write your own.
16244 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16245 lines; default 100.
16248 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16249 lines; default 200.
16252 True iff the article has a download score less than
16253 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16256 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16257 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16260 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16261 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16262 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16271 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16272 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16273 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16276 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16277 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16278 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16279 something along the lines of the following:
16282 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16283 "Say whether an article is old."
16284 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16285 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16288 with the predicate then defined as:
16291 (not my-article-old-p)
16294 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16295 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16299 (require 'gnus-agent)
16300 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16301 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16302 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16305 and simply specify your predicate as:
16311 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16312 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16313 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16314 just don't give a damn.
16316 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16317 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16318 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16319 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16320 parameters like so:
16323 (agent-predicate . short)
16326 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16327 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16328 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16330 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16333 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16336 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16337 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16338 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16341 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16342 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16343 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16344 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16345 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16346 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16348 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16349 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16350 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16351 if it's to be specific to that group.
16353 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16360 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16361 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16367 Category specification
16371 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16377 Group Parameter specification
16380 (agent-score ("from"
16381 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16386 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16392 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16399 Category specification
16402 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16408 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16412 Group Parameter specification
16415 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16418 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16423 Use @code{normal} score files
16425 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16426 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16427 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16428 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16430 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16431 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16432 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16433 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16437 Category Specification
16444 Group Parameter specification
16447 (agent-score . file)
16452 @node Category Buffer
16453 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16455 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16456 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16457 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16459 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16463 @kindex q (Category)
16464 @findex gnus-category-exit
16465 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16468 @kindex k (Category)
16469 @findex gnus-category-kill
16470 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16473 @kindex c (Category)
16474 @findex gnus-category-copy
16475 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16478 @kindex a (Category)
16479 @findex gnus-category-add
16480 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16483 @kindex p (Category)
16484 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16485 Edit the predicate of the current category
16486 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16489 @kindex g (Category)
16490 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16491 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16492 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16495 @kindex s (Category)
16496 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16497 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16498 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16501 @kindex l (Category)
16502 @findex gnus-category-list
16503 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16507 @node Category Variables
16508 @subsubsection Category Variables
16511 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16512 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16513 Hook run in category buffers.
16515 @item gnus-category-line-format
16516 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16517 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16518 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16522 The name of the category.
16525 The number of groups in the category.
16528 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16529 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16530 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16532 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16533 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16534 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16536 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16537 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16538 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16540 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16541 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16542 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16545 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16546 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16547 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16553 @node Agent Commands
16554 @subsection Agent Commands
16556 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16557 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16558 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16562 * Group Agent Commands::
16563 * Summary Agent Commands::
16564 * Server Agent Commands::
16567 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16568 following incantation:
16570 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16572 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16577 @node Group Agent Commands
16578 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16582 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16583 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16584 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16585 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16588 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16589 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16590 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16593 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16594 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16595 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16596 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16599 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16600 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16601 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16602 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16605 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16606 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16607 Add the current group to an Agent category
16608 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16609 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16612 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16613 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16614 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16615 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16616 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16619 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16620 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16621 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16627 @node Summary Agent Commands
16628 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16632 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16633 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16634 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16637 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16638 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16639 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16640 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16643 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16644 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16645 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16648 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16649 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16650 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16653 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16654 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16655 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16656 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16661 @node Server Agent Commands
16662 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16666 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16667 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16668 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16669 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16672 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16673 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16674 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16675 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16681 @subsection Agent Expiry
16683 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16684 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16685 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16686 @cindex Agent expiry
16687 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16690 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16691 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16692 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16693 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16694 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16695 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16697 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
16698 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
16699 expiry in different groups.
16702 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
16708 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
16709 method---it must always match all groups.
16711 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16712 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16713 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16714 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16715 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16717 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
16718 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
16719 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
16720 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
16722 @node Agent and IMAP
16723 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16725 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16726 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16727 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16728 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16730 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16731 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16732 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16733 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16735 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16736 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16737 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16738 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16739 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16741 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16742 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16743 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16744 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16745 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16746 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16748 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16749 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16750 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16751 in the group buffer by default.
16753 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16754 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16759 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16762 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16766 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16767 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16768 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16769 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16770 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16771 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16772 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16773 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16776 @node Outgoing Messages
16777 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16779 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16780 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16781 after posting, and edit them at will.
16783 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16784 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16785 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16786 messages in the draft group.
16790 @node Agent Variables
16791 @subsection Agent Variables
16794 @item gnus-agent-directory
16795 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16796 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16797 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16799 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16800 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16801 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16802 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16803 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16806 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16807 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16808 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16810 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16811 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16812 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16814 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16815 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16816 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
16818 @item gnus-agent-cache
16819 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
16820 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and articles when
16823 @item gnus-agent-go-online
16824 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
16825 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
16826 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
16827 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
16828 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
16829 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
16835 @node Example Setup
16836 @subsection Example Setup
16838 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16839 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16840 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16843 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16844 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16845 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16847 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16848 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16849 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16851 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16852 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16854 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16855 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
16856 (setq gnus-agent t)
16859 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16860 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16863 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16864 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16865 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16866 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16867 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16870 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16871 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16872 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16873 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16874 back all the killed groups.)
16876 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16877 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16878 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16881 @node Batching Agents
16882 @subsection Batching Agents
16884 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16885 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16886 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16890 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16894 @node Agent Caveats
16895 @subsection Agent Caveats
16897 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16898 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16902 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
16906 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16908 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
16912 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16913 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
16914 locally stored articles.
16921 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16922 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16923 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16926 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16927 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16928 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16929 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16930 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16932 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16933 before generating the summary buffer.
16935 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16936 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16937 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16939 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16940 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16941 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16942 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16945 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16946 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16947 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16948 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16949 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16950 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16951 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16952 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16953 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16954 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16955 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16956 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16957 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16958 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16959 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16960 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16961 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16965 @node Summary Score Commands
16966 @section Summary Score Commands
16967 @cindex score commands
16969 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16970 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16971 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16972 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16973 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16975 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16976 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16977 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16978 score file the current one.
16980 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16985 @kindex V s (Summary)
16986 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16987 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16990 @kindex V S (Summary)
16991 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16992 Display the score of the current article
16993 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16996 @kindex V t (Summary)
16997 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16998 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16999 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17002 @kindex V w (Summary)
17003 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17004 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17007 @kindex V R (Summary)
17008 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17009 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17010 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17011 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17012 effect you're having.
17015 @kindex V c (Summary)
17016 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17017 Make a different score file the current
17018 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17021 @kindex V e (Summary)
17022 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17023 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17024 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17028 @kindex V f (Summary)
17029 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17030 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17031 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17034 @kindex V F (Summary)
17035 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17036 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17037 after editing score files.
17040 @kindex V C (Summary)
17041 @findex gnus-score-customize
17042 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17043 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17047 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17052 @kindex V m (Summary)
17053 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17054 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17055 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17058 @kindex V x (Summary)
17059 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17060 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17061 expunge all articles below this score
17062 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17065 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17066 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17069 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17070 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17074 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17075 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17077 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17078 keys are available:
17082 Score on the author name.
17085 Score on the subject line.
17088 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17091 Score on the @code{References} line.
17097 Score on the number of lines.
17100 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17103 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17104 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17107 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17108 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17109 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17118 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17124 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17125 what headers you are scoring on.
17137 Substring matching.
17140 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17169 Greater than number.
17174 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17175 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17176 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17181 Temporary score entry.
17184 Permanent score entry.
17187 Immediately scoring.
17191 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17192 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17193 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17197 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17198 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17199 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17200 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17202 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17203 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17204 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17205 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17206 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17208 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17209 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17210 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17211 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17212 current score file.
17214 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17215 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17216 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17219 @node Group Score Commands
17220 @section Group Score Commands
17221 @cindex group score commands
17223 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17228 @kindex W f (Group)
17229 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17230 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17231 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17232 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17236 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17238 @findex gnus-batch-score
17239 @cindex batch scoring
17241 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17245 @node Score Variables
17246 @section Score Variables
17247 @cindex score variables
17251 @item gnus-use-scoring
17252 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17253 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17254 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17256 @item gnus-kill-killed
17257 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17258 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17259 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17260 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17261 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17262 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17263 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17265 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17266 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17267 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17268 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17269 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17271 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17272 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17273 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17274 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17276 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17277 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17278 @cindex score cache
17279 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17280 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17281 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
17282 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17283 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17284 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17287 @item gnus-save-score
17288 @vindex gnus-save-score
17289 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17290 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17291 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17293 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17294 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17295 across group visits.
17297 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17298 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17299 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17300 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17301 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17302 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17303 manually entered data.
17305 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17306 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17307 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17309 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17310 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17311 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17312 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17313 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17314 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17316 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17317 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17318 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17319 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17321 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17322 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17323 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17324 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17326 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17327 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17328 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17329 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17331 Predefined functions available are:
17334 @item gnus-score-find-single
17335 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17336 Only apply the group's own score file.
17338 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17339 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17340 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17341 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17342 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17343 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17344 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17345 then a regexp match is done.
17347 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17348 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17350 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17351 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17352 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17353 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17355 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17356 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17357 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17358 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17359 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17363 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17364 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17365 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17366 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17367 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17368 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17369 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17372 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17373 overall score file, you could use the value
17375 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17376 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17379 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17380 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17381 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17382 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17383 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17385 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17386 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17387 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17388 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17389 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17390 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17391 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17392 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17394 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17395 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17396 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17398 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17399 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17400 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17401 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17402 threading---according to the current value of
17403 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17404 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17405 simplified in this manner.
17410 @node Score File Format
17411 @section Score File Format
17412 @cindex score file format
17414 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17415 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17416 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17418 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17422 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17424 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17426 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17428 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17433 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17437 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17438 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17439 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17440 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17444 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17445 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17447 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17448 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17449 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17451 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17456 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17457 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17458 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17459 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17460 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17461 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17462 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17463 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17464 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17465 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17466 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17467 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17468 to articles that matches these score entries.
17470 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17471 score entry has one to four elements.
17475 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17476 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17480 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17481 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17482 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17483 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17484 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17485 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17488 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17489 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17490 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17491 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17492 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17495 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17496 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17497 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17498 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17501 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17502 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17503 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17504 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17505 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17506 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17507 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17508 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17509 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17510 instead, if you feel like.
17513 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17514 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17515 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17516 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17517 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17518 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17521 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17525 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17526 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17528 These predicates are true if
17531 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17534 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17535 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17542 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17543 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17544 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17545 it's not. I think.)
17547 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17548 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17549 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17550 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17553 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17554 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17555 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17556 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17557 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17558 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17559 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17563 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17564 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17565 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17566 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17567 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17568 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17569 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17570 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17573 @item Head, Body, All
17574 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17578 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17579 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17580 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17581 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17582 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17583 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17584 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17588 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17589 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17590 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17591 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17592 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17593 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17594 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17595 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17596 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17597 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17598 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17602 @cindex Score File Atoms
17604 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17605 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17608 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17609 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17611 @item mark-and-expunge
17612 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17613 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17616 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17617 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17618 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17619 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17620 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17623 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17624 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17627 @item exclude-files
17628 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17629 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17633 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17634 ignored when handling global score files.
17637 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17638 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17639 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17640 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17643 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17644 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17645 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17646 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17648 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17652 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17655 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17656 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17657 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17658 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17659 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17661 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17662 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17663 scoring rules exist.
17666 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17667 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17668 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17669 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17670 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17671 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17672 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17673 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17674 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17675 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17676 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17680 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17681 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17682 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17683 file for a number of groups.
17686 @cindex local variables
17687 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17688 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17689 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17690 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17691 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17695 @node Score File Editing
17696 @section Score File Editing
17698 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17699 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17700 with a mode for that.
17702 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17703 additional commands:
17708 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17709 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17710 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17711 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17714 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17715 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17716 Insert the current date in numerical format
17717 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17718 you were wondering.
17721 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17722 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17723 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17724 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17725 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17730 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17732 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17733 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17735 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17736 e} to begin editing score files.
17739 @node Adaptive Scoring
17740 @section Adaptive Scoring
17741 @cindex adaptive scoring
17743 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17744 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17745 stupidity, to be precise.
17747 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17748 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17749 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17750 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17751 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17752 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17753 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17754 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17755 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17757 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17758 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17759 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17760 might look something like this:
17763 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17764 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17765 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17766 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17767 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17768 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17769 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17770 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17771 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17772 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17773 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17774 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17777 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17778 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17779 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17780 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17781 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17782 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17785 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17786 will be applied to each article.
17788 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17789 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17790 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17791 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17793 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17794 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17795 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17796 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17798 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17799 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17800 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17801 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17803 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17804 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17805 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17806 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17807 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17808 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17810 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17811 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17812 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17813 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17814 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17815 aspirins afterwards.)
17817 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17818 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17819 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17821 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17822 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17823 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17825 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17826 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17827 let you use different rules in different groups.
17829 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17830 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17831 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17834 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17835 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17836 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17837 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17838 the length of the match is less than
17839 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17840 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17843 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17844 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17845 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17846 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17847 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17850 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17851 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17852 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17853 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17854 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17857 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17858 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17859 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17860 score with 30 points.
17862 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17863 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17864 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17865 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17866 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17868 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17869 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17870 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17871 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17872 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17874 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17875 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17876 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17877 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17879 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17880 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17881 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17882 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17884 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17885 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17886 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17887 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17888 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17890 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17891 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17892 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17894 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17895 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17896 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17897 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17900 @node Home Score File
17901 @section Home Score File
17903 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17904 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17905 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17906 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17908 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17909 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17910 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17912 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17913 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17918 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17922 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17923 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17927 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17931 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17932 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17935 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17936 the home score file.
17939 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17942 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17947 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17950 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17951 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17954 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17955 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17957 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17959 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17960 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17963 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17964 Other functions include
17967 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17968 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17969 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17970 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17974 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17975 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17976 their own home score files:
17979 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17980 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17981 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17982 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17983 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17986 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17987 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17988 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17989 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17990 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17992 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17993 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17994 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17995 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17996 precedence over this variable.
17999 @node Followups To Yourself
18000 @section Followups To Yourself
18002 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18003 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18004 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18005 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18006 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18007 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18011 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18012 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18013 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18016 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18017 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18018 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18022 @vindex message-sent-hook
18023 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18024 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18026 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18030 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18031 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18035 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18036 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18039 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18040 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18045 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18049 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18050 is system-dependent.
18053 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18054 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18055 @cindex scoring on other headers
18057 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18058 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18059 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18060 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18061 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18063 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18064 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18065 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18066 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18067 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18069 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18072 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18073 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18076 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18077 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18078 time if you have much mail.
18080 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18081 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18087 @section Scoring Tips
18088 @cindex scoring tips
18094 @cindex scoring crossposts
18095 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18096 the @code{Xref} header.
18098 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18101 @item Multiple crossposts
18102 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18103 more than, say, 3 groups:
18106 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18110 @item Matching on the body
18111 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18112 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18113 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18114 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18115 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18116 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18117 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18120 @item Marking as read
18121 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18122 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18123 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18127 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18129 @item Negated character classes
18130 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18131 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18132 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18136 @node Reverse Scoring
18137 @section Reverse Scoring
18138 @cindex reverse scoring
18140 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18141 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18142 like this in your score file:
18146 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18151 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18152 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18155 @node Global Score Files
18156 @section Global Score Files
18157 @cindex global score files
18159 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18160 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18161 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18163 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18164 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18165 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18167 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18168 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18169 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18170 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18171 files are applicable to which group.
18173 To use the score file
18174 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18175 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18179 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18180 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18181 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18184 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18186 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18187 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18188 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18189 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18191 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18192 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18194 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18195 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18196 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18197 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18198 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18199 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18201 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18207 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18209 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18211 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18213 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18214 lowered out of existence.
18216 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18217 articles completely.
18220 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18221 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18222 old articles for a long time.
18225 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18226 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18227 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18228 holding our breath yet?
18232 @section Kill Files
18235 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18236 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18237 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18239 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18240 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18241 files into score files.
18243 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18244 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18245 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18246 that isn't a very good idea.
18248 Normal kill files look like this:
18251 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18252 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18256 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18257 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18259 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18260 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18263 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18268 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18269 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18270 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18273 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18274 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18275 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18278 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18283 @kindex M-k (Group)
18284 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18285 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18288 @kindex M-K (Group)
18289 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18290 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18293 Kill file variables:
18296 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18297 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18298 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18299 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18300 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18301 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18302 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18304 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18305 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18306 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18307 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18310 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18311 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18312 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18313 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18314 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18315 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18316 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18317 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18318 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18320 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18321 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18322 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18327 @node Converting Kill Files
18328 @section Converting Kill Files
18330 @cindex converting kill files
18332 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18333 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18334 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18337 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18338 You can fetch it from
18339 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18341 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18342 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18343 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18351 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18352 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18353 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18354 news articles generated every day.
18356 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18357 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18358 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18359 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18360 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18361 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18362 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18363 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18366 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18367 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18370 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18371 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18372 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18373 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18377 @node Using GroupLens
18378 @subsection Using GroupLens
18380 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18382 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18383 better bit in town at the moment.
18385 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18389 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18390 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18391 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18392 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18394 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18395 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18396 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18397 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18399 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18400 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18401 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18405 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18406 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18407 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18408 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18409 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18410 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18413 @node Rating Articles
18414 @subsection Rating Articles
18416 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18417 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18418 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18419 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18422 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18427 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18428 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18429 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18432 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18433 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18434 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18435 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18436 threads in rec.humor.
18440 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18441 the score of the article you're reading.
18446 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18447 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18448 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18451 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18452 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18453 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18457 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18458 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18461 @node Displaying Predictions
18462 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18464 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18465 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18466 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18467 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18468 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18470 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18471 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18472 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18473 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18474 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18475 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18476 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18477 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18478 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18479 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18480 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18481 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18482 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18484 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18485 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18486 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18487 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18489 The following are valid values for that variable.
18492 @item prediction-spot
18493 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18496 @item confidence-interval
18497 A numeric confidence interval.
18499 @item prediction-bar
18500 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18502 @item confidence-bar
18503 Numerical confidence.
18505 @item confidence-spot
18506 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18508 @item prediction-num
18509 Plain-old numeric value.
18511 @item confidence-plus-minus
18512 Prediction +/- confidence.
18517 @node GroupLens Variables
18518 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18522 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18523 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18524 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18525 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18528 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18529 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18532 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18533 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18535 @item grouplens-score-offset
18536 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18537 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18540 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18541 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18542 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18547 @node Advanced Scoring
18548 @section Advanced Scoring
18550 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18551 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18552 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18553 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18554 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18556 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18560 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18561 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18562 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18566 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18567 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18569 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18570 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18571 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18572 non-@code{nil} value.
18574 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18575 operator, and various match operators.
18582 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18583 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18584 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18589 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18590 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18591 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18596 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18597 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18601 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18602 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18603 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18604 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18605 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18606 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18607 the ancestry you want to go.
18609 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18610 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18611 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18612 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18613 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18616 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18617 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18619 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18620 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18623 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18624 when he's talking about Gnus:
18628 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18629 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18635 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18639 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18646 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18647 really don't want to read what he's written:
18651 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18652 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18656 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18657 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18658 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18665 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18666 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18667 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18668 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18672 The possibilities are endless.
18675 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18676 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18678 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18679 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18680 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18681 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18682 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18683 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18684 @samp{subject}) first.
18686 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18687 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18698 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18699 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18705 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18712 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18713 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18718 @section Score Decays
18719 @cindex score decays
18722 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18723 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18724 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18725 use them in any sensible way.
18727 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18728 @findex gnus-decay-score
18729 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18730 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18731 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18732 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18733 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18734 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18735 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18736 definition of that function:
18739 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18741 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18742 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18745 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18747 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18749 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18752 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18753 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18754 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18755 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18759 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18762 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18765 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18769 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18770 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18771 the new score, which should be an integer.
18773 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18774 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18779 @include message.texi
18780 @chapter Emacs MIME
18781 @include emacs-mime.texi
18783 @include sieve.texi
18791 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18792 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18793 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18794 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18795 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18796 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18797 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18798 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18799 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18800 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18801 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18802 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18803 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18804 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18805 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18806 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18807 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18808 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18809 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18813 @node Process/Prefix
18814 @section Process/Prefix
18815 @cindex process/prefix convention
18817 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18818 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18820 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18821 command to be performed on.
18825 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18826 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18827 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18828 with the current one.
18830 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18831 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18832 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18834 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18835 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18838 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18839 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18841 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18844 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18845 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18846 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18847 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18849 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18850 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18851 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18852 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18853 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18854 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18855 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18856 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18858 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18859 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18860 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18861 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18862 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18866 @section Interactive
18867 @cindex interaction
18871 @item gnus-novice-user
18872 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18873 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18874 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18875 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18876 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18879 @item gnus-expert-user
18880 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18881 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18882 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18883 matter how strange.
18885 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18886 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18887 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18888 is @code{t} by default.
18890 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18891 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18892 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18897 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18898 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18899 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18901 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18902 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18903 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18904 rule of 900 to the current article.
18906 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18907 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18908 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18909 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18910 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18911 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18912 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18914 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18915 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18916 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18917 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18918 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18919 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18920 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18921 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18922 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18924 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18925 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18926 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18928 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18932 @node Formatting Variables
18933 @section Formatting Variables
18934 @cindex formatting variables
18936 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18937 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18938 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18939 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18940 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18943 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18944 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18945 lots of percentages everywhere.
18948 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18949 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18950 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18951 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18952 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18953 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18954 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18955 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18958 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18959 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18960 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18961 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18962 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18963 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18964 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18965 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18967 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18968 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18970 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18971 @findex gnus-update-format
18972 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18973 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18974 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18975 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18979 @node Formatting Basics
18980 @subsection Formatting Basics
18982 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18983 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18984 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18986 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18987 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18988 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18989 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18990 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18993 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18994 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18995 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18996 less than 4 characters wide.
18998 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18999 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19002 @node Mode Line Formatting
19003 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19005 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19006 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19007 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19008 with the following two differences:
19013 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19016 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19017 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19018 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19019 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19020 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19021 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19022 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19027 @node Advanced Formatting
19028 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19030 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19031 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19032 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19033 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19035 These are the valid modifiers:
19040 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19044 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19049 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19052 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19057 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19060 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19063 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19066 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19072 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19077 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19078 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19079 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19080 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19081 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19082 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19083 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19085 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19086 last operation, padding.
19088 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
19089 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
19090 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
19091 @xref{Compilation}.
19094 @node User-Defined Specs
19095 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19097 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19098 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19099 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19100 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19101 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19102 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19103 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19104 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19105 should protect against that.
19107 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19108 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19110 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19111 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19112 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19113 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19117 @node Formatting Fonts
19118 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19120 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19121 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19122 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19123 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19126 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19127 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19128 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19129 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19130 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19131 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19133 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
19134 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
19135 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
19136 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
19137 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
19138 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
19139 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
19140 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
19142 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19145 ;; Create three face types.
19146 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19147 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19149 ;; We want the article count to be in
19150 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19151 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19152 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19154 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19155 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19157 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19158 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19159 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19162 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19163 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19165 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19166 mode-line variables.
19168 @node Positioning Point
19169 @subsection Positioning Point
19171 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19172 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19173 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19175 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19177 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19178 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19179 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19181 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19182 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19183 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19188 @subsection Tabulation
19190 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19191 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19192 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19193 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19195 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19196 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19198 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19199 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19200 This is the soft tabulator.
19202 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19203 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19204 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19207 @node Wide Characters
19208 @subsection Wide Characters
19210 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19211 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19212 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19214 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19215 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19216 these coutries, that's not true.
19218 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19219 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19220 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19221 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
19225 @node Window Layout
19226 @section Window Layout
19227 @cindex window layout
19229 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19231 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19232 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19233 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19234 @code{t} by default.
19236 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19237 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19239 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19240 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19241 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19244 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19245 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19246 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19250 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19251 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19252 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19253 possible names is listed below.
19255 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19256 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19259 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19263 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19264 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19265 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19266 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19267 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19268 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19269 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19270 size spec per split.
19272 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19273 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19274 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19275 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19276 present) gets focus.
19278 Here's a more complicated example:
19281 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19282 (summary 0.25 point)
19283 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19287 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19288 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19289 occupy, not a percentage.
19291 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19292 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19293 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19294 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19295 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19298 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19301 (article (horizontal 1.0
19306 (summary 0.25 point)
19311 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19312 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19314 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19315 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19316 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19317 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19318 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19320 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19321 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19322 lines from the splits.
19324 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19328 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19329 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19330 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19331 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19332 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19333 size = number | frame-params
19334 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19337 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19338 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19339 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19340 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19342 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19343 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19344 @cindex window height
19345 @cindex window width
19346 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19347 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19348 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19349 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19350 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19351 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19353 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19354 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19355 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19356 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19358 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19359 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19360 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19361 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19362 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19363 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19364 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19365 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19366 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19367 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19368 configuration list.
19371 (gnus-configure-frame
19375 (article 0.3 point))
19383 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19384 @code{frame} split:
19387 (gnus-configure-frame
19390 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19392 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19393 (user-position . t)
19394 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19399 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19400 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19401 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19402 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19403 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19404 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19405 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19406 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19408 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19409 be found in its default value.
19411 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19412 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19413 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19417 (message (horizontal 1.0
19418 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19420 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19425 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19426 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19427 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19432 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19433 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19434 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19435 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19436 (name . "Message"))
19437 (message 1.0 point))))
19440 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19441 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19442 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19443 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19444 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19447 (gnus-add-configuration
19448 '(article (vertical 1.0
19450 (summary .25 point)
19454 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19455 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19456 Gnus has been loaded.
19458 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19459 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19460 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19461 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19462 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19464 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19465 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19466 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19469 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19473 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19474 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19489 (gnus-add-configuration
19492 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19494 (summary 0.16 point)
19497 (gnus-add-configuration
19500 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19501 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19507 @node Faces and Fonts
19508 @section Faces and Fonts
19513 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19514 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19515 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19520 @section Compilation
19521 @cindex compilation
19522 @cindex byte-compilation
19524 @findex gnus-compile
19526 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19527 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19528 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19529 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19530 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19531 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19534 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19535 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19536 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19537 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19538 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19539 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19540 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19544 @section Mode Lines
19547 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19548 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19549 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19550 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19551 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19552 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19553 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19556 @cindex display-time
19558 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19559 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19560 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19561 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19562 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19563 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19564 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19565 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19568 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19570 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19571 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19573 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19574 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19575 (length display-time-string)))))
19578 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19579 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19580 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19581 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19582 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19585 @node Highlighting and Menus
19586 @section Highlighting and Menus
19588 @cindex highlighting
19591 @vindex gnus-visual
19592 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19593 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19594 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19597 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19598 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19601 @item group-highlight
19602 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19603 @item summary-highlight
19604 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19605 @item article-highlight
19606 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19608 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19610 Create menus in the group buffer.
19612 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19614 Create menus in the article buffer.
19616 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19618 Create menus in the server buffer.
19620 Create menus in the score buffers.
19622 Create menus in all buffers.
19625 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19626 buffers, you could say something like:
19629 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19632 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19635 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19638 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19639 in all Gnus buffers.
19641 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19644 @item gnus-mouse-face
19645 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19646 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19647 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19651 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19655 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19656 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19657 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19659 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19660 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19661 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19663 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19664 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19665 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19667 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19668 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19669 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19671 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19672 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19673 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19675 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19676 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19677 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19688 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19689 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19690 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19691 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19692 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19696 @vindex gnus-carpal
19697 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19698 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19699 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19704 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19705 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19706 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19708 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19709 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19710 Face used on buttons.
19712 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19713 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19714 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19716 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19717 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19718 Buttons in the group buffer.
19720 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19721 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19722 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19724 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19725 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19726 Buttons in the server buffer.
19728 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19729 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19730 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19733 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19734 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19735 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19743 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19744 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19745 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19746 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19747 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19749 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19750 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19751 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19753 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19754 been idle for thirty minutes:
19757 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19760 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19764 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19767 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19768 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19769 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19771 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19772 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19773 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19774 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19776 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19777 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19778 @var{idle} minutes.
19780 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19781 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19784 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19785 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19786 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19788 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19789 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19790 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19791 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19793 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19794 your @file{.gnus} file:
19796 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19798 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19801 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19802 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19803 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19804 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19805 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19806 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19807 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19808 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19809 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19810 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19811 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19813 @findex gnus-demon-init
19814 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19815 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19816 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19817 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19818 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19820 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19821 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19822 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19831 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19832 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19834 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19835 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19836 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19837 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19840 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19841 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19842 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19843 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19845 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19846 this will make spam disappear.
19848 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19851 @item gnus-use-nocem
19852 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19853 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19856 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19857 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19858 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19859 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19860 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19862 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19863 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19864 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19865 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19866 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19867 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19869 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19870 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19872 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19873 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19874 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19875 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19876 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19877 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19878 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19879 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19880 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19881 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19883 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19884 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19887 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19890 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19891 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19894 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19897 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19900 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19901 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19903 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19904 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19905 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19906 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19908 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19909 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19912 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19914 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19922 This might be dangerous, though.
19924 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19925 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19926 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19927 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19929 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19930 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19931 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19932 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19933 might then see old spam.
19935 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19936 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19937 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19938 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19939 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19942 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19943 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19944 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19945 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19949 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19950 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19951 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19952 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19959 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19960 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19961 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19963 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19964 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19965 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19966 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19967 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19968 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19969 @code{undo} function.
19971 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19972 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19973 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19974 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19975 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19976 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19977 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19978 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19979 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19980 never be totally undoable.
19982 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19983 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19985 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19986 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19987 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19988 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19992 @node Predicate Specifiers
19993 @section Predicate Specifiers
19994 @cindex predicate specifiers
19996 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
19997 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
19998 to type all that much.
20000 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20005 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20006 gnus-article-unread-p)
20009 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20010 functions all take one parameter.
20012 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20013 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20014 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20015 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20020 @section Moderation
20023 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20024 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20025 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20028 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20032 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20035 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20037 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20042 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20043 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20044 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20047 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20048 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20051 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20052 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20056 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20059 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20060 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20064 @node Image Enhancements
20065 @section Image Enhancements
20067 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20068 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20071 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20072 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20073 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20074 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20075 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20088 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20089 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20090 over your shoulder as you read news.
20093 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20094 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20095 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20096 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20097 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20102 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20104 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20113 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20114 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20115 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20116 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20117 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20118 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20119 @code{GIF} formats.
20122 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20123 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20124 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20125 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20126 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20128 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20129 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20130 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20131 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20132 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20133 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20135 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20136 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20139 @node Picon Requirements
20140 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20142 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20143 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20144 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20145 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20147 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20148 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20149 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20150 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20151 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20152 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20155 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20157 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20158 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20161 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20162 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20165 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20166 containing the Picons databases.
20168 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20171 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20172 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20177 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20185 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20186 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20187 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20188 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20189 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20194 @item gnus-picons-database
20195 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20196 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20197 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20198 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20199 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20200 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20202 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20203 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20204 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20205 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20206 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20207 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20208 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20210 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20211 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20212 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20213 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20214 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20215 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20216 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20217 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20219 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20220 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20221 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20226 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20227 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20229 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20230 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20233 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20235 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20236 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20237 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20238 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20240 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20241 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20242 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20243 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20249 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20250 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20258 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20259 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20260 don't need to worry about.
20264 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20265 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20266 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20267 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20269 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20270 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20271 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20272 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20274 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20275 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20276 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20277 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20278 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20280 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20281 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20282 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20283 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20284 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20285 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20286 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20287 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20289 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20290 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20291 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20292 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20293 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20295 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20296 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20297 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20298 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20299 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20300 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20301 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20303 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20304 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20305 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20306 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20308 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20309 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20310 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20311 Defaults to @code{t}.
20313 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20314 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20315 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20316 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20318 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20319 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20320 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20322 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20323 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20324 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20325 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20327 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20328 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20330 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20331 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20332 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20333 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20334 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20335 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20336 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20337 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20348 @subsection Smileys
20353 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20358 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20359 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20361 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20362 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20365 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20368 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20369 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20370 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20371 text and maps that to file names.
20373 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20374 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20375 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20376 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20377 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20378 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20380 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20381 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20383 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20384 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20385 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20387 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20388 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20392 @item smiley-data-directory
20393 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20394 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20396 @item smiley-flesh-color
20397 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20398 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20400 @item smiley-features-color
20401 @vindex smiley-features-color
20402 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20404 @item smiley-tongue-color
20405 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20406 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20408 @item smiley-circle-color
20409 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20410 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20412 @item smiley-mouse-face
20413 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20414 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20423 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20424 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20425 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20429 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20430 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20431 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20432 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20440 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20441 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20442 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20443 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20445 The variable that controls this is the
20446 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20447 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20448 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20449 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20450 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20452 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20453 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20454 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20455 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20458 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20459 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20460 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20461 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20462 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20463 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20464 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20465 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20467 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20470 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20471 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20473 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20474 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20475 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20476 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20477 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20478 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20480 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a file as the parameter, and then
20481 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20482 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20484 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20485 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20488 (setq message-required-news-headers
20489 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20490 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20493 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20496 (setq message-required-news-headers
20497 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20498 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20499 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20500 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20505 @subsection Toolbar
20515 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20516 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20517 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20518 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20519 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20521 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20522 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20523 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20525 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20526 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20527 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20529 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20530 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20531 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20537 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20540 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20541 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20542 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20543 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20544 unusual directory structure.
20546 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20547 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20548 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20549 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20551 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20552 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20553 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20554 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20555 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20556 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20558 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20559 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20560 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20574 @node Fuzzy Matching
20575 @section Fuzzy Matching
20576 @cindex fuzzy matching
20578 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20579 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20581 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20582 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20583 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20585 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20586 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20587 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20588 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20589 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20592 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20593 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20597 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20599 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20600 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20601 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20602 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20603 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20604 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20605 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20606 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20609 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20610 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20611 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20612 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20613 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20614 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20618 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20619 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20621 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20622 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20623 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20624 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20625 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20626 part of the mail address.)
20629 (setq message-default-news-headers
20630 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20633 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20634 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20639 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20640 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20641 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20647 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20648 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20649 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20650 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20652 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
20653 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20654 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20655 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20656 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20657 your fancy split rule in this way:
20662 (to "larsi" "misc")
20666 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20667 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20668 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20669 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20670 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20672 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20673 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20674 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20675 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20676 cosmic balance somewhat.
20678 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20679 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20680 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20681 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20684 @node Various Various
20685 @section Various Various
20691 @item gnus-home-directory
20692 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20693 defaults to @file{~/}.
20695 @item gnus-directory
20696 @vindex gnus-directory
20697 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20698 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20699 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20701 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20702 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20703 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20704 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20706 @item gnus-default-directory
20707 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20708 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20709 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20710 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20711 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20712 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20713 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20716 @vindex gnus-verbose
20717 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20718 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20719 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20720 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20721 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20723 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20724 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20725 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20726 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20728 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20729 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20730 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20731 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20732 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20733 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20734 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20735 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20736 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20737 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20739 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20740 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20741 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20742 read when doing the operation described above.
20744 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20745 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20747 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20748 @cindex characters in file names
20749 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20750 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20751 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20754 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20758 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20759 Windows (phooey) systems.
20761 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20762 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20763 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20764 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20765 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20767 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20768 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20769 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20770 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20771 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20773 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20774 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20775 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20777 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20778 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20780 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20781 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20782 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20783 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20786 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20794 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20795 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20797 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20799 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20805 Not because of victories @*
20808 but for the common sunshine,@*
20810 the largess of the spring.
20814 but for the day's work done@*
20815 as well as I was able;@*
20816 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20817 but at the common table.@*
20822 @chapter Appendices
20825 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
20826 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20827 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20828 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20829 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20830 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20831 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20832 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20833 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20840 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
20842 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
20843 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
20844 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
20845 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
20846 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
20853 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20854 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20856 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20857 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20858 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20859 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20860 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20862 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20863 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20864 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20865 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20866 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20867 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20869 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20870 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20871 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20872 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20875 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20876 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20877 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20878 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20879 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20880 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20881 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20882 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20883 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20887 @node Gnus Versions
20888 @subsection Gnus Versions
20890 @cindex September Gnus
20892 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20893 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20897 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20898 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20899 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20901 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20902 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20904 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20905 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20907 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20908 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20910 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20911 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20914 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20916 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20917 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20918 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20919 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20920 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20921 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20924 @node Other Gnus Versions
20925 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20928 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20929 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20930 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20931 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20933 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20934 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20935 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20936 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20943 What's the point of Gnus?
20945 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20946 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20947 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20948 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20949 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20950 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20951 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20952 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20953 keep track of millions of people who post?
20955 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20956 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20957 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20958 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20959 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20960 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20961 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20962 every one of you to explore and invent.
20964 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20965 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20968 @node Compatibility
20969 @subsection Compatibility
20971 @cindex compatibility
20972 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20973 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20974 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20979 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20983 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20986 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20989 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20990 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20991 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20992 important variables have their values copied into their global
20993 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20994 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20996 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20997 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20998 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20999 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
21000 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
21004 @cindex highlighting
21005 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
21006 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
21007 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
21008 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
21009 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
21010 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
21013 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
21014 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
21015 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
21016 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
21018 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
21019 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
21020 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
21021 to stop doing it the old way.
21023 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
21025 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21027 @cindex reporting bugs
21029 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
21030 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
21031 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
21033 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
21034 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
21035 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
21036 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
21041 @subsection Conformity
21043 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
21044 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
21052 There are no known breaches of this standard.
21056 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
21058 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
21059 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
21060 We do have some breaches to this one.
21066 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
21067 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
21068 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
21069 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
21070 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
21075 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
21076 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
21077 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
21078 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
21080 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
21082 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
21084 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
21085 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
21087 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
21090 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
21091 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
21092 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
21093 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
21094 decoding (verification and decryption).
21096 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
21097 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
21098 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
21099 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
21101 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
21102 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
21104 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
21105 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
21106 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
21107 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
21108 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
21109 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
21110 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
21114 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
21115 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
21120 @subsection Emacsen
21126 Gnus should work on :
21134 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
21138 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
21139 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
21142 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
21143 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
21144 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
21148 @node Gnus Development
21149 @subsection Gnus Development
21151 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
21152 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
21153 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
21154 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
21155 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
21156 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
21157 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
21158 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
21160 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
21161 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
21162 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
21163 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
21164 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
21167 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
21168 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
21169 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
21170 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
21171 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
21173 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
21174 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
21175 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
21176 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
21177 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
21178 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
21179 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
21180 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
21181 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
21182 can't be assumed to do so.
21187 @subsection Contributors
21188 @cindex contributors
21190 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
21191 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
21192 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
21193 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
21194 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
21195 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
21196 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
21197 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
21198 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
21199 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
21201 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
21207 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
21210 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
21211 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
21212 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
21213 functionality and stuff.
21216 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
21217 well as numerous other things).
21220 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
21223 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
21226 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
21229 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
21232 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
21233 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
21236 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
21239 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
21240 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21243 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
21246 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
21249 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
21252 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
21255 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
21256 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
21259 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
21262 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
21265 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
21268 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
21272 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
21275 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
21278 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
21281 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
21282 well as autoconf support.
21286 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
21287 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
21289 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
21298 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
21302 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
21312 Alexei V. Barantsev,
21327 Massimo Campostrini,
21332 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
21333 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
21337 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
21340 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
21346 Michael Welsh Duggan,
21351 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
21355 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
21363 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
21365 Michelangelo Grigni,
21369 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
21371 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
21373 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
21380 François Felix Ingrand,
21381 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
21382 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
21384 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
21395 Peter Skov Knudsen,
21396 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
21398 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
21399 Thor Kristoffersen,
21402 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
21420 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
21421 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
21428 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
21433 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
21437 John McClary Prevost,
21443 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
21448 Christian von Roques,
21451 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
21458 Philippe Schnoebelen,
21460 Randal L. Schwartz,
21474 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
21479 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
21495 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
21500 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
21501 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
21502 (550kB and counting).
21504 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
21507 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
21508 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21512 @subsection New Features
21513 @cindex new features
21516 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21517 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21518 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21519 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21520 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21523 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21524 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21525 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21528 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21530 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21535 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21536 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21539 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21540 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21543 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21546 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21547 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21548 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21551 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21552 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21553 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21554 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21557 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21558 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21561 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21562 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21563 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21566 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21567 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21570 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21571 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21572 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21575 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21576 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21577 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21580 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21581 the @file{.emacs} file.
21584 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21585 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21588 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21589 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21592 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21593 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21596 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21597 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21600 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21601 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21604 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21607 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21608 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21611 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21612 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21615 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21616 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21619 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21622 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21623 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21626 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21630 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21634 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21635 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21638 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21644 @node September Gnus
21645 @subsubsection September Gnus
21649 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21653 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21658 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21659 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21663 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21664 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21668 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21672 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21673 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21676 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21680 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21683 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21686 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21689 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21693 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21694 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21697 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21701 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21705 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21709 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21713 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21716 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21717 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21720 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21724 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21725 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21728 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21731 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21732 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21733 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21736 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21740 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21743 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21747 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21748 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21751 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21752 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21755 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21756 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21759 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21760 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21761 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21764 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21765 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21768 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21771 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21774 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21777 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21780 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21781 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21784 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21788 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21791 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21796 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21799 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21803 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21806 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21810 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21813 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21816 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21817 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21820 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21821 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21825 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21826 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21829 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21833 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21834 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21837 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21840 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21844 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21848 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21849 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21852 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21856 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21857 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21860 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21861 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21864 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21868 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21871 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21874 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21880 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21882 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21886 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21893 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21896 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21897 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21900 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21901 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21905 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21906 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21909 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21912 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21913 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21916 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21920 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21921 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21925 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21926 Server Internals}).
21929 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21933 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21936 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21937 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21940 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21941 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21942 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21945 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21946 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21949 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21950 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21953 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21957 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21958 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21961 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21962 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21965 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21969 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21972 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21976 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21977 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21980 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21981 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21984 A new command for reading collections of documents
21985 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21986 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21989 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21993 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21994 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21997 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21998 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21999 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
22002 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
22003 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
22007 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
22011 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
22015 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
22020 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
22024 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
22028 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
22029 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
22032 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
22038 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
22040 New features in Gnus 5.6:
22045 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
22046 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
22047 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
22050 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
22051 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
22052 group, which is created automatically.
22055 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
22059 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
22062 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
22063 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
22066 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
22070 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
22073 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
22074 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
22077 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
22080 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
22081 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
22084 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
22085 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
22088 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
22089 control over simplification.
22092 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
22095 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
22099 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
22102 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
22105 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
22106 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
22107 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
22110 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
22111 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
22114 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
22118 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
22119 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
22122 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
22123 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
22126 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
22130 A history of where mails have been split is available.
22133 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
22136 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
22137 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
22140 A new function for citing in Message has been
22141 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
22144 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
22147 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
22151 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
22152 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
22155 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
22156 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
22159 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
22162 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
22166 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
22167 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
22169 New features in Gnus 5.8:
22174 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
22175 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
22177 If you used procmail like in
22180 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
22181 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
22182 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
22183 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
22186 this now has changed to
22190 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
22194 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
22195 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
22198 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
22199 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
22202 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
22203 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
22206 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
22207 called to position point.
22210 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
22211 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
22214 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
22215 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
22218 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
22219 subtly different manner.
22222 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
22223 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
22224 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
22227 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
22235 @section The Manual
22239 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
22240 either @code{texi2dvi}
22242 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
22243 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
22245 to get what you hold in your hands now.
22247 The following conventions have been used:
22252 This is a @samp{string}
22255 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
22258 This is a @file{file}
22261 This is a @code{symbol}
22265 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
22269 (setq flargnoze "yes")
22272 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
22275 (setq flumphel 'yes)
22278 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
22279 ever get them confused.
22283 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
22284 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
22285 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
22286 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
22287 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
22288 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
22289 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
22295 @node On Writing Manuals
22296 @section On Writing Manuals
22298 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
22299 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
22300 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
22301 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
22302 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
22303 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
22306 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
22307 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
22308 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
22311 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
22312 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
22317 @section Terminology
22319 @cindex terminology
22324 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
22325 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
22326 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
22327 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
22328 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
22332 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
22333 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
22334 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
22335 not posting, and replying is not following up.
22339 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
22343 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
22348 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
22349 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
22350 is all done by the back ends.
22354 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
22355 default, way of getting news.
22359 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
22360 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
22365 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
22366 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
22370 A message that has been posted as news.
22373 @cindex mail message
22374 A message that has been mailed.
22378 A mail message or news article
22382 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
22387 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
22392 A line from the head of an article.
22396 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
22397 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
22401 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
22402 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
22403 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
22404 normal @sc{head} format.
22408 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
22409 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
22410 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
22411 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
22412 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
22413 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
22415 @item killed groups
22416 @cindex killed groups
22417 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
22418 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
22420 @item zombie groups
22421 @cindex zombie groups
22422 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
22425 @cindex active file
22426 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
22427 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
22428 is rather large, as you might surmise.
22431 @cindex bogus groups
22432 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
22433 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
22434 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
22437 @cindex activating groups
22438 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
22439 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
22440 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
22444 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
22446 @item select method
22447 @cindex select method
22448 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
22451 @item virtual server
22452 @cindex virtual server
22453 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
22454 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
22455 whole is a virtual server.
22459 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
22460 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
22463 @item ephemeral groups
22464 @cindex ephemeral groups
22465 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
22466 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
22467 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
22470 @cindex solid groups
22471 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
22472 group buffer are solid groups.
22474 @item sparse articles
22475 @cindex sparse articles
22476 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
22477 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
22481 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
22482 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
22486 @cindex thread root
22487 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
22488 articles in the thread.
22492 An article that has responses.
22496 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
22500 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
22501 specified by RFC 1153.
22507 @node Customization
22508 @section Customization
22509 @cindex general customization
22511 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22512 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22513 for some quite common situations.
22516 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22517 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22518 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22519 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22523 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22524 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
22526 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22527 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22528 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22532 @item gnus-read-active-file
22533 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22534 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22535 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22536 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22537 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22539 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22540 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22541 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22542 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22546 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22547 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22549 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22550 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22551 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22555 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22556 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22557 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22558 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22559 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22561 @item gnus-visible-headers
22562 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22563 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22564 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22565 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22567 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22569 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22570 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22571 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22574 @item gnus-use-full-window
22575 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22576 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22577 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22578 want to read them anyway.
22580 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22581 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22585 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22586 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22587 lines, which might save some time.
22591 @node Little Disk Space
22592 @subsection Little Disk Space
22595 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22596 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22600 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22601 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22602 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22603 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22606 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22607 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22608 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22609 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22612 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22613 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22614 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22615 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22616 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22622 @subsection Slow Machine
22623 @cindex slow machine
22625 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22626 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22628 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22629 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22631 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22632 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22633 summary buffer faster.
22637 @node Troubleshooting
22638 @section Troubleshooting
22639 @cindex troubleshooting
22641 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22649 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22652 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22653 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22657 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22658 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
22659 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
22660 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22663 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22667 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22668 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22669 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22670 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22671 something like that.
22674 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22677 @cindex reporting bugs
22679 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22681 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22682 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22683 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22684 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22686 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22687 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22688 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22689 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22692 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22693 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22694 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22695 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22696 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22697 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22699 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22700 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22701 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22705 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22706 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22708 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22709 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22711 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22712 @cindex ding mailing list
22713 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22714 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22718 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22719 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22721 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22722 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22723 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22724 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22727 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22728 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22729 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22730 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22731 and general methods of operation.
22734 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22735 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22736 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22737 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22738 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22739 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22740 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22741 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22742 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22746 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22747 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22748 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22749 @cindex utility functions
22751 @cindex internal variables
22753 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22754 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22755 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22759 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22760 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22761 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22763 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22764 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22765 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22767 @item gnus-group-real-name
22768 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22769 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22772 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22773 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22774 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22775 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22777 @item gnus-get-info
22778 @findex gnus-get-info
22779 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22781 @item gnus-group-unread
22782 @findex gnus-group-unread
22783 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22787 @findex gnus-active
22788 The active entry for @var{group}.
22790 @item gnus-set-active
22791 @findex gnus-set-active
22792 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22794 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22795 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22796 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22799 @item gnus-continuum-version
22800 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22801 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22802 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22805 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22806 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22807 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22809 @item gnus-news-group-p
22810 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22811 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22813 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22814 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22815 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22817 @item gnus-server-to-method
22818 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22819 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22821 @item gnus-server-equal
22822 @findex gnus-server-equal
22823 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22825 @item gnus-group-native-p
22826 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22827 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22829 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22830 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22831 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22833 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22834 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22835 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22837 @item group-group-find-parameter
22838 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22839 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22840 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22842 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22843 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22844 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22846 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22847 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22848 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22850 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22851 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22852 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22853 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22856 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22860 @item gnus-read-method
22861 @findex gnus-read-method
22862 Prompts the user for a select method.
22867 @node Back End Interface
22868 @subsection Back End Interface
22870 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22871 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22872 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22873 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22874 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22875 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22877 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22878 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22879 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22880 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22881 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22882 been opened, the function should fail.
22884 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22885 name. Take this example:
22889 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22890 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22893 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22894 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22896 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22897 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22898 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22900 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22901 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22902 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22904 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22905 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22906 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22907 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22908 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22909 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22912 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22913 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22914 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22915 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22918 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22919 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22920 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22921 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22922 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22923 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22924 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22925 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22926 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22927 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22929 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22930 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22931 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22932 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22933 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22934 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22935 of numbers as long as possible.
22937 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22940 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22943 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22944 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22945 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22946 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22947 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22948 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22952 @node Required Back End Functions
22953 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22957 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22959 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22960 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22961 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22962 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22964 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
22965 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22966 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22967 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22969 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22970 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22971 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22972 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22973 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22974 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22975 number, do maximum fetches.
22977 Here's an example HEAD:
22980 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22981 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22982 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22983 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22984 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22985 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22986 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22988 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22989 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22990 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22994 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22995 these in the data buffer.
22997 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
23001 head = error / valid-head
23002 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
23003 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
23004 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
23005 header = <text> eol
23008 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
23009 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
23013 nov-buffer = *nov-line
23014 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
23015 field = <text except TAB>
23018 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
23022 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
23024 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
23025 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
23027 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
23028 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
23029 server. In fact, it should do so.
23031 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
23032 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
23035 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
23037 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
23038 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
23041 There should be no data returned.
23044 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
23046 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
23047 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
23048 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
23049 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
23051 There should be no data returned.
23054 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
23056 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
23057 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
23058 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
23059 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
23061 There should be no data returned.
23064 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
23066 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
23068 There should be no data returned.
23071 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
23073 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
23074 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
23075 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
23076 it would be nice if that were possible.
23078 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
23079 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
23080 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
23081 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
23082 into its article buffer.
23084 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
23085 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
23086 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
23087 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
23088 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
23089 on successful article retrieval.
23092 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
23094 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
23095 making @var{group} the current group.
23097 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
23100 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
23103 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
23106 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
23107 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
23108 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
23109 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
23110 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
23111 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
23112 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
23113 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
23114 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
23118 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
23119 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
23120 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
23124 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23126 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
23127 a no-op on most back ends.
23129 There should be no data returned.
23132 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
23134 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
23137 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
23140 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
23141 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
23144 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
23145 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
23146 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
23147 and the highest as 0.
23150 active-file = *active-line
23151 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
23153 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
23156 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
23157 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
23158 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
23161 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
23163 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
23164 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
23165 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
23166 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
23167 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
23168 clear if the posting could not be completed.
23170 There should be no result data from this function.
23175 @node Optional Back End Functions
23176 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
23180 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
23182 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
23183 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
23184 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
23186 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
23187 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
23188 former is in the same format as the data from
23189 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
23190 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
23193 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
23197 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
23199 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
23200 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
23201 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
23202 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
23203 should return the (altered) group info.
23205 There should be no result data from this function.
23208 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
23210 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
23211 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
23212 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
23213 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
23214 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
23215 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
23216 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
23217 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
23219 There should be no result data from this function.
23222 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
23224 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
23225 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
23226 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
23227 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
23228 propagate the mark information to the server.
23230 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
23233 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
23236 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
23237 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
23238 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
23239 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
23240 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
23241 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
23242 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
23243 possible, not limit itself to these.
23245 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
23246 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
23247 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
23248 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
23250 An example action list:
23253 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
23254 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
23255 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
23258 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
23259 mark on (currently not used for anything).
23261 There should be no result data from this function.
23263 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
23265 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
23266 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
23267 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
23268 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
23269 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
23271 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
23272 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
23273 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
23276 There should be no result data from this function.
23279 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
23281 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
23282 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
23283 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
23284 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
23285 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
23286 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
23287 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
23289 There should be no result data from this function.
23292 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
23294 The result data from this function should be a description of
23298 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
23300 description = <text>
23303 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
23305 The result data from this function should be the description of all
23306 groups available on the server.
23309 description-buffer = *description-line
23313 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
23315 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
23316 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
23317 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
23318 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
23319 in the active buffer format.
23321 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
23322 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
23323 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
23324 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
23325 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
23326 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
23327 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
23330 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23332 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
23334 There should be no return data.
23337 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
23339 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
23340 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
23341 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
23342 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
23343 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
23346 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
23349 There should be no result data returned.
23352 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
23355 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
23356 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
23358 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
23359 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
23360 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
23361 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
23362 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
23363 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
23365 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
23366 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
23369 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23370 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23372 There should be no data returned.
23375 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
23377 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
23378 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
23379 this function in short order.
23381 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23382 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23384 There should be no data returned.
23387 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
23389 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
23390 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
23392 There should be no data returned.
23395 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
23397 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
23398 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
23399 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
23401 There should be no data returned.
23404 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
23406 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
23407 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
23409 There should be no data returned.
23414 @node Error Messaging
23415 @subsubsection Error Messaging
23417 @findex nnheader-report
23418 @findex nnheader-get-report
23419 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
23420 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
23421 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
23422 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
23423 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
23424 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
23427 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
23429 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
23432 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
23433 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
23434 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
23435 takes one argument---the server symbol.
23437 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
23438 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
23439 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
23442 @node Writing New Back Ends
23443 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
23445 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
23446 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
23447 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
23448 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
23449 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
23452 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
23453 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
23454 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
23456 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
23457 package called @code{nnoo}.
23459 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
23460 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
23466 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
23467 parameters. For instance:
23470 (nnoo-declare nndir
23474 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
23475 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
23478 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
23479 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
23480 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
23482 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
23483 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
23484 a function in those back ends.
23487 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23488 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23489 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23492 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
23493 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
23494 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
23496 @item nnoo-define-basics
23497 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23501 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23505 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23506 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23507 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23509 @item nnoo-map-functions
23510 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23511 functions from the parent back ends.
23514 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23515 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23516 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23519 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23520 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23521 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23522 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23525 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23526 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23527 haven't already been defined.
23533 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23537 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23538 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23539 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23544 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23547 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23548 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23552 (require 'nnheader)
23556 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23558 (nnoo-declare nndir
23561 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23562 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23563 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23565 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23566 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23569 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23571 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23572 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23573 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23575 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23576 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23578 ;;; Interface functions.
23580 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23582 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23583 (setq nndir-directory
23584 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23586 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23587 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23588 (push `(nndir-current-group
23589 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23590 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23592 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23593 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23595 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23597 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23598 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23599 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23600 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23601 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23605 nnmh-status-message
23607 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23613 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23614 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23616 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23617 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23618 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23619 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23620 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23622 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23623 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23628 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23631 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23633 The abilities can be:
23637 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23639 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23641 This back end supports both mail and news.
23643 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23646 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23647 articles and groups.
23649 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23650 true for almost all back ends.
23651 @item prompt-address
23652 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23653 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23654 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23658 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23659 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23661 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23662 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
23663 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
23664 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23667 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23668 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23669 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23672 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23673 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23676 This function takes four parameters.
23680 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23683 @item exit-function
23684 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23686 @item temp-directory
23687 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23690 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23691 performed for one group only.
23694 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23695 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23696 find the article number assigned to this article.
23698 The function also uses the following variables:
23699 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23700 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23701 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23702 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23706 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23707 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23711 @node Score File Syntax
23712 @subsection Score File Syntax
23714 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23715 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23716 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23718 Here's a typical score file:
23722 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23729 BNF definition of a score file:
23732 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23733 element = rule / atom
23734 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23735 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23736 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23737 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23739 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23740 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23741 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23742 date-header = "date"
23743 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23744 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23745 score = "nil" / <integer>
23746 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23747 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23748 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23749 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23750 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23751 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23752 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23753 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23754 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23755 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23756 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23757 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23758 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23759 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23760 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23761 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23762 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23763 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23764 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23765 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23766 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23767 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23768 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23769 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23770 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23771 eval = "eval" space <form>
23772 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23775 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23778 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23779 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23780 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23781 one looong line, then that's ok.
23783 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23784 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23788 @subsection Headers
23790 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23791 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23792 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23793 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23795 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23796 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23797 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23798 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23799 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23800 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23801 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23803 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23804 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23805 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23806 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23807 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23809 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23810 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23816 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23817 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23819 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23820 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23821 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23822 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23824 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23828 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23831 is transformed into
23834 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23837 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23838 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23841 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23844 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23845 is slightly tricky:
23848 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23854 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23857 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23863 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23870 and is equal to the previous range.
23872 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23873 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23874 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23878 range = simple-range / normal-range
23879 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23880 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23881 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23882 number *[ " " contents ]
23885 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23886 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23887 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23888 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23889 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23894 @subsection Group Info
23896 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23897 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23898 describes the group.
23900 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23901 second is a more complex one:
23904 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23906 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23907 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23909 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23912 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23913 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23914 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23915 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23916 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23917 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23918 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23919 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23920 this section is about.
23922 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23923 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23924 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23926 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23929 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23930 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23931 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23932 group = quote <string> quote
23933 ralevel = rank / level
23934 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23935 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23936 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23938 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23939 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23940 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23941 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23944 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23945 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23948 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23949 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23952 @item gnus-info-group
23953 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23954 @findex gnus-info-group
23955 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23956 Get/set the group name.
23958 @item gnus-info-rank
23959 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23960 @findex gnus-info-rank
23961 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23962 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23964 @item gnus-info-level
23965 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23966 @findex gnus-info-level
23967 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23968 Get/set the group level.
23970 @item gnus-info-score
23971 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23972 @findex gnus-info-score
23973 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23974 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23976 @item gnus-info-read
23977 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23978 @findex gnus-info-read
23979 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23980 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23982 @item gnus-info-marks
23983 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23984 @findex gnus-info-marks
23985 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23986 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23988 @item gnus-info-method
23989 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23990 @findex gnus-info-method
23991 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23992 Get/set the group select method.
23994 @item gnus-info-params
23995 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23996 @findex gnus-info-params
23997 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23998 Get/set the group parameters.
24001 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
24002 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
24004 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
24005 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
24006 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
24007 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
24010 @node Extended Interactive
24011 @subsection Extended Interactive
24012 @cindex interactive
24013 @findex gnus-interactive
24015 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
24016 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
24017 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
24020 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
24021 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
24026 The best thing to do would have been to implement
24027 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
24028 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
24029 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
24030 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
24031 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
24032 @code{interactive}.
24034 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
24039 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
24040 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
24044 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
24045 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
24046 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
24049 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
24053 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
24057 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
24063 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
24064 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
24068 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
24069 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
24070 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
24072 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
24073 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
24074 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
24075 Gnus, that's very useful.
24077 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
24078 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
24079 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
24080 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
24081 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
24082 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
24083 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
24084 following function:
24087 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
24091 (,function ,@@args))
24095 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
24096 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
24097 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
24100 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
24101 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
24102 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
24104 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
24105 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
24106 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
24109 @node Various File Formats
24110 @subsection Various File Formats
24113 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
24114 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
24118 @node Active File Format
24119 @subsubsection Active File Format
24121 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
24122 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
24125 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
24128 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
24129 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
24130 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
24131 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
24132 no.general 1000 900 y
24135 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
24138 active = *group-line
24139 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
24140 group = <non-white-space string>
24142 high-number = <non-negative integer>
24143 low-number = <positive integer>
24144 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
24147 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
24148 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
24151 @node Newsgroups File Format
24152 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
24154 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
24155 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
24156 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
24159 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
24160 Here's the definition:
24164 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
24165 group = <non-white-space string>
24167 description = <string>
24172 @node Emacs for Heathens
24173 @section Emacs for Heathens
24175 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
24176 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
24177 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
24178 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
24179 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
24180 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
24181 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
24185 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
24186 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
24191 @subsection Keystrokes
24195 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
24198 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
24201 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
24202 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
24203 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
24204 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
24205 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
24206 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
24208 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
24209 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
24210 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
24211 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
24212 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
24213 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
24214 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
24216 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
24217 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
24218 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
24219 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
24220 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
24221 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
24222 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
24224 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
24225 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
24226 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
24227 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
24228 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
24234 @subsection Emacs Lisp
24236 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
24237 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
24238 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
24239 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
24241 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
24242 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
24243 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
24244 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
24245 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
24246 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
24247 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
24250 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
24251 write the following:
24254 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
24257 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
24258 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
24259 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
24262 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
24263 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
24264 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
24265 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
24266 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
24268 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
24269 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
24270 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
24274 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
24278 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
24281 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
24282 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
24285 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
24288 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
24289 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
24292 @include gnus-faq.texi
24312 @c Local Variables:
24314 @c coding: iso-8859-1
24316 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
24317 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
24318 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
24319 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
24320 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref