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4 @settitle September Gnus Manual
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176 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
183 \thispagestyle{empty}
185 Copyright \copyright{} 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
187 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
188 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
189 are preserved on all copies.
191 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
192 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
193 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
194 permission notice identical to this one.
196 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
197 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
206 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
208 Copyright (C) 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
210 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
211 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
212 are preserved on all copies.
215 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
216 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
217 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
218 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
221 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
222 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
223 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
224 permission notice identical to this one.
226 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
227 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
233 @title September Gnus Manual
235 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
238 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
239 Copyright @copyright{} 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
241 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
242 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
243 are preserved on all copies.
245 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
246 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
247 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
248 permission notice identical to this one.
250 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
251 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
260 @top The Gnus Newsreader
264 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
265 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
266 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
274 \thispagestyle{empty}
277 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
278 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
280 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
281 being accused of plagiarism:
283 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
284 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
285 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
286 even read news with it!
288 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
289 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
290 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
291 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
292 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
299 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
300 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
301 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
302 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
303 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
304 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
305 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
306 * Various:: General purpose settings.
307 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
308 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
309 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
310 * Key Index:: Key Index.
315 @chapter Starting Gnus
320 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
321 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
324 @findex gnus-other-frame
325 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
326 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
327 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
329 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
333 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
334 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
335 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
336 * Slave Gnusii:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
337 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
338 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
339 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
340 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
341 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
342 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
346 @node Finding the News
347 @section Finding the News
349 @vindex gnus-select-method
351 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
352 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
353 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
354 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
357 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
358 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
361 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
364 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
367 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
370 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
371 certainly be much faster.
373 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
375 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
376 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
377 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
378 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
379 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
380 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
381 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long-shot, though.
383 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
384 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
385 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
386 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
388 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
389 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
390 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
391 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
392 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
393 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
395 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
397 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
398 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
399 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
400 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
401 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
402 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
404 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
406 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
407 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
408 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
409 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
410 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
411 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
414 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
415 would typically set this variable to
418 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
423 @section The First Time
424 @cindex first time usage
426 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
427 be subscribed by default.
429 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
430 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
431 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
432 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
435 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few randomly picked
436 groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Random} is here defined as
437 @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
439 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
440 help you with most common problems.
442 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
443 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
447 @node The Server is Down
448 @section The Server is Down
449 @cindex server errors
451 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
452 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
453 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
455 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
456 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
457 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
458 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
459 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
460 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
461 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
463 @findex gnus-no-server
465 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
466 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
467 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
468 if you're in a hurry as well.
472 @section Slave Gnusiï
475 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
476 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (eg., if you
477 are using the two different Gnusiï to read from two different servers),
478 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
480 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusiï that use the same
483 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
484 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
485 @dfn{servants}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
486 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
487 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
488 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
489 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
491 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
492 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusiï should be started with
493 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
494 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contains information only
495 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
496 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
497 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
498 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
500 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
501 information in the normal (i. e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
504 @node Fetching a Group
505 @section Fetching a Group
507 @findex gnus-fetch-group
508 It it sometime convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
509 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
510 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
511 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
512 It takes the group name as a parameter.
519 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
520 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
521 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
523 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
528 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
529 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
530 Make all new groups zombies. You can browse the zombies later (with
531 @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly, or subscribe to them.
534 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
535 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
536 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
538 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
539 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
540 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
542 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
543 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
544 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically.
546 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
547 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
548 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
549 you about @strong{all} new groups.
551 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
552 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
557 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
558 A closely related variable is
559 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
560 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
561 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
562 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
565 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
566 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
567 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
569 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
570 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
571 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
574 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
577 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
578 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
579 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
580 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
581 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
582 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
583 subscribing these groups.
584 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
585 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
587 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
588 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
589 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
590 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
591 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
592 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
593 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
594 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
596 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
597 Yet another variable that meddles here is
598 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
599 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
600 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
601 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
602 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
603 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
604 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
605 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
607 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
608 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
609 you could set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
610 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
611 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
612 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
613 is @code{t} by default.
615 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
616 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
617 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
618 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
619 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster &
620 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
621 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
622 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
623 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
624 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
626 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
627 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
628 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
629 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
630 few days. If any do, then it works. If any don't, then it doesn't
631 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
632 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
633 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
634 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
635 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
636 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
638 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
639 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
640 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
641 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
642 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
643 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
647 @section Startup Files
648 @cindex startup files
651 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
652 information is traditionally stored in this file.
654 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
655 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
656 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
657 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
658 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
659 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
660 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
662 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
663 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
664 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
665 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
667 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
668 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
669 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
670 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
671 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
672 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
674 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
675 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
676 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
677 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
678 will also means that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
679 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
680 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
681 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
684 @vindex gnus-startup-file
685 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
686 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
687 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
689 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
690 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
691 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
692 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
693 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
694 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
695 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
696 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
697 control on or off. Version control is off by default when saving the
706 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
707 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
708 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
709 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
710 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
713 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
714 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
717 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
718 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
719 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
721 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
722 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
723 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
724 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
725 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
726 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
729 @node The Active File
730 @section The Active File
732 @cindex ignored groups
734 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
735 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
736 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
738 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
739 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
740 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
741 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
742 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
743 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
744 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
747 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
748 @c if you set it to anything else.
750 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
752 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
753 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
754 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
756 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
757 you actually subscribe to.
759 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
760 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
761 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
762 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
764 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
765 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
766 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
767 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
768 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
769 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
771 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
772 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
773 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
774 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
775 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
776 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
778 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
779 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
782 @node Startup Variables
783 @section Startup Variables
788 @vindex gnus-load-hook
789 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
790 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
791 times you start Gnus.
793 @item gnus-startup-hook
794 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
795 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
797 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
798 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
799 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
800 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
801 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
802 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
803 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
804 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
806 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
807 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
808 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
809 your boss might not notice that you are reading news instead of doing
812 @item gnus-no-groups-message
813 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
814 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
818 @node The Group Buffer
819 @chapter The Group Buffer
822 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
823 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
824 long as Gnus is active.
827 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
828 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
829 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
830 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
831 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
832 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
833 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
834 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
835 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
836 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
837 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
838 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
839 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what if has to offer.
840 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
841 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
842 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
846 @node Group Buffer Format
847 @section Group Buffer Format
848 @cindex group buffer format
851 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
852 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
853 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
857 @node Group Line Specification
858 @subsection Group Line Specification
860 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
861 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
863 Here's a couple of example group lines:
866 25: news.announce.newusers
867 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
872 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
873 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
874 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
875 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
877 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
878 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
879 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
880 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
881 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
882 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
884 The default value that produced those lines above is
885 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n}.
887 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
888 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
889 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
890 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
893 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
894 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
895 instead of wasting time reading news.)
897 Here's a list of all available format characters:
902 Only marked articles.
905 Whether the group is subscribed.
908 Level of subscribedness.
911 Number of unread articles.
914 Number of dormant articles.
917 Number of ticked articles.
920 Number of read articles.
923 Total number of articles.
926 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
929 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
938 Newsgroup description.
941 @samp{m} if moderated.
944 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
953 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
957 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
960 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
961 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
962 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
963 The default is @code{1}.
966 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
967 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
968 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
969 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current headers as
970 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
971 into the buffer just like information from any other specifier.
975 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
976 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
977 group, or a bogus (or semi-bogus) native group.
980 @node Group Modeline Specification
981 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
983 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
984 The mode line can be changed by setting
985 (@code{gnus-group-mode-line-format}). It doesn't understand that many
990 The native news server.
992 The native select method.
996 @node Group Highlighting
997 @subsection Group Highlighting
999 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1000 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1001 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1002 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1003 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1005 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1009 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1011 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1012 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1013 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1015 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1017 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1019 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1023 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1030 The number of unread articles in the group.
1034 Whether the group is a mail group.
1036 The level of the group.
1038 The score of the group.
1040 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1043 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1044 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1045 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1047 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1048 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1049 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1050 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1051 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1054 @node Group Maneuvering
1055 @section Group Maneuvering
1056 @cindex group movement
1058 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1059 expected, hopefully.
1065 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1066 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1067 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1074 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1075 Go to the previous group group that has unread articles
1076 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1080 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1081 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1085 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1086 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1090 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1091 Go to the next unread group on the same level (or lower)
1092 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1096 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1097 Go to the previous unread group on the same level (or lower)
1098 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1101 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1107 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1108 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1109 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1114 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1115 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1116 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1120 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1121 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1122 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1125 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1126 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1127 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1128 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1132 @node Selecting a Group
1133 @section Selecting a Group
1134 @cindex group selection
1139 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1140 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1141 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1142 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1143 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1144 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1145 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, Gnus
1146 will fetch @var{N} number of articles. If @var{N} is positive, fetch
1147 the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is negative, fetch the
1148 @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1152 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1153 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1154 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1155 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1156 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1160 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1161 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1162 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1163 minimum amount off fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1164 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1165 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1166 enter some humongous group.
1169 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1170 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1171 This is yet one more command that does the same as the one above, but
1172 this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1173 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1177 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1178 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1179 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1180 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1181 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is when catching up a group from
1186 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1187 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1188 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1191 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1192 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1193 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1194 unread articles than this, Gnus will query the user before entering the
1195 group. The user can then specify how many articles should be fetched
1196 from the server. If the user specifies a negative number (@code{-n}),
1197 the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it is positive, the
1198 @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will be fetched.
1200 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1201 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1202 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1203 automatically when entering a group.
1208 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1209 full summary buffer.
1212 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1215 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1219 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1220 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1221 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1224 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
1225 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
1226 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
1227 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
1228 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
1229 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
1230 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
1231 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
1232 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
1233 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
1234 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
1235 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
1236 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
1237 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
1239 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
1240 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
1241 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
1242 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
1243 in the list. You should probably always include
1244 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
1245 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
1246 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
1247 ascending article order.
1249 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
1250 number, you could do something like:
1253 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
1254 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
1255 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
1256 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
1259 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
1260 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
1261 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
1262 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
1263 which the articles arrived.
1265 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
1269 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
1271 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
1272 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
1275 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
1276 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
1277 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
1278 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
1281 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
1282 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
1283 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
1284 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
1285 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
1286 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
1287 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
1288 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
1289 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
1290 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
1291 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
1292 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
1293 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
1295 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
1299 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
1300 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
1301 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
1305 @node Subscription Commands
1306 @section Subscription Commands
1315 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1316 Toggle subscription to the current group
1317 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1323 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1324 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1325 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1326 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1332 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1333 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1339 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1340 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1343 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1344 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1345 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1346 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1347 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1353 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1354 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1358 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1359 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1362 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1363 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1364 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1365 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1366 be used with some caution. The only thing where this command comes in
1367 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1368 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level @code{7} will
1369 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1370 @file{.newsrc} file.
1374 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1378 @section Group Levels
1381 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1382 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1383 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1384 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1385 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1391 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1392 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1393 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1394 prompted for a level.
1397 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1398 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1399 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1400 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1401 Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
1402 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1403 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1404 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1405 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1406 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
1407 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1408 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1409 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1410 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1411 for reasons of efficiency.
1413 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1414 low levels (eg. 1 or 2).
1416 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1417 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1418 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1420 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1421 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1422 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1423 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1424 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1425 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1426 relevant legal ranges.
1428 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1429 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1430 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1431 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1432 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1433 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1436 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1437 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1438 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1441 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1442 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1443 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1444 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1447 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1448 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1449 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1450 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1452 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1453 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1454 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1455 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1460 @section Group Score
1463 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1464 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1465 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1468 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1469 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1470 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1471 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1472 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1473 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1474 part and the score is the least significant part.)
1476 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1477 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1478 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1479 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1480 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1481 action after each summary exit, you can add
1482 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1483 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1484 slow things down somewhat.
1487 @node Marking Groups
1488 @section Marking Groups
1489 @cindex marking groups
1491 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1492 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1493 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1494 bidding on those groups.
1496 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1497 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1498 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1506 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1507 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1513 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1514 Remove the mark from the current group
1515 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1519 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1520 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1524 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1525 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1529 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1530 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1534 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1535 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1536 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1539 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1541 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1542 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1543 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1544 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1545 the command to be executed.
1548 @node Foreign Groups
1549 @section Foreign Groups
1551 Here are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1552 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1553 special-purpose groups:
1559 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1560 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1561 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1562 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1566 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1567 Rename the current group to something else
1568 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some groups --
1569 mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow on some
1574 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1575 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1576 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1580 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1581 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1582 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1586 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1587 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1588 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1592 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1593 Make a directory group. You will be prompted for a directory name
1594 (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1598 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1599 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1603 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1604 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1605 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1606 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1607 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1608 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1609 group will be created from from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1613 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1614 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1615 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1616 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1620 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1621 Read a random directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1622 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1626 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1627 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1628 Make a group based on some file or other
1629 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1630 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1631 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1632 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1633 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1634 guess at the file type.
1637 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1638 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1639 This function will delete the current group
1640 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1641 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1642 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1643 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1647 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1648 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1649 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}).
1653 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1654 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1655 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1658 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1661 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1662 If the @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1663 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1664 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1665 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1668 @node Group Parameters
1669 @section Group Parameters
1670 @cindex group parameters
1672 Gnus stores all information on a group in a list that is usually known
1673 as the @dfn{group info}. This list has from three to six elements.
1674 Here's an example info.
1677 ("nnml:mail.ding" 3 ((1 . 232) 244 (256 . 270)) ((tick 246 249))
1678 (nnml "private") ((to-address . "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
1681 The first element is the @dfn{group name}, as Gnus knows the group,
1682 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
1683 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
1684 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
1685 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
1686 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
1687 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
1689 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
1690 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
1691 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
1693 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1698 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1699 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1700 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1701 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1702 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1703 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1704 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1705 copies of your followups.
1707 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1708 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1709 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1710 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1711 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1712 list address instead.
1716 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1717 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1718 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1719 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1720 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1722 @item broken-reply-to
1723 @cindex broken-reply-to
1724 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1725 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1726 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1727 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1728 broken behavior. So there!
1732 If the group parameter list contains an element like @code{(to-group
1733 . "some.group.name")}, all posts will be sent to that group.
1737 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all articles that
1738 are read will be marked as expirable. For an alternative approach,
1739 @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1742 @cindex total-expire
1743 If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through the
1744 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1749 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1750 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1751 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1752 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1753 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1754 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1757 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1758 @samp{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1759 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1762 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1763 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1764 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1765 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1768 This parameter allows you to enter a random comment on the group.
1770 @item @var{(variable form)}
1771 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1772 are entering. Say you want to turn threading off in
1773 @samp{news.answers}. You'd then put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in
1774 the group parameters of that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be
1775 made into a local variable in the summary buffer you enter, and the form
1776 @code{nil} will be @code{eval}ed there.
1778 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1779 If you want to hear a beep when you enter the group
1780 @samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, you could put something like
1781 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
1782 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the @code{(ding)}
1783 form, but who cares?
1787 If you want to change the group info you can use the @kbd{G E} command
1788 to enter a buffer where you can edit it.
1790 You usually don't want to edit the entire group info, so you'd be better
1791 off using the @kbd{G p} command to just edit the group parameters.
1794 @node Listing Groups
1795 @section Listing Groups
1796 @cindex group listing
1798 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
1806 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
1807 List all groups that have unread articles
1808 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
1809 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
1810 only lists groups of level five or lower (i.e., just subscribed groups).
1816 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
1817 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
1818 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
1819 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
1820 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
1821 unsubscribed groups).
1825 @findex gnus-group-list-level
1826 List all unread groups on a specific level
1827 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
1828 with no unread articles.
1832 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
1833 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
1834 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
1835 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
1840 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
1841 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
1845 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
1846 List all subscribed groups with unread articles that match a regexp
1847 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
1851 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
1852 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
1856 @findex gnus-group-list-active
1857 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
1858 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
1859 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
1860 to do a @kbd{A m} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
1865 @findex gnus-group-apropos
1866 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
1867 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
1871 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
1872 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
1873 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
1877 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
1878 @cindex visible group parameter
1879 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
1880 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
1881 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
1882 get the same effect.
1884 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
1885 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
1886 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
1887 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
1888 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
1891 @node Sorting Groups
1892 @section Sorting Groups
1893 @cindex sorting groups
1895 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
1896 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
1897 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
1898 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
1899 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
1900 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
1905 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
1906 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
1907 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
1909 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
1910 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
1911 Sort by group level.
1913 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
1914 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
1915 Sort by group score.
1917 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
1918 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
1919 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
1920 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
1922 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
1923 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
1924 Sort by number of unread articles.
1926 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
1927 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
1928 Sort by alphabetically on the select method.
1933 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
1934 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
1938 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
1939 some sorting criteria:
1943 @kindex G S a (Group)
1944 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
1945 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
1946 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
1949 @kindex G S u (Group)
1950 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
1951 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
1952 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
1955 @kindex G S l (Group)
1956 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
1957 Sort the group buffer by group level
1958 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
1961 @kindex G S v (Group)
1962 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
1963 Sort the group buffer by group score
1964 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
1967 @kindex G S r (Group)
1968 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
1969 Sort the group buffer by group level
1970 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
1973 @kindex G S m (Group)
1974 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
1975 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
1976 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
1980 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
1983 @node Group Maintenance
1984 @section Group Maintenance
1985 @cindex bogus groups
1990 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
1991 Find bogus groups and delete them
1992 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
1996 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
1997 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
1998 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
2002 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2003 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2004 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2005 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2008 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2009 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2010 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2011 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2016 @node Browse Foreign Server
2017 @section Browse Foreign Server
2018 @cindex foreign servers
2019 @cindex browsing servers
2024 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2025 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2026 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2027 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2030 @findex gnus-browse-server-mode
2031 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2032 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-server-mode}. This buffer looks a bit
2033 (well, a lot) like a normal group buffer, but with one major difference
2034 - you can't enter any of the groups. If you want to read any of the
2035 news available on that server, you have to subscribe to the groups you
2036 think may be interesting, and then you have to exit this buffer. The
2037 new groups will be added to the group buffer, and then you can read them
2038 as you would any other group.
2040 Future versions of Gnus may possibly permit reading groups straight from
2043 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2048 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2049 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2053 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2054 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2057 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2058 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2059 Enter the current group and display the first article
2060 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2063 @kindex RET (Browse)
2064 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2065 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2069 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2070 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2071 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2077 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2078 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2082 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2083 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2084 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2089 @section Exiting Gnus
2090 @cindex exiting Gnus
2092 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2097 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2098 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2099 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2100 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2104 @findex gnus-group-exit
2105 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2109 @findex gnus-group-quit
2110 Quit Gnus without saving any startup files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2113 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2114 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2115 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2116 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2117 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2122 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2123 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2124 trying to customize meta-variables.
2129 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, feels her feet go
2130 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2131 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2137 @section Group Topics
2140 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2141 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2142 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2143 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2144 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2145 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2147 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2149 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2150 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2151 is a toggling command.)
2153 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2154 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2155 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2156 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2159 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2160 the hook for the group mode:
2163 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2167 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2168 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2169 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2173 @node Topic Variables
2174 @subsection Topic Variables
2175 @cindex topic variables
2177 @vindex gnus-topic-unique
2178 If @code{gnus-topic-unique} is non-@code{nil}, each group will be member
2179 of (tops) one topic each. If this is @code{nil}, each group might end
2180 up being a member of several topics.
2182 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2183 really neat, I think.
2185 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2186 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2187 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
2188 Elements allowed are:
2200 Number of groups in the topic.
2202 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2204 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2207 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2208 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2209 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2210 The default is @code{2}.
2212 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2213 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2216 @node Topic Commands
2217 @subsection Topic Commands
2218 @cindex topic commands
2220 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2221 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2222 definitions slightly.
2228 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2229 Create a new topic (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}). You will be
2230 prompted for a topic name and the name of the parent topic.
2234 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2235 Move the current group to some other topic
2236 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command understands the
2237 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2241 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2242 Copy the current group to some other topic
2243 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command understands the
2244 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2248 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2249 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2250 This command understands the process/prefix convention
2251 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2255 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2256 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2257 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2261 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2262 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2263 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2267 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2268 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2269 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2272 @kindex T M-# (Group)
2273 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2274 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2275 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2279 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2281 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2282 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2283 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2284 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2285 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2286 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2290 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2291 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2292 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2293 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2297 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2298 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}).
2302 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2303 Yank the previously killed group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}).
2304 Note that all topics will be yanked before all groups.
2308 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2309 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2312 @kindex T DEL (Group)
2313 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2314 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2318 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2319 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2320 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2325 @node Topic Topology
2326 @subsection Topic Topology
2327 @cindex topic topology
2330 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2336 2: alt.religion.emacs
2339 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2341 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2342 13: comp.sources.unix
2345 So, here we have one top-level topic, two topics under that, and one
2346 sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always just one (1)
2347 top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as follows:
2351 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2352 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2356 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2357 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2358 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2359 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2360 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2361 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2363 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2364 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2365 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2368 @node Misc Group Stuff
2369 @section Misc Group Stuff
2372 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2373 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2374 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2381 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2382 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}). @xref{The
2387 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2388 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2389 group name will be used as the default.
2393 @findex gnus-group-mail
2394 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2398 Variables for the group buffer:
2402 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2403 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2404 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2407 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2408 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2409 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2410 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2416 @node Scanning New Messages
2417 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2418 @cindex new messages
2419 @cindex scanning new news
2425 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2426 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2427 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2428 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2429 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2434 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2435 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2436 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2437 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}). The
2438 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} variable controls whether
2439 this command is to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t}
2442 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2443 @cindex activating groups
2445 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2446 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2451 @findex gnus-group-restart
2452 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}).
2456 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2457 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2459 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2460 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2464 @node Group Information
2465 @subsection Group Information
2466 @cindex group information
2467 @cindex information on groups
2473 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2476 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2477 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2478 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2479 remote machine. @code{ange-ftp} will be used for fetching the file.
2483 @cindex describing groups
2484 @cindex group description
2485 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2486 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2487 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2491 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2492 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2493 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2498 @findex gnus-version
2499 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2504 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2507 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2510 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2511 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2516 @subsection File Commands
2517 @cindex file commands
2523 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2524 @vindex gnus-init-file
2525 @cindex reading init file
2526 Read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2527 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2531 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2532 @cindex saving .newsrc
2533 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2534 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2535 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2539 @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2540 Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2545 @node The Summary Buffer
2546 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2547 @cindex summary buffer
2549 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2550 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2553 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2554 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2555 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2556 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2557 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2558 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2559 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2560 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2561 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2562 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
2563 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
2564 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
2565 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
2566 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
2567 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
2568 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
2569 * Summary Sorting:: You can sort the summary buffer four ways.
2570 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
2571 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
2572 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
2573 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
2574 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
2575 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
2579 @node Summary Buffer Format
2580 @section Summary Buffer Format
2581 @cindex summary buffer format
2584 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
2585 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
2586 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
2589 @findex mail-extract-address-components
2590 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
2591 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
2592 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
2593 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
2594 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
2595 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
2596 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
2597 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
2600 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
2601 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
2602 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
2603 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
2606 @node Summary Buffer Lines
2607 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
2609 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
2610 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
2611 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
2612 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions.
2614 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
2616 The following format specification characters are understood:
2624 Subject if the article is the root, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject}
2627 Full @code{From} line.
2629 The name (from the @code{From} header).
2631 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
2632 spec in that it uses @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is
2633 slower, but may be more thorough.
2635 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
2638 Number of lines in the article.
2640 Number of characters in the article.
2642 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2644 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
2645 pushes everything after it off the screen).
2647 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{\[}, but can also be @samp{<}
2648 for adopted articles.
2650 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{\]}, but can also be @samp{>}
2651 for adopted articles.
2653 One space for each thread level.
2655 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
2663 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
2664 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
2665 default level. If the difference between
2666 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
2667 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
2679 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
2680 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
2682 A single character will be displayed if the article has any children.
2684 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
2685 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
2686 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
2687 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
2688 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
2689 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
2692 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
2693 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
2694 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
2695 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
2696 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
2697 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
2699 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
2700 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
2702 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
2705 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
2706 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
2708 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
2709 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
2710 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. Here are the
2711 elements you can play with:
2717 Unprefixed group name.
2719 Current article number.
2723 Number of unread articles in this group.
2725 Number of unselected articles in this group.
2727 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
2728 either as @samp{<%U(+%u) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
2729 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
2730 and no unselected ones.
2732 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
2733 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
2735 Subject of the current article.
2739 Name of the current score file.
2741 Number of dormant articles.
2743 Number of ticked articles.
2745 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
2747 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
2751 @node Summary Highlighting
2752 @subsection Summary Highlighting
2756 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
2757 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
2758 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
2759 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
2760 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
2762 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
2763 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
2764 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
2765 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
2767 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
2768 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
2769 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
2770 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
2772 @item gnus-summary-highlight
2773 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
2774 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
2775 list where the elements are on the format @code{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
2776 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
2777 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
2779 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
2780 ((> score default) . bold))
2782 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
2783 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
2787 @node Summary Maneuvering
2788 @section Summary Maneuvering
2789 @cindex summary movement
2791 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
2792 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
2794 None of these commands select articles.
2799 @kindex M-n (Summary)
2800 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
2801 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
2802 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
2803 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
2807 @kindex M-p (Summary)
2808 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
2809 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
2810 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
2811 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
2816 @kindex G j (Summary)
2817 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
2818 Ask for an article number and then go that article
2819 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
2822 @kindex G g (Summary)
2823 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
2824 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
2825 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
2828 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
2829 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
2830 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
2831 to the group buffer.
2833 Variables related to summary movement:
2837 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
2838 @item gnus-auto-select-next
2839 If you are at the end of the group and issue one of the movement
2840 commands, Gnus will offer to go to the next group. If this variable is
2841 @code{t} and the next group is empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and
2842 return to the group buffer. If this variable is neither @code{t} nor
2843 @code{nil}, Gnus will select the next group, no matter whether it has
2844 any unread articles or not. As a special case, if this variable is
2845 @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
2846 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same will
2847 happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
2848 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
2849 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
2850 @pxref{Group Levels}.
2852 @item gnus-auto-select-same
2853 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
2854 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
2855 article with the same subject as the current. This variable is not
2856 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
2858 @item gnus-summary-check-current
2859 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
2860 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
2861 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
2862 Instead, they will choose the current article.
2864 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
2865 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
2866 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
2867 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
2868 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
2869 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
2870 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
2871 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
2877 @node Choosing Articles
2878 @section Choosing Articles
2879 @cindex selecting articles
2881 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
2882 and they all select and display an article.
2886 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
2887 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
2888 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
2889 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
2894 @kindex G n (Summary)
2895 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
2896 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
2901 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
2902 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
2907 @kindex G N (Summary)
2908 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
2909 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
2914 @kindex G P (Summary)
2915 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
2916 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
2919 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
2920 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
2921 Go to the next article with the same subject
2922 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
2925 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
2926 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
2927 Go to the previous article with the same subject
2928 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
2932 @kindex G f (Summary)
2934 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2935 Go to the first unread article
2936 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
2940 @kindex G b (Summary)
2942 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2943 Go to the article with the highest score
2944 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
2949 @kindex G l (Summary)
2950 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
2951 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
2954 @kindex G p (Summary)
2955 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
2956 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
2957 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
2958 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
2959 history as you like.
2962 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
2965 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
2966 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
2967 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
2968 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
2969 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
2970 the server and display it in the article buffer.
2972 @item gnus-select-article-hook
2973 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
2974 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
2975 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
2977 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
2978 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
2979 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
2980 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
2981 @findex gnus-unread-mark
2982 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
2983 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
2984 @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-and-read-as-read}, and will change the
2985 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
2986 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
2987 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
2988 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
2989 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
2990 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
2995 @node Paging the Article
2996 @section Scrolling the Article
2997 @cindex article scrolling
3002 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3003 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3004 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3005 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3006 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3009 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3010 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3011 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3014 @kindex RET (Summary)
3015 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3016 Scroll the current article one line forward
3017 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3022 @kindex A < (Summary)
3023 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3024 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3025 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3030 @kindex A > (Summary)
3031 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3032 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3035 @kindex A s (Summary)
3036 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3037 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3038 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3043 @node Reply Followup and Post
3044 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3047 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3048 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3049 * Summary Mail and Post Commands:: Sending both news and mail.
3053 @node Summary Mail Commands
3054 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3056 @cindex composing mail
3058 Commands for composing a mail message:
3064 @kindex S r (Summary)
3066 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3067 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3068 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3073 @kindex S R (Summary)
3074 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3075 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3076 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3077 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3080 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3081 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3082 Forward the current article to some other person
3083 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}).
3086 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3087 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3088 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3089 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
3094 @kindex S m (Summary)
3095 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3096 Send a mail to some other person
3097 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3100 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3101 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3102 @vindex gnus-bounced-headers-junk
3103 @cindex bouncing mail
3104 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3105 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3106 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3107 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3108 sending the mail off again. The headers that match the regexp
3109 @code{gnus-bounced-headers-junk} (default @samp{^Received:}) are
3110 automatically deleted first. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3111 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3112 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3113 very well fail, though.
3116 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3117 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3118 @vindex gnus-ignored-resent-headers
3119 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3120 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3121 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3122 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3123 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3124 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3125 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3126 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl. All old
3127 headers that match the regular expression
3128 @code{gnus-ignored-resent-headers} will be deleted before resending the
3129 message. The default is @samp{"^Return-receipt"}.
3131 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3132 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3133 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3134 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3135 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
3138 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3139 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3140 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3141 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3142 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3145 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3146 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3147 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3148 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3152 @node Summary Post Commands
3153 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3155 @cindex composing news
3157 Commands for posting an article:
3163 @kindex S p (Summary)
3164 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3165 Post an article to the current group
3166 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3171 @kindex S f (Summary)
3172 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3173 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3177 @kindex S F (Summary)
3179 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3180 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3181 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3182 process/prefix convention.
3185 @kindex S u (Summary)
3186 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3187 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3188 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3192 @node Summary Mail and Post Commands
3193 @subsection Summary Mail and Post Commands
3194 @cindex mail and post
3195 @cindex post and mail
3197 Commands for sending mail and post at the same time:
3201 @kindex S b (Summary)
3202 @findex gnus-summary-followup-and-reply
3203 Post a followup and send a reply to the current article
3204 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-and-reply}).
3207 @kindex S B (Summary)
3208 @findex gnus-summary-followup-and-reply-with-original
3209 Post a followup and send a reply to the current article and include the
3210 original message (@code{gnus-summary-followup-and-reply-with-original}).
3211 This command uses the process/prefix convention.
3215 @node Canceling and Superseding
3216 @section Canceling Articles
3217 @cindex canceling articles
3218 @cindex superseding articles
3220 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3221 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3223 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3225 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3227 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3228 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3229 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3230 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3232 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3233 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3236 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3237 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3238 your original article.
3240 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3242 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3243 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3244 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3247 @vindex gnus-delete-supersedes-headers
3248 You probably want to delete some of the old headers before sending the
3249 superseding article---@code{Path} and @code{Date} are probably
3250 incorrect. Set @code{gnus-delete-supersedes-headers} to a regexp to
3251 match the lines you want removed. The default is
3252 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date}.
3254 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3255 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3256 have posted almost the same article twice.
3258 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3259 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3260 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3261 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*post-buf*}). There you will
3262 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3263 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3264 header by substituting one of those words for @code{Message-ID}. Then
3265 just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as you would do normally.
3266 The previous article will be canceled/superseded.
3268 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3271 @node Marking Articles
3272 @section Marking Articles
3273 @cindex article marking
3274 @cindex article ticking
3277 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3279 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3280 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3281 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3283 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3286 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3287 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3288 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3292 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3296 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3297 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3301 @node Unread Articles
3302 @subsection Unread Articles
3304 The following marks mark articles as unread, in one form or other.
3306 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3307 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3310 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3311 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3312 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3313 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3314 article forever, you'll have to save it. Ticked articles have a
3315 @samp{!} (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}) in the first column.
3318 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3319 A @dfn{dormant} article is marked with a @samp{?}
3320 (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}), and will only appear in the summary buffer
3321 if there are followups to it.
3324 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3325 An @dfn{unread} article is marked with a @samp{SPACE}
3326 (@code{gnus-unread-mark}). These are articles that haven't been read at
3332 @subsection Read Articles
3333 @cindex expirable mark
3335 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3340 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3341 Articles that are marked as read. They have a @samp{r}
3342 (@code{gnus-del-mark}) in the first column. These are articles that the
3343 user has marked as read more or less manually.
3346 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3347 Articles that are actually read are marked with @samp{R}
3348 (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3351 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3352 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions are now
3353 @dfn{old} and marked with @samp{O} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3356 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3357 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3360 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3361 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3364 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3365 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3368 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3369 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3372 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3373 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3376 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3377 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}).
3380 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3381 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}).
3384 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3385 They are interpreted differently by the adaptive scoring scheme,
3388 One more special mark, though:
3392 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3393 You can also mark articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as
3394 such automatically). That doesn't make much sense in normal groups,
3395 because a user does not control the expiring of news articles, but in
3396 mail groups, for instance, articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable}
3397 can be deleted by Gnus at any time. Expirable articles are marked with
3398 @samp{E} (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3403 @subsection Other Marks
3404 @cindex process mark
3407 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3413 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3414 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3415 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3416 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3417 encounters the article.
3420 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3421 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3422 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3423 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3426 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3427 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3428 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3431 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3432 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3433 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3434 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3437 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3438 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3439 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3440 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3441 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3444 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3445 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3446 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3447 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3448 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3449 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3453 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3454 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3455 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3457 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3458 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3459 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3463 @subsection Setting Marks
3464 @cindex setting marks
3466 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3472 @kindex M t (Summary)
3473 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3474 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3479 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3480 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3481 Mark the current article as dormant
3482 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3486 @kindex M d (Summary)
3488 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3489 Mark the current article as read
3490 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3495 @kindex M k (Summary)
3496 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3497 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3498 and then select the next unread article
3499 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3503 @kindex M K (Summary)
3504 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3505 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3506 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3507 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
3510 @kindex M C (Summary)
3511 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
3512 Mark all unread articles in the group as read
3513 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
3516 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
3517 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
3518 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
3519 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
3522 @kindex M H (Summary)
3523 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
3524 Catchup the current group to point
3525 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
3528 @kindex C-w (Summary)
3529 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
3530 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
3531 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
3534 @kindex M V k (Summary)
3535 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
3536 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
3537 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
3541 @kindex M c (Summary)
3542 @kindex M-u (Summary)
3543 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
3544 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
3545 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
3549 @kindex M e (Summary)
3551 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
3552 Mark the current article as expirable
3553 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
3556 @kindex M b (Summary)
3557 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
3558 Set a bookmark in the current article
3559 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
3562 @kindex M B (Summary)
3563 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
3564 Remove the bookmark from the current article
3565 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
3568 @kindex M V c (Summary)
3569 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
3570 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
3571 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3574 @kindex M V u (Summary)
3575 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
3576 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
3577 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
3580 @kindex M V m (Summary)
3581 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
3582 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
3583 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
3584 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3587 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
3588 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
3589 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
3590 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
3591 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
3592 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
3593 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
3594 The default is @code{t}.
3597 @node Setting Process Marks
3598 @subsection Setting Process Marks
3599 @cindex setting process marks
3606 @kindex M P p (Summary)
3607 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
3608 Mark the current article with the process mark
3609 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
3610 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
3614 @kindex M P u (Summary)
3615 @kindex M-# (Summary)
3616 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
3617 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
3620 @kindex M P U (Summary)
3621 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
3622 Remove the process mark from all articles
3623 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
3626 @kindex M P R (Summary)
3627 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
3628 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
3631 @kindex M P r (Summary)
3632 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
3633 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
3636 @kindex M P t (Summary)
3637 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
3638 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3639 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
3642 @kindex M P T (Summary)
3643 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
3644 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3645 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
3648 @kindex M P v (Summary)
3649 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
3650 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
3651 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
3654 @kindex M P s (Summary)
3655 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
3656 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
3659 @kindex M P S (Summary)
3660 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
3661 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
3662 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
3665 @kindex M P a (Summary)
3666 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
3667 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
3670 @kindex M P b (Summary)
3671 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
3672 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
3673 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
3681 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
3682 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
3683 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
3690 @kindex / / (Summary)
3691 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
3692 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
3693 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
3696 @kindex / a (Summary)
3697 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
3698 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
3699 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
3703 @kindex / u (Summary)
3705 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
3706 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
3707 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
3708 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
3709 dormant articles will also be excluded.
3712 @kindex / m (Summary)
3713 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
3714 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
3715 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
3718 @kindex / n (Summary)
3719 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
3720 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
3721 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
3722 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3725 @kindex / w (Summary)
3726 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
3727 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
3728 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
3732 @kindex / v (Summary)
3733 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
3734 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
3735 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
3739 @kindex M S (Summary)
3740 @kindex / E (Summary)
3741 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
3742 Display all expunged articles
3743 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
3746 @kindex / D (Summary)
3747 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
3748 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
3751 @kindex / d (Summary)
3752 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
3753 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
3756 @kindex / c (Summary)
3757 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
3758 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
3759 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
3762 @kindex / C (Summary)
3763 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
3764 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
3765 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
3766 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
3774 @cindex article threading
3776 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
3777 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
3781 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
3782 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
3786 @node Customizing Threading
3787 @subsection Customizing Threading
3788 @cindex customizing threading
3794 @item gnus-show-threads
3795 @vindex gnus-show-threads
3796 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
3797 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
3798 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
3799 slower and more awkward.
3801 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
3802 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
3803 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
3804 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
3805 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
3806 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
3807 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
3808 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
3809 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
3810 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
3811 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
3812 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
3814 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
3815 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
3816 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
3817 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
3818 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
3819 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
3820 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
3821 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
3822 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
3823 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
3824 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
3825 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
3826 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
3827 @code{nil} by default.
3829 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
3830 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
3831 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
3832 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
3833 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
3834 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
3835 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
3836 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
3837 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
3838 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
3839 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
3841 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
3842 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
3843 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
3845 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
3846 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
3847 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
3848 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
3849 simplification is used.
3851 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3852 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3853 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
3854 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
3856 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
3858 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3861 (mapconcat 'identity
3863 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
3864 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
3865 "answer" "reference" "announce"
3866 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
3871 (mapconcat 'identity
3872 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
3874 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
3877 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
3880 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
3881 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
3882 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
3883 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
3884 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
3885 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
3886 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
3887 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
3889 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3890 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3891 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
3892 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
3893 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
3894 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
3895 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
3896 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
3897 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
3901 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
3902 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
3903 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
3904 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
3906 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
3907 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
3908 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
3911 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
3915 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3916 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
3919 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
3920 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
3921 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
3922 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
3923 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
3924 read or killed the root in a previous session.
3926 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
3927 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
3928 There are four possible values:
3930 @cindex adopting articles
3935 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
3936 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
3937 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
3938 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
3941 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
3942 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
3943 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
3944 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
3945 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
3946 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
3947 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
3950 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
3951 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
3952 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
3956 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
3957 display them after one another.
3960 Don't gather loose threads.
3963 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
3964 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
3965 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
3968 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
3969 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
3970 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
3973 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
3974 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
3975 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
3976 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
3977 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
3980 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
3981 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
3982 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
3983 The default is @code{4}.
3987 @node Thread Commands
3988 @subsection Thread Commands
3989 @cindex thread commands
3995 @kindex T k (Summary)
3996 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
3997 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
3998 Mark all articles in the current sub-thread as read
3999 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4000 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4005 @kindex T l (Summary)
4006 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4007 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4008 Lower the score of the current thread
4009 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4012 @kindex T i (Summary)
4013 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4014 Increase the score of the current thread
4015 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4018 @kindex T # (Summary)
4019 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4020 Set the process mark on the current thread
4021 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4024 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4025 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4026 Remove the process mark from the current thread
4027 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4030 @kindex T T (Summary)
4031 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4032 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4035 @kindex T s (Summary)
4036 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4037 Expose the thread hidden under the current article, if any
4038 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4041 @kindex T h (Summary)
4042 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4043 Hide the current (sub)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4046 @kindex T S (Summary)
4047 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4048 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4051 @kindex T H (Summary)
4052 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4053 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4056 @kindex T t (Summary)
4057 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4058 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
4059 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4060 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4063 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4064 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4065 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4066 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
4070 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4071 understand the numeric prefix.
4076 @kindex T n (Summary)
4077 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4078 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4081 @kindex T p (Summary)
4082 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4083 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4086 @kindex T d (Summary)
4087 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4088 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4091 @kindex T u (Summary)
4092 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4093 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4096 @kindex T o (Summary)
4097 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4098 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4101 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4102 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4103 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4104 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4105 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4106 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4107 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4108 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4109 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4110 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4111 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4112 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4115 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4116 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4117 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4119 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4120 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4121 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4122 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4123 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4125 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4126 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4128 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4129 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4130 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4131 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4132 connection is blocked.
4134 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4135 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4136 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4137 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4139 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4140 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4141 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4142 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4145 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4148 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4149 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4150 happen automatically.
4152 @vindex nntp-async-number
4153 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4154 @code{nntp-async-number}. This is five by default, which means that when
4155 you read an article in the group, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch the next
4156 five articles. If this variable is @code{t}, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch
4157 all the articles that it can without bound. If it is @code{nil}, no
4158 pre-fetching will be made.
4160 @vindex gnus-asynchronous-article-function
4161 You may wish to create some sort of scheme for choosing which articles
4162 that @code{nntp} should consider as candidates for pre-fetching. For
4163 instance, you may wish to pre-fetch all articles with high scores, and
4164 not pre-fetch low-scored articles. You can do that by setting the
4165 @code{gnus-asynchronous-article-function}, which will be called with an
4166 alist where the keys are the article numbers. Your function should
4167 return an alist where the articles you are not interested in have been
4168 removed. You could also do sorting on article score and the like.
4171 @node Article Caching
4172 @section Article Caching
4173 @cindex article caching
4176 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4177 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4178 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4179 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4180 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4182 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4184 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4185 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4186 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4187 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4188 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4189 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4190 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4191 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4193 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4194 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4195 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4196 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4197 as dormant, and don't worry.
4199 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4201 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4202 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4203 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4204 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4205 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4206 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4207 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4208 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4209 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4210 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4212 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4213 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4214 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4215 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4216 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
4217 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4218 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4220 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4221 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4222 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4223 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4224 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4225 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4226 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4229 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4230 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4231 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4232 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4233 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4234 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4235 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4236 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4237 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4241 @node Persistent Articles
4242 @section Persistent Articles
4243 @cindex persistent articles
4245 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4246 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4247 useful in my opinion.
4249 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4250 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4251 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4252 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4253 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4254 the expiry going on at the news server.
4256 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4257 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4258 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4264 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4265 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4268 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4269 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4270 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4271 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4275 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4277 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4278 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4279 interested in persistent articles:
4282 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4286 @node Article Backlog
4287 @section Article Backlog
4289 @cindex article backlog
4291 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4292 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4293 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4294 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4295 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4296 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4297 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4298 increase memory usage some.
4300 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4301 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4302 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4303 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4304 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4305 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4306 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4308 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4311 @node Saving Articles
4312 @section Saving Articles
4313 @cindex saving articles
4315 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4316 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4317 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4318 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4319 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4321 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4322 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4323 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4325 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4326 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4327 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4328 deleted before saving.
4334 @kindex O o (Summary)
4336 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4337 Save the current article using the default article saver
4338 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4341 @kindex O m (Summary)
4342 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4343 Save the current article in mail format
4344 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4347 @kindex O r (Summary)
4348 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4349 Save the current article in rmail format
4350 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4353 @kindex O f (Summary)
4354 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4355 Save the current article in plain file format
4356 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4359 @kindex O b (Summary)
4360 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
4361 Save the current article body in plain file format
4362 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
4365 @kindex O h (Summary)
4366 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
4367 Save the current article in mh folder format
4368 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
4371 @kindex O v (Summary)
4372 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
4373 Save the current article in a VM folder
4374 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
4377 @kindex O p (Summary)
4378 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
4379 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
4380 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
4383 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
4384 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
4385 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
4386 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
4387 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
4388 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
4389 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
4390 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
4391 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
4392 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
4393 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
4394 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
4398 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
4399 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
4400 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
4401 functions below, or you can create your own.
4405 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4406 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4407 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
4408 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4409 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
4410 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4411 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4413 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4414 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4415 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
4416 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
4417 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4418 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4420 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
4421 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
4422 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
4423 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4424 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
4425 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4426 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4428 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4429 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4430 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
4431 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4432 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4434 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4435 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4436 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
4437 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
4438 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
4441 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
4442 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
4443 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
4444 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
4445 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
4446 the latter does not.
4448 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4449 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4450 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
4451 reader to use this setting.
4454 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
4455 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
4456 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
4457 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
4460 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
4461 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
4462 available functions that generate names:
4466 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
4467 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
4468 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4470 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
4471 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4472 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4474 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
4475 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
4476 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4478 @item gnus-plain-save-name
4479 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4480 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4483 @vindex gnus-split-methods
4484 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
4485 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
4486 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
4487 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
4491 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
4492 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
4493 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
4494 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
4497 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
4498 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
4499 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
4500 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function); or it
4501 can be a list (which will be @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions
4502 have a non-@code{nil} result, the @dfn{file} will be used as a default
4503 prompt. In addition, the result of the operation itself will be used if
4504 the function or form called returns a string or a list of strings.
4506 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
4507 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
4508 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
4509 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
4511 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
4512 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
4513 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
4516 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4517 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
4518 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
4519 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
4520 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
4521 all the files in the toplevel directory
4522 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
4523 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
4524 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
4525 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
4527 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
4528 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
4529 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
4530 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
4531 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
4534 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
4538 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
4539 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
4542 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
4543 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
4544 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
4545 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
4548 @node Decoding Articles
4549 @section Decoding Articles
4550 @cindex decoding articles
4552 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
4553 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
4556 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
4557 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
4558 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
4559 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
4560 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
4563 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
4564 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
4565 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
4566 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
4567 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
4569 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
4570 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
4571 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
4573 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
4574 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
4575 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
4577 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
4578 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
4579 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
4582 @node Uuencoded Articles
4583 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
4585 @cindex uuencoded articles
4590 @kindex X u (Summary)
4591 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
4592 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
4595 @kindex X U (Summary)
4596 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
4597 Uudecodes and saves the current series
4598 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
4601 @kindex X v u (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
4603 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
4606 @kindex X v U (Summary)
4607 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
4608 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
4609 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
4612 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
4613 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
4614 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
4615 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
4616 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
4618 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
4619 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
4620 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
4621 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
4624 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
4625 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
4626 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
4627 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
4628 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
4629 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
4633 @node Shared Articles
4634 @subsection Shared Articles
4636 @cindex shared articles
4641 @kindex X s (Summary)
4642 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
4643 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
4646 @kindex X S (Summary)
4647 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
4648 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
4651 @kindex X v s (Summary)
4652 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
4653 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
4656 @kindex X v S (Summary)
4657 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
4658 Unshars, views and saves the current series
4659 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
4663 @node PostScript Files
4664 @subsection PostScript Files
4670 @kindex X p (Summary)
4671 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
4672 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
4675 @kindex X P (Summary)
4676 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
4677 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
4678 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
4681 @kindex X v p (Summary)
4682 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
4683 View the current PostScript series
4684 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
4687 @kindex X v P (Summary)
4688 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
4689 View and save the current PostScript series
4690 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
4694 @node Decoding Variables
4695 @subsection Decoding Variables
4697 Adjective, not verb.
4700 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
4701 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
4702 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
4706 @node Rule Variables
4707 @subsubsection Rule Variables
4708 @cindex rule variables
4710 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
4711 variables are on the form
4714 (list '(regexp1 command2)
4721 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4722 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4724 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
4725 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
4728 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4729 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
4732 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
4733 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
4734 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
4735 user and default view rules.
4737 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
4738 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
4739 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
4744 @node Other Decode Variables
4745 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
4748 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
4750 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
4751 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
4752 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
4753 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
4754 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
4758 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
4759 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
4762 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
4763 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
4764 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
4767 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
4768 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
4769 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
4771 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
4772 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
4773 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
4774 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
4775 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
4778 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
4779 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
4780 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
4782 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
4783 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
4784 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
4785 looking for files to display.
4787 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
4788 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
4789 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
4792 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
4793 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
4794 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
4797 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
4798 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
4799 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
4802 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
4803 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
4804 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
4807 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
4808 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
4809 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
4810 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
4812 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
4813 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
4814 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
4815 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
4817 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
4818 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
4820 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
4821 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
4822 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
4823 @code{metamail} for viewing.
4825 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
4826 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
4827 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
4828 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
4829 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
4830 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
4831 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
4832 simply dropped them.
4837 @node Uuencoding and Posting
4838 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
4842 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
4843 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
4844 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
4845 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
4846 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
4847 for you when you post the article.
4849 @item gnus-uu-post-length
4850 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
4851 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
4852 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
4854 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
4855 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
4856 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
4857 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
4858 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
4859 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
4860 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
4862 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
4863 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
4864 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
4865 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
4866 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
4867 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
4868 Default is @code{t}.
4874 @subsection Viewing Files
4875 @cindex viewing files
4876 @cindex pseudo-articles
4878 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
4879 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
4880 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
4881 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
4882 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
4883 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
4884 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
4886 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
4887 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
4888 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
4889 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
4891 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
4892 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
4893 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
4895 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
4896 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
4897 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
4898 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
4899 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
4901 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
4902 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
4903 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
4904 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
4905 a list of parameters to that command.
4907 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
4908 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
4909 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
4911 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
4912 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
4913 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
4916 @node Article Treatment
4917 @section Article Treatment
4919 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
4920 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
4921 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
4922 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
4923 these articles easier.
4926 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
4927 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
4928 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
4929 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
4930 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
4934 @node Article Highlighting
4935 @subsection Article Highlighting
4938 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
4939 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
4944 @kindex W H a (Summary)
4945 @findex gnus-article-highlight
4946 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
4949 @kindex W H h (Summary)
4950 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
4951 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
4952 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
4953 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
4954 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
4955 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
4956 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
4957 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
4958 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
4959 prepended---Gnus will add one.
4962 @kindex W H c (Summary)
4963 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
4964 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
4966 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
4969 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
4971 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
4972 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
4973 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
4975 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
4976 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
4977 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
4979 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
4980 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
4981 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
4983 @item gnus-cite-face-list
4984 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
4985 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
4986 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
4987 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
4990 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
4991 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
4992 Regexp matching normal SuperCite attribution lines.
4994 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
4995 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
4996 Regexp matching mangled SuperCite attribution lines.
4998 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
4999 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5000 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
5001 that it's a citation.
5003 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5004 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5005 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
5007 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5008 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5009 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
5011 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
5012 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
5013 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5014 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5020 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5021 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5022 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5023 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5024 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5025 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} in an article will be
5026 considered a signature and will be highlighted with
5027 @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by default.
5032 @node Article Hiding
5033 @subsection Article Hiding
5034 @cindex article hiding
5036 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5037 too much cruft in most articles.
5042 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5043 @findex gnus-article-hide
5044 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5047 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5048 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5049 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5053 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5055 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5056 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5059 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5061 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}).
5064 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5065 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5066 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5069 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5070 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5071 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5072 customizing the hiding:
5076 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5077 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5078 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5079 50), hide the cited text.
5081 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5082 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5083 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5086 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5087 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5088 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5089 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5090 by this format-like variable. These specs are legal:
5094 Start point of the hidden text.
5096 End point of the hidden text.
5098 Length of the hidden text.
5101 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5102 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5103 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5108 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5109 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5110 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5111 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5112 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5113 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5117 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5118 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5119 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5121 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5122 citation customization.
5124 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
5125 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
5126 signature. If it is a number, no signature may not be longer (in
5127 characters) than that number. If it is a function, the function will be
5128 called without any parameters, and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no
5129 signature in the buffer. If it is a string, it will be used as a
5130 regexp. If it matches, the text in question is not a signature.
5133 @node Article Washing
5134 @subsection Article Washing
5136 @cindex article washing
5138 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5139 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5141 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5142 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5148 @kindex W l (Summary)
5149 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5150 Remove page breaks from the current article
5151 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5154 @kindex W r (Summary)
5155 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5156 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5157 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5160 @kindex A g (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5162 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5163 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5164 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5165 the way it came from the server.
5168 @kindex W t (Summary)
5169 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5170 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5171 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5174 @kindex W v (Summary)
5175 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5176 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5177 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5180 @kindex W m (Summary)
5181 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5182 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5183 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5186 @kindex W o (Summary)
5187 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5188 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5191 @kindex W w (Summary)
5192 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5193 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
5196 @kindex W c (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5198 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5201 @kindex W L (Summary)
5202 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5203 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5204 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5207 @kindex W q (Summary)
5208 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5209 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5212 @kindex W f (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5215 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5216 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5217 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5218 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5219 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5220 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If
5221 this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell.
5222 If it is a function, this function will be called with the face as the
5223 argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp)
5224 matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
5227 @kindex W b (Summary)
5228 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5229 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5232 @kindex W B (Summary)
5233 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5234 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5235 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5240 @node Article Buttons
5241 @subsection Article Buttons
5244 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5245 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5246 with the minimum of fuzz.
5248 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5249 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5250 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5255 @item gnus-button-alist
5256 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5257 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5260 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5266 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5267 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5268 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5271 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
5272 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
5273 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use @code{0} here.
5276 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
5277 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
5278 avoid false matches.
5281 This function will be called when you click on this button.
5284 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
5285 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
5289 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
5292 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
5295 @item gnus-header-button-alist
5296 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
5297 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
5298 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
5299 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
5302 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5305 @var{header} is a regular expression.
5307 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
5308 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
5309 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
5310 default values of the variables above.
5312 @item gnus-article-button-face
5313 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
5314 Face used on bottons.
5316 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
5317 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
5318 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
5324 @subsection Article Date
5326 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
5327 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
5328 when the article was sent.
5333 @kindex W T u (Summary)
5334 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
5335 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
5336 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
5339 @kindex W T l (Summary)
5340 @findex gnus-article-date-local
5341 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
5344 @kindex W T e (Summary)
5345 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
5346 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
5347 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
5350 @kindex W T o (Summary)
5351 @findex gnus-article-date-original
5352 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
5353 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
5354 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
5355 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
5356 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
5361 @node Summary Sorting
5362 @section Summary Sorting
5363 @cindex summary sorting
5365 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
5366 can't really see why you'd want that.
5371 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
5372 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
5373 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
5376 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
5377 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
5378 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
5381 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
5382 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
5383 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
5386 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
5387 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
5388 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
5391 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
5392 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
5393 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
5396 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
5397 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
5398 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
5399 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
5400 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
5404 @node Finding the Parent
5405 @section Finding the Parent
5406 @cindex parent articles
5407 @cindex referring articles
5409 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
5411 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
5412 displayed in the article buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
5413 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
5414 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
5415 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
5416 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
5417 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
5418 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
5420 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
5421 @kindex A R (Summary)
5422 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
5423 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
5424 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
5426 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
5427 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
5428 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
5429 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
5430 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
5431 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long thingies that look
5432 something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You have to get
5433 it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
5435 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
5436 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
5437 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
5438 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
5439 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
5440 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
5441 not really necessary.
5443 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
5444 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
5445 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
5446 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
5447 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
5448 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
5451 @node Alternative Approaches
5452 @section Alternative Approaches
5454 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
5455 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
5458 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
5459 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
5464 @subsection Pick and Read
5465 @cindex pick and read
5467 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
5468 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
5469 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
5470 an article buffer displayed.
5472 @findex gnus-pick-mode
5473 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
5474 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
5475 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
5476 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
5477 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
5480 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
5484 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
5485 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5486 Pick the article (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5490 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5491 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5495 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5496 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5500 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5501 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5505 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5506 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5510 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5511 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5515 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5516 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5520 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-regexp
5521 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-regexp}).
5525 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-regexp
5526 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-regexp}).
5530 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5531 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5535 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
5536 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
5540 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
5541 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
5542 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
5543 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
5544 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
5545 will still be visible when you are reading.
5549 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
5552 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
5555 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
5556 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
5560 @subsection Binary Groups
5561 @cindex binary groups
5563 @findex gnus-binary-mode
5564 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
5565 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
5566 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
5567 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
5568 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
5569 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
5572 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
5573 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
5574 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
5576 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
5577 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
5581 @section Tree Display
5584 @vindex gnus-use-trees
5585 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
5586 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
5587 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
5590 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
5593 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
5594 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
5595 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
5597 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
5598 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
5599 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
5600 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
5603 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
5604 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
5605 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
5606 default is @code{modeline}.
5608 @item gnus-tree-line-format
5609 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
5610 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
5611 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
5612 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
5613 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
5614 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
5620 The name of the poster.
5622 The @code{From} header.
5624 The number of the article.
5626 The opening bracket.
5628 The closing bracket.
5633 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5635 Variables related to the display are:
5638 @item gnus-tree-brackets
5639 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
5640 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
5641 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
5642 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
5643 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
5645 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
5646 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
5647 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
5648 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
5652 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
5653 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
5654 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
5655 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
5656 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
5657 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
5659 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
5660 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
5661 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
5662 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
5663 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
5664 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
5665 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
5669 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
5672 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
5682 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
5686 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
5687 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
5689 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
5691 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
5697 @node Mail Group Commands
5698 @section Mail Group Commands
5699 @cindex mail group commands
5701 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
5702 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
5704 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
5705 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5710 @kindex B e (Summary)
5711 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
5712 Expire all expirable articles in the group
5713 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
5716 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
5717 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
5718 Expunge all the expirable articles in the group
5719 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
5720 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
5721 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
5724 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
5725 @findex gnus-summary-delete-articles
5726 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
5727 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
5728 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
5731 @kindex B m (Summary)
5733 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
5734 Move the article from one mail group to another
5735 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
5738 @kindex B c (Summary)
5740 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
5741 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
5742 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
5745 @kindex B C (Summary)
5746 @cindex crosspost mail
5747 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
5748 Crosspost the current article to some other group
5749 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
5750 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
5751 be properly updated.
5754 @kindex B i (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
5756 Import a random file into the current mail newsgroup
5757 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
5758 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
5760 Something similar can be done by just starting to compose a mail
5761 message. Instead of typing @kbd{C-c C-c} to mail it off, you can type
5762 @kbd{C-c M-C-p} instead. This will put the message you have just created
5763 into the current mail group.
5766 @kindex B r (Summary)
5767 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
5768 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
5772 @kindex B w (Summary)
5774 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
5775 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
5776 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
5777 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
5778 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
5781 @kindex B q (Summary)
5782 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
5783 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
5784 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
5785 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
5788 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
5789 @cindex moving articles
5790 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
5791 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
5792 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
5793 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
5794 suggestions you find reasonable.
5797 @node Various Summary Stuff
5798 @section Various Summary Stuff
5801 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
5802 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
5803 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
5807 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
5808 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
5809 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
5811 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
5812 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
5813 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
5814 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
5815 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
5816 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
5819 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
5820 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
5821 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
5822 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
5823 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
5828 @node Summary Group Information
5829 @subsection Summary Group Information
5834 @kindex H f (Summary)
5835 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
5836 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
5837 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
5838 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
5839 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
5840 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
5841 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
5842 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
5846 @kindex H d (Summary)
5847 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
5848 Give a brief description of the current group
5849 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
5850 rereading the description from the server.
5853 @kindex H h (Summary)
5854 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
5855 Give a very brief description of the most important summary keystrokes
5856 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
5859 @kindex H i (Summary)
5860 @findex gnus-info-find-node
5861 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
5865 @node Searching for Articles
5866 @subsection Searching for Articles
5871 @kindex M-s (Summary)
5872 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
5873 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
5874 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
5877 @kindex M-r (Summary)
5878 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
5879 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
5880 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
5884 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
5885 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
5886 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
5887 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
5890 @kindex M-& (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
5892 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
5893 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
5897 @node Really Various Summary Commands
5898 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
5903 @kindex A D (Summary)
5904 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
5905 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
5906 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
5907 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
5908 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
5909 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
5910 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
5911 some format, you @kbd{A D} and read these messages in a more convenient
5915 @kindex C-t (Summary)
5916 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
5917 Toggle truncation of summary lines (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}).
5921 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
5922 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
5923 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
5927 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
5928 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
5929 @cindex summary exit
5930 @cindex exiting groups
5932 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
5933 group and return you to the group buffer.
5939 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-exit
5942 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
5943 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
5944 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
5945 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
5946 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
5947 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
5948 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
5953 @kindex Z E (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
5956 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
5957 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
5961 @kindex Z c (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
5964 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
5965 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
5968 @kindex Z C (Summary)
5969 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
5970 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
5971 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
5974 @kindex Z n (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
5976 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
5977 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
5980 @kindex Z R (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
5982 Exit this group, and then enter it again
5983 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
5984 all articles, both read and unread.
5988 @kindex Z G (Summary)
5989 @kindex M-g (Summary)
5990 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
5991 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
5992 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
5993 articles, both read and unread.
5996 @kindex Z N (Summary)
5997 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
5998 Exit the group and go to the next group
5999 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
6002 @kindex Z P (Summary)
6003 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
6004 Exit the group and go to the previous group
6005 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
6008 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
6009 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
6012 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
6013 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
6014 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
6015 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
6016 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
6017 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
6018 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
6019 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6020 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6021 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6022 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6023 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6025 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6027 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6028 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6029 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6030 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6031 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6032 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6033 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6034 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6035 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups.
6039 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6040 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6041 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6042 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6043 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6046 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6047 separately to several groups is not.
6049 @cindex cross-posting
6052 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6053 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6054 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6055 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6056 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6057 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6058 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6059 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6060 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6061 the cross reference mechanism.
6063 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6064 @cindex overview.fmt
6065 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6066 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp} and then
6067 say @samp{LIST overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and
6068 the last line you get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should
6069 shout and whine at your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref}
6070 header in the overview files.
6072 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6073 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6074 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6080 @node The Article Buffer
6081 @chapter The Article Buffer
6082 @cindex article buffer
6084 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
6085 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
6086 tell Gnus otherwise.
6089 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
6090 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
6091 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
6092 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer
6093 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
6097 @node Hiding Headers
6098 @section Hiding Headers
6099 @cindex hiding headers
6100 @cindex deleting headers
6102 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
6103 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
6105 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
6106 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
6107 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
6108 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
6109 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
6110 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
6111 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
6112 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
6113 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
6115 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
6119 @item gnus-visible-headers
6120 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
6121 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
6122 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
6123 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
6125 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
6126 the article and the subject, you'd say:
6129 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
6132 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6135 @item gnus-ignored-headers
6136 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
6137 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
6138 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
6139 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
6140 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
6142 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
6143 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
6146 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
6149 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6152 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
6153 variable will have no effect.
6157 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
6158 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
6159 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
6160 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
6161 the headers are to be displayed.
6163 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
6164 and then the subject, you might say something like:
6167 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
6170 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
6171 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
6172 are listed in this variable.
6174 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6175 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6176 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
6177 You can hide further boring headers by entering
6178 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
6179 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
6180 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
6181 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
6182 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
6184 These conditions are:
6187 Remove all empty headers.
6189 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
6192 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
6193 @code{Newsgroups} header.
6195 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
6198 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
6202 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
6205 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
6206 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
6209 This is also the default value for this variable.
6213 @section Using @sc{mime}
6216 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
6217 while people stand around yawning.
6219 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
6220 while all newsreaders die of fear.
6222 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
6223 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
6224 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
6226 @vindex gnus-show-mime
6227 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
6228 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
6229 @findex metamail-buffer
6230 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by shoving the articles through
6231 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
6232 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
6233 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
6234 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
6235 @sc{mime} headers in the article.
6237 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
6238 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
6239 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
6240 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
6241 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
6242 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
6243 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
6244 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
6245 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
6247 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
6250 @node Customizing Articles
6251 @section Customizing Articles
6252 @cindex article customization
6254 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6255 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
6256 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
6257 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
6259 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6260 By default it contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
6261 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
6262 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
6263 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
6264 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
6265 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
6268 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
6269 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
6270 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
6271 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
6272 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
6275 @node Article Keymap
6276 @section Article Keymap
6278 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
6279 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
6280 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
6281 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
6284 A few additional keystrokes are available:
6289 @kindex SPACE (Article)
6290 @findex gnus-article-next-page
6291 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
6294 @kindex DEL (Article)
6295 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
6296 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
6299 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
6300 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
6301 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
6302 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
6303 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
6306 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
6307 @findex gnus-article-mail
6308 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
6309 given a prefix, include the mail.
6313 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
6314 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
6315 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
6319 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
6320 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
6321 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
6324 @kindex TAB (Article)
6325 @findex gnus-article-next-button
6326 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
6327 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
6330 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
6331 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
6332 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
6338 @section Misc Article
6342 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
6343 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
6344 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
6345 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
6348 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
6349 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
6350 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
6351 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
6352 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
6353 the contents of the article buffer.
6355 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6356 @item gnus-article-display-hook
6357 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
6358 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
6359 hiding headers, and the like.
6361 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
6362 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
6363 Hook called in article mode buffers.
6365 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
6366 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
6367 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
6368 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts exactly the same
6369 format specifications as that variable.
6370 @vindex gnus-break-pages
6372 @item gnus-break-pages
6373 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
6374 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
6375 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
6376 paging will not be done.
6378 @item gnus-page-delimiter
6379 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
6380 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
6385 @node Composing Messages
6386 @chapter Composing Messages
6391 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
6392 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a post or mail
6393 buffer where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
6394 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. If you are in a foreign news group,
6395 and you wish to post the article using the foreign server, you can give
6396 a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c} to make Gnus try to post using the foreign
6400 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
6401 * Post:: Posting and following up.
6402 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
6403 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
6404 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
6405 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
6406 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
6407 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
6410 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
6411 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
6417 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
6420 @item gnus-reply-to-function
6421 @vindex gnus-reply-to-function
6422 Gnus uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go, but
6423 you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with this
6426 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
6427 @code{From} in the group @samp{mail.stupid-list}, you could do something
6431 (setq gnus-reply-to-function
6433 (cond ((string= group "mail.stupid-list")
6434 (mail-fetch-field "sender"))
6439 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
6442 As you can see, this function should return a string if it has an
6443 opinion as to what the To header should be. If it does not, it should
6444 just return @code{nil}, and the normal methods for determining the To
6445 header will be used.
6447 This function can also return a list. In that case, each list element
6448 should be a cons, where the car should be the name of an header
6449 (eg. @code{Cc}) and the cdr should be the header value
6450 (eg. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be inserted into
6451 the head of the outgoing mail.
6453 @item gnus-mail-send-method
6454 @vindex gnus-mail-send-method
6455 @vindex send-mail-function
6456 @findex sendmail-send-it
6457 This variable says how a mail should be mailed. It uses the function in
6458 the @code{send-mail-function} variable as the default, which usually is
6459 @code{sendmail-send-it}.
6461 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
6462 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
6463 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
6464 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
6466 @item gnus-mail-hook
6467 @vindex gnus-mail-hook
6468 Hook called as the last thing after setting up a mail buffer.
6470 @item gnus-required-mail-headers
6471 @vindex gnus-required-mail-headers
6473 Gnus will generate headers in all outgoing mail instead of letting
6474 @code{sendmail} do it for us. This makes it possible to do more neat
6475 stuff, like putting mail without sending it, do hairy @code{Fcc}
6476 handling, and much more. This variable controls what headers Gnus will
6477 generate, and is of the exact same form as @code{gnus-required-headers},
6478 which does the same for news articles (@pxref{Post}).
6481 The @code{Newsgroups} header is illegal in this list, while @code{To} is
6482 required, and @code{X-Mailer} can be added if you so should want.
6484 @vindex gnus-forward-start-separator
6485 @item gnus-forward-start-separator
6486 Delimiter inserted before forwarded messages.
6488 @vindex gnus-forward-end-separator
6489 @item gnus-forward-end-separator
6490 Delimiter inserted after forwarded messages.
6492 @vindex gnus-signature-before-forwarded-message
6493 @item gnus-signature-before-forwarded-message
6494 If this variable is @code{t}, which it is by default, your personal
6495 signature will be inserted before the forwarded message. If not, the
6496 forwarded message will be inserted first in the new mail.
6498 @item gnus-forward-included-headers
6499 @vindex gnus-forward-included-headers
6500 Regexp matching header lines to be included in forwarded messages. It
6501 uses the same regexp as @code{gnus-visible-headers} by default.
6505 @kindex C-c M-C-c (Mail)
6506 @kindex C-c M-C-p (Mail)
6507 @findex gnus-put-message
6508 You normally send a mail message by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. However,
6509 you may wish to just put the mail message you have just written in your
6510 own local mail group instead of sending it. Sounds quite unlikely, but
6511 I found that useful, so you can now also press @kbd{C-c M-C-p} to
6512 @dfn{put} the article in the current mail group, or, if there is no such
6513 thing, you will be prompted for a mail group, and then the article will
6514 be put there. This means that the article is @dfn{not} mailed.
6516 @findex gnus-kill-message-buffer
6517 @cindex kill mail buffer
6518 @kindex C-x k (Mail)
6519 @kindex C-x k (Post)
6520 If enter a mail (or post) buffer and then decide not to compose a
6521 message after all, you'd normally just kill the buffer with @kbd{C-x k}.
6522 However, since the mail and post buffers are associated with articles in
6523 the draft group, this will leave lots of rubbish articles in the draft
6524 group. To avoid that problem, kill mail and post buffer with @kbd{C-c
6525 C-k} (@code{gnus-kill-message-buffer}) instead. This will make sure
6526 that everything is properly cleaned up before the buffer is killed.
6528 @vindex gnus-mail-method
6529 There are three ``methods'' for handling all mail. The default is
6530 @code{sendmail}. Some people like what @code{mh} does better, and some
6531 people prefer @code{vm}. Set @code{gnus-mail-method} to the one you
6532 think is way koolest.
6534 Three variables for customizing what to use when:
6538 @vindex gnus-mail-reply-method
6539 @item gnus-mail-reply-method
6540 This function is used to compose replies. The three functions available
6543 @findex gnus-mail-reply-using-vm
6544 @findex gnus-mail-reply-using-mhe
6545 @findex gnus-mail-reply-using-mail
6548 @code{gnus-mail-reply-using-mail} (sendmail)
6550 @code{gnus-mail-reply-using-mhe} (mh)
6552 @code{gnus-mail-reply-using-vm} (vm)
6555 @vindex gnus-mail-forward-method
6556 @item gnus-mail-forward-method
6557 This function is used to forward messages. The three functions available
6560 @findex gnus-mail-forward-using-vm
6561 @findex gnus-mail-forward-using-mhe
6562 @findex gnus-mail-forward-using-mail
6565 @code{gnus-mail-forward-using-mail} (sendmail)
6567 @code{gnus-mail-forward-using-mhe} (mh)
6569 @code{gnus-mail-forward-using-vm} (vm)
6572 @vindex gnus-mail-other-window-method
6573 @item gnus-mail-other-window-method
6574 This function is used to send mails. The three functions available are:
6576 @findex gnus-mail-other-window-using-vm
6577 @findex gnus-mail-other-window-using-mhe
6578 @findex gnus-mail-other-window-using-mail
6581 @code{gnus-mail-other-window-using-mail} (sendmail)
6583 @code{gnus-mail-other-window-using-mhe} (mh)
6585 @code{gnus-mail-other-window-using-vm} (vm)
6594 Variables for composing news articles:
6596 @vindex gnus-required-headers
6597 @code{gnus-required-headers} a list of header symbols. These headers
6598 will either be automatically generated, or, if that's impossible, they
6599 will be prompted for. The following symbols are legal:
6605 @findex gnus-inews-user-name
6606 @vindex gnus-user-from-line
6607 @vindex gnus-user-login-name
6608 @vindex gnus-local-domain
6609 @vindex user-mail-address
6610 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
6611 @code{gnus-inews-user-name} function, which depends on the
6612 @code{gnus-user-from-line}, @code{gnus-user-login-name},
6613 @code{gnus-local-domain} and @code{user-mail-address} variables.
6617 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
6621 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
6622 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
6625 @cindex organization
6626 @vindex gnus-local-organization
6627 @vindex gnus-organization-file
6628 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
6629 @code{gnus-local-organization} variable. @code{gnus-organization-file}
6630 will be used if that variable is nil.
6634 This optional header will be computed by Gnus.
6638 This required header will be generated by Gnus. A unique ID will be
6639 created based on date, time, user name and system name.
6642 @cindex X-Newsreader
6643 This optional header will be filled out with the Gnus version numbers.
6646 @vindex gnus-article-expires
6648 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
6649 @code{gnus-article-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and
6650 shouldn't be used unless you know what you're doing.
6653 @cindex Distribution
6654 @findex gnus-distribution-function
6655 This optional header is filled out according to the
6656 @code{gnus-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and much
6657 misunderstood header.
6661 @vindex gnus-use-generic-path
6662 This extremely optional header should probably not ever be used.
6663 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
6664 present. @code{gnus-use-generic-path} further controls how this
6665 @code{Path} header is to look. If is is @code{nil}, the the server name
6666 as the leaf node. If is is a string, use the string. If it is neither
6667 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
6668 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
6672 @cindex Mime-Version
6673 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The car of this cons
6674 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
6675 the cdr can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
6676 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
6677 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
6678 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
6679 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
6680 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
6681 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
6683 The list contains a cons where the car of the cons is @code{optional},
6684 the cdr of this cons will only be inserted if it is non-@code{nil}.
6686 Other variables for customizing outgoing articles:
6689 @item nntp-news-default-headers
6690 @vindex nntp-news-default-headers
6691 If non-@code{nil}, this variable will override
6692 @code{mail-default-headers} when posting. This variable should then be
6693 a string. This string will be inserted, as is, in the head of all
6696 @item gnus-use-followup-to
6697 @vindex gnus-use-followup-to
6698 If @code{nil}, always ignore the Followup-To header. If it is @code{t},
6699 use its value, but ignore the special value @samp{poster}, which will
6700 send the followup as a reply mail to the person you are responding to.
6701 If it is the symbol @code{ask}, query the user before posting.
6702 If it is the symbol @code{use}, always use the value.
6704 @item gnus-followup-to-function
6705 @vindex gnus-followup-to-function
6706 This variable is most useful in mail groups, where ``following up''
6707 really means sending a mail to a list address. Gnus uses the normal
6708 methods to determine where follow-ups are to go, but you can change the
6709 behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with this variable.
6711 If you want the followups to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
6712 @code{From} in the group @samp{mail.stupid-list}, you could do something
6716 (setq gnus-followup-to-function
6718 (cond ((string= group "mail.stupid-list")
6719 (mail-fetch-field "sender"))
6724 This function will be called narrowed to header of the article that is
6727 @item gnus-removable-headers
6728 @vindex gnus-removable-headers
6729 @cindex NNTP-Posting-Host
6730 Some headers that are generated are toxic to the @sc{nntp} server.
6731 These include the @code{NNTP-Posting-Host}, @code{Bcc} and @code{Xref},
6732 so these headers are deleted if they are present in this list of
6735 @item gnus-deletable-headers
6736 @vindex gnus-deletable-headers
6737 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Gnus will be
6738 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
6739 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
6740 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
6741 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
6742 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
6743 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
6744 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
6747 @item gnus-signature-function
6748 @vindex gnus-signature-function
6749 If non-@code{nil}, this variable should be a function that returns a
6750 signature file name. The function will be called with the name of the
6751 group being posted to. If the function returns a string that doesn't
6752 correspond to a file, the string itself is inserted. If the function
6753 returns @code{nil}, the @code{gnus-signature-file} variable will be used
6756 @item gnus-post-prepare-function
6757 @vindex gnus-post-prepare-function
6758 This function is called with the name of the current group after the
6759 post buffer has been initialized, and can be used for inserting a
6760 signature. Nice if you use different signatures in different groups.
6762 @item gnus-post-prepare-hook
6763 @vindex gnus-post-prepare-hook
6764 @findex gnus-inews-insert-signature
6765 This hook is called after a post buffer has been prepared. If you want
6766 to insert a signature at this point, you could put
6767 @code{gnus-inews-insert-signature} into this hook.
6769 @item news-reply-header-hook
6770 @vindex news-reply-header-hook
6771 A related variable when following up and replying is this variable,
6772 which inserts the @dfn{quote line}. The default value is:
6775 (defvar news-reply-header-hook
6777 (insert "In article " news-reply-yank-message-id
6778 " " news-reply-yank-from " writes:\n\n")))
6781 This will create lines like:
6784 In article <zngay8jrql@@eyesore.no> Lars Mars <lars@@eyesore.no> writes:
6787 Having the @code{Message-ID} in this line is probably overkill, so I
6788 would suggest this hook instead:
6791 (setq news-reply-header-hook
6792 (lambda () (insert news-reply-yank-from " writes:\n\n")))
6795 @item gnus-prepare-article-hook
6796 @vindex gnus-prepare-article-hook
6797 This hook is called before the headers have been prepared.
6799 @item gnus-inews-article-function
6800 @vindex gnus-inews-article-function
6801 This function is used to do the actual article processing and header
6802 checking/generation.
6804 @item gnus-inews-article-hook
6805 @vindex gnus-inews-article-hook
6806 This hook is called right before the article is posted. By default it
6807 handles FCC processing (i.e., saving the article to a file.) You can
6808 also have this hook add a score to all followups to the article you've
6809 written (@pxref{Followups To Yourself}).
6811 @item gnus-inews-article-header-hook
6812 @vindex gnus-inews-article-header-hook
6814 This hook is called after inserting the required headers in an article
6815 to be posted. The hook is called from the @code{*post-news*} buffer,
6816 narrowed to the head, and is intended for people who would like to
6817 insert additional headers, or just change headers in some way or other.
6819 @item gnus-check-before-posting
6820 @vindex gnus-check-before-posting
6821 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to check the legality of the
6822 headers, as well as some other stuff, before posting. You can control
6823 the granularity of the check by adding or removing elements from this
6824 list. Legal elements are:
6828 Check the subject for commands.
6831 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
6832 @item multiple-headers
6833 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
6836 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
6838 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
6840 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
6843 Check for too long lines.
6845 Check for illegal characters.
6847 Check for excessive size.
6849 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
6851 Check the length of the signature.
6854 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
6855 something only moderators should include.
6857 Check whether the article is empty.
6859 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
6862 All these conditions are checked by default.
6864 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
6865 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
6866 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
6867 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
6868 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
6869 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
6870 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
6871 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
6872 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
6875 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
6876 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
6877 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
6878 file. It is 1000 by default.
6883 @node Posting Server
6884 @section Posting Server
6886 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
6887 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
6889 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
6891 @vindex gnus-post-method
6893 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
6894 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
6895 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
6896 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
6897 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
6900 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
6903 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
6904 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
6905 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
6906 the ``current'' server for posting.
6908 If you give a zero prefix (i. e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
6909 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
6911 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
6912 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
6917 @section Mail and Post
6919 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
6923 @item gnus-signature-file
6924 @itemx mail-signature
6925 @vindex mail-signature
6926 @vindex gnus-signature-file
6927 @cindex double signature
6929 If @code{gnus-signature-file} is non-@code{nil}, it should be the name
6930 of a file containing a signature (@file{~/.signature} by default). This
6931 signature will be appended to all outgoing post. Most people find it
6932 more convenient to use @code{mail-signature}, which (sort of) does the
6933 same, but inserts the signature into the buffer before you start editing
6934 the post (or mail). So---if you have both of these variables set, you
6935 will get two signatures. Note that @code{mail-signature} does not work
6936 the same way as @code{gnus-signature-file}, which is a bit confusing.
6937 If @code{mail-signature} is @code{t}, it will insert
6938 @file{~/.signature}. If it is a string, this string will be inserted.
6940 Note that RFC1036 says that a signature should be preceded by the three
6941 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
6942 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
6943 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
6944 that they ruin you beautiful design, like, totally.
6946 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
6947 Including ASCII graphics is an efficient way to get everybody to believe
6948 that you are silly and have nothing important to say.
6950 @item mail-yank-prefix
6951 @vindex mail-yank-prefix
6954 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
6955 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
6956 @dfn{yanking}, and each quoted line you yank will have
6957 @code{mail-yank-prefix} prepended to it. This is @code{nil} by default,
6958 which isn't very pretty---the prefix will just be some spaces. Most
6959 everybody prefers that lines are prepended with @samp{> }, so
6960 @code{(setq mail-yank-prefix "> ")} in your @file{.emacs} file.
6962 @item mail-yank-ignored-headers
6963 @vindex mail-yank-ignored-headers
6964 When you yank a message, you do not want to quote any headers, so
6965 @code{(setq mail-yank-ignored-headers "^")}.
6967 @item user-mail-address
6968 @vindex user-mail-address
6969 @vindex gnus-user-login-name
6970 @vindex gnus-use-generic-from
6971 @vindex gnus-local-domain
6972 If all of @code{gnus-user-login-name}, @code{gnus-use-generic-from} and
6973 @code{gnus-local-domain} are @code{nil}, Gnus will use
6974 @code{user-mail-address} as the address part of the @code{From} header.
6976 @item gnus-local-domain
6977 @vindex gnus-local-domain
6979 The local domain name excluding the host name. If your host is called
6980 @samp{narfi.ifi.uio.no}, then this variable should be
6983 @item gnus-local-domain
6984 @vindex gnus-local-domain
6986 The local domain name excluding the host name. If your host is called
6987 @samp{narfi.ifi.uio.no}, then this variable should be
6990 @item gnus-user-from-line
6991 @vindex gnus-user-from-line
6992 Your full, complete e-mail address with name. This variable overrides
6993 the other Gnus variables if it is non-@code{nil}.
6995 Here are two example values of this variable: @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no
6996 (Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen)} and @samp{Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
6997 <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>}. The latter version is recommended in news (and is
6998 probably illegal in mail), but the name has to be quoted if it contains
6999 non-alpha-numerical characters---@samp{\"Lars M. Ingebrigtsen\"
7000 <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>}.
7002 @item mail-default-headers
7003 @vindex mail-default-headers
7004 This is a string that will be inserted into the header of all outgoing
7005 mail messages and news articles. Convenient to use to insert standard
7006 headers. If @code{nntp-news-default-headers} is non-@code{nil}, that
7007 variable will override this one when posting articles.
7009 @item gnus-auto-mail-to-author
7010 @vindex gnus-auto-mail-to-author
7011 If @code{ask}, you will be prompted for whether you want to send a mail
7012 copy to the author of the article you are following up. If
7013 non-@code{nil} and not @code{ask}, Gnus will send a mail with a copy of
7014 all follow-ups to the authors of the articles you follow up. It's nice
7015 in one way---you make sure that the person you are responding to gets
7016 your response. Other people loathe this method and will hate you dearly
7017 for it, because it means that they will first get a mail, and then have
7018 to read the same article later when they read the news. It is
7019 @code{nil} by default.
7021 @item gnus-mail-courtesy-message
7022 @vindex gnus-mail-courtesy-message
7023 This is a string that will be prepended to all mails that are the result
7024 of using the variable described above.
7026 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7027 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7028 @cindex mailing lists
7030 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
7031 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7032 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7033 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7034 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7035 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
7036 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7037 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7038 still a pain, though.
7040 @item mail-citation-hook
7041 @vindex mail-citation-hook
7042 This hook is run after yanking a message, both in mail and post
7043 buffers. Point will be at the beginning of the yanked message and mark
7044 will be at the end. If this hook is non-@code{nil} the yanked text
7045 won't be indented automatically---you have to do that explicitly.
7047 For instance, if you want to remove signatures automatically, you could
7051 (add-hook 'mail-citation-hook 'gnus-inews-remove-signature)
7054 This function indents the cited message and then removes the
7055 signature. If you decide you want to include the signature after all,
7056 you can just press the @code{undo} key.
7060 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
7061 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
7062 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
7064 @vindex news-inews-hook
7066 @findex ispell-message
7068 (add-hook 'news-inews-hook 'ispell-message) ;For news posts
7069 (add-hook 'mail-send-hook 'ispell-message) ;for mail posts via sendmail
7072 @findex gnus-inews-insert-mime-headers
7073 If you want to insert some @sc{mime} headers into the articles you post,
7074 without doing any actual encoding, you could add
7075 @code{gnus-inews-insert-mime-headers} to @code{gnus-inews-article-hook}.
7078 @node Archived Messages
7079 @section Archived Messages
7080 @cindex archived messages
7081 @cindex sent messages
7083 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
7084 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
7087 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
7088 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
7089 use to store sent messages. It is @code{(nnfolder "archive"
7090 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))} by default, but you can use any
7091 mail select method (@code{nnml}, @code{nnmbox}, etc.). However,
7092 @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method for doing this sort of
7093 thing. If you don't like the default directory chosen, you could say
7097 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
7098 '((nnfolder "archive"
7099 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
7100 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/sent-mail/active")
7101 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/"))))
7104 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
7106 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
7107 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
7108 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
7110 This variable can be:
7114 Messages will be saved in that group.
7115 @item a list of strings
7116 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
7117 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
7118 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
7123 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
7125 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
7128 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
7130 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
7133 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
7135 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7136 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
7137 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
7138 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
7143 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7144 '((if (eq major-mode news-reply-mode)
7149 This is the default.
7151 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
7152 messages in one file per month:
7155 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7156 '((if (eq major-mode news-reply-mode)
7158 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
7159 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
7162 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
7163 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
7164 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
7165 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
7166 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
7167 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
7168 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
7169 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something nice --
7170 @samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
7171 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
7173 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also offers two
7174 other variables for the people who don't like the default method. In
7175 that case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to
7176 @code{nil}; this will disable archiving.
7179 @item gnus-author-copy
7180 @vindex gnus-author-copy
7182 This is a file name, and all outgoing articles will be saved in that
7183 file. Initialized from the @code{AUTHORCOPY} environment variable.
7185 If this variable begins with the character @samp{|}, outgoing articles
7186 will be piped to the named program. It is possible to save an article in
7187 an MH folder as follows:
7190 (setq gnus-author-copy
7191 "|/usr/local/lib/mh/rcvstore +Article")
7194 If the first character is not a pipe, articles are saved using the
7195 function specified by the @code{gnus-author-copy-saver} variable.
7197 @item gnus-author-copy-saver
7198 @vindex gnus-author-copy-saver
7199 @findex rmail-output
7200 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
7201 called with the same of the file to store the article in. The default
7202 function is @code{rmail-output} which saves in the Unix mailbox format.
7204 @item gnus-mail-self-blind
7205 @vindex gnus-mail-self-blind
7206 Non-@code{nil} means insert a BCC header in all outgoing articles
7207 pointing to yourself. This will result you receiving a copy of the
7208 article mailed to yourself. The BCC header is inserted when the post
7209 buffer is initialized, so you can remove or alter the BCC header to
7210 override the default.
7212 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
7213 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
7214 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
7215 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
7216 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
7219 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
7220 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
7221 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
7226 @node Posting Styles
7227 @section Posting Styles
7228 @cindex posting styles
7231 All them variables, they make my head swim.
7233 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
7234 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
7235 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
7238 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
7239 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
7240 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
7241 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
7242 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
7247 (signature . "Peace and happiness")
7248 (organization . "What me?"))
7250 (signature . "Death to everybody"))
7251 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
7252 (organization . "Emacs is it")))
7255 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
7256 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
7257 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
7258 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
7259 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
7260 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
7261 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
7262 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
7264 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
7265 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
7266 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
7267 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
7268 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
7269 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
7272 Each style may contain a random amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
7273 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
7274 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}.
7275 The attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be
7276 used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of
7279 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
7280 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
7281 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
7283 So here's a new example:
7286 (setq gnus-posting-styles
7288 (signature . "~/.signature")
7289 (from . "user@@foo (user)")
7290 ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
7291 (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
7293 (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
7294 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
7295 (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
7296 (posting-from-work-p
7297 (signature . "~/.work-signature")
7298 (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
7299 (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
7301 (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
7309 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
7310 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
7311 craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
7312 message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
7313 day, and send it when you feel its finished.
7315 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
7316 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
7317 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
7318 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
7319 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
7323 @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
7324 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
7325 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
7326 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
7327 controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
7328 in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
7329 group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
7330 articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
7332 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
7335 @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
7336 @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
7337 @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
7338 @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
7339 @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
7340 @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
7341 If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
7342 encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
7343 (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
7344 interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
7345 and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
7346 (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
7347 If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
7348 @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
7350 @vindex gnus-use-draft
7351 To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
7352 @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
7354 @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
7355 @kindex S D c (Summary)
7356 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
7357 draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
7358 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
7360 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
7363 @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
7364 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
7365 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
7366 (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
7367 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7370 @node Rejected Articles
7371 @section Rejected Articles
7372 @cindex rejected articles
7374 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
7375 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
7376 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
7377 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
7379 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
7380 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
7381 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
7382 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
7383 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
7385 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
7386 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
7387 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
7390 @node Select Methods
7391 @chapter Select Methods
7392 @cindex foreign groups
7393 @cindex select methods
7395 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
7396 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
7397 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
7398 personal mail group.
7400 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
7401 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
7402 list where the first element says what backend to use (eg. @code{nntp},
7403 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
7404 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
7405 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
7407 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
7408 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
7410 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
7413 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
7414 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
7415 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group, in
7416 all circumstances, @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the
7417 @code{nntp} backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
7419 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
7422 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
7423 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
7424 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
7425 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
7426 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
7430 @node The Server Buffer
7431 @section The Server Buffer
7433 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
7434 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
7435 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
7436 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
7437 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
7438 backend represents a virtual server.
7440 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
7441 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
7442 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
7443 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
7445 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
7446 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
7447 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number @code{13}, which
7448 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
7449 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
7450 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
7451 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
7453 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
7454 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
7457 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
7458 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
7459 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
7460 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
7461 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
7462 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
7465 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
7466 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
7469 @node Server Buffer Format
7470 @subsection Server Buffer Format
7471 @cindex server buffer format
7473 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
7474 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
7475 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
7476 variable, with some simple extensions:
7481 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
7484 The name of this server.
7487 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
7490 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
7493 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
7494 The mode line can also be customized by using the
7495 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
7506 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
7509 @node Server Commands
7510 @subsection Server Commands
7511 @cindex server commands
7517 @findex gnus-server-add-server
7518 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
7522 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
7523 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
7526 @kindex SPACE (Server)
7527 @findex gnus-server-read-server
7528 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
7532 @findex gnus-server-exit
7533 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
7537 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
7538 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
7542 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
7543 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
7547 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
7548 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
7552 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
7553 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
7558 @node Example Methods
7559 @subsection Example Methods
7561 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
7564 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
7567 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
7573 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
7574 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
7577 After these two elements, there may be a random number of @var{(variable
7580 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
7581 port @code{15} from that machine. This is what the select method should
7585 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
7588 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
7589 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
7591 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
7592 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
7593 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
7597 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
7600 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
7603 Here's the method for a public spool:
7607 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
7608 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
7612 @node Creating a Virtual Server
7613 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
7615 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
7616 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
7618 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
7619 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
7620 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
7622 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
7624 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
7625 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
7626 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
7627 will contain the following:
7637 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
7638 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
7639 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
7642 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
7643 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
7644 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
7647 @node Servers and Methods
7648 @subsection Servers and Methods
7650 Wherever you would normally use a select method
7651 (eg. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
7652 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
7653 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
7657 @node Unavailable Servers
7658 @subsection Unavailable Servers
7660 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
7661 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
7662 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
7663 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
7664 actually the case or not.
7666 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
7667 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
7668 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
7669 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
7670 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
7671 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
7672 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
7673 regard that server as ``down''.
7675 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
7676 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
7678 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
7679 with the following commands:
7685 @findex gnus-server-open-server
7686 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
7687 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
7691 @findex gnus-server-close-server
7692 Close the connection (if any) to the server
7693 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
7697 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
7698 Mark the current server as unreachable
7699 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
7703 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
7704 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
7705 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
7711 @section Getting News
7712 @cindex reading news
7713 @cindex news backends
7715 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
7716 only two methods of getting news -- it can read from an @sc{nntp}
7717 server, or it can read from a local spool.
7720 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
7721 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
7726 @subsection @sc{nntp}
7729 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
7730 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
7731 server as the, uhm, address.
7733 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
7734 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
7735 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
7736 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
7738 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
7739 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
7740 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
7742 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
7747 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
7748 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
7749 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
7751 @cindex authentification
7752 @cindex nntp authentification
7753 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7754 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
7755 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
7756 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
7757 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
7758 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. Another
7759 popular function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which will prompt you for
7760 an @sc{nntp} password and stuff.
7762 @item nntp-server-action-alist
7763 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
7764 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
7765 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
7766 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
7769 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
7773 You probably don't want to do that, though.
7775 The default value is
7778 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
7779 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
7782 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
7783 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
7785 @item nntp-maximum-request
7786 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
7787 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
7788 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
7789 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
7790 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
7791 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
7792 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
7794 @item nntp-connection-timeout
7795 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
7796 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
7797 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
7798 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
7799 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
7800 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
7801 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
7802 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
7803 no timeouts are done.
7805 @item nntp-command-timeout
7806 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
7807 @cindex PPP connections
7808 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
7809 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
7810 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
7811 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
7812 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
7813 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
7814 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
7815 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
7816 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
7817 likely number is 30 seconds.
7819 @item nntp-retry-on-break
7820 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
7821 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
7822 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
7825 @item nntp-server-hook
7826 @vindex nntp-server-hook
7827 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
7830 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
7831 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
7832 @item nntp-open-server-function
7833 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
7834 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
7835 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
7836 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
7837 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
7838 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
7840 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
7841 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
7842 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
7843 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
7844 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
7846 @item nntp-end-of-line
7847 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
7848 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
7849 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
7850 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
7852 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
7853 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
7854 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
7858 @vindex nntp-address
7859 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
7861 @item nntp-port-number
7862 @vindex nntp-port-number
7863 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
7866 @item nntp-buggy-select
7867 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
7868 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
7870 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
7871 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
7872 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
7873 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
7874 can be used automatically.
7876 @item nntp-xover-commands
7877 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
7880 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
7881 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
7885 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
7886 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
7887 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
7888 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
7889 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
7890 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
7891 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
7892 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
7893 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
7894 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
7895 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
7897 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
7898 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
7899 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
7901 @item nntp-async-number
7902 @vindex nntp-async-number
7903 How many articles should be pre-fetched when in asynchronous mode. If
7904 this variable is @code{t}, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch all the articles
7905 that it can without bound. If it is @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be
7908 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
7909 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
7910 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
7911 server closes connection.
7917 @subsection News Spool
7921 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
7922 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups like
7923 @samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}.
7925 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
7926 anything else) as the address.
7928 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
7929 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
7930 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
7931 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
7935 @item nnspool-inews-program
7936 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
7937 Program used to post an article.
7939 @item nnspool-inews-switches
7940 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
7941 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
7943 @item nnspool-spool-directory
7944 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
7945 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
7946 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
7948 @item nnspool-nov-directory
7949 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
7950 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
7951 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
7953 @item nnspool-lib-dir
7954 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
7955 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
7957 @item nnspool-active-file
7958 @vindex nnspool-active-file
7959 The path of the active file.
7961 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
7962 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
7963 The path of the group descriptions file.
7965 @item nnspool-history-file
7966 @vindex nnspool-history-file
7967 The path of the news history file.
7969 @item nnspool-active-times-file
7970 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
7971 The path of the active date file.
7973 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
7974 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
7975 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
7978 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
7979 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
7981 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
7982 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
7983 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
7989 @section Getting Mail
7990 @cindex reading mail
7993 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
7997 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
7998 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
7999 * Mail Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
8000 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
8001 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
8002 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
8003 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
8004 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
8005 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
8006 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
8010 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
8011 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
8013 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
8014 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
8015 and things will happen automatically.
8017 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
8018 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
8021 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
8022 '((nnml "private")))
8025 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
8026 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
8027 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
8028 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
8029 like any other group.
8031 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
8034 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8035 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8036 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8040 This will result in three new mail groups being created:
8041 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
8042 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
8045 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
8046 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
8047 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
8050 @node Splitting Mail
8051 @subsection Splitting Mail
8052 @cindex splitting mail
8053 @cindex mail splitting
8055 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
8056 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
8057 to be split into groups.
8060 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8061 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8062 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8066 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
8067 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
8068 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
8069 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
8070 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
8072 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
8073 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
8074 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
8075 mail belongs in that group.
8077 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
8078 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
8079 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
8081 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
8082 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
8083 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
8084 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
8085 thinks should carry this mail message.
8087 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
8088 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
8089 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
8090 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
8092 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
8093 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
8094 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
8095 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
8096 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
8098 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
8101 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
8102 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
8103 links. If that's the case for you, set
8104 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
8105 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
8107 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
8108 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
8109 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
8110 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
8111 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
8112 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
8113 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
8114 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
8118 @node Mail Variables
8119 @subsection Mail Variables
8121 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
8125 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8126 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8127 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
8128 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
8130 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
8131 @item nnmail-spool-file
8135 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
8136 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
8137 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
8138 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
8139 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
8140 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
8141 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
8142 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
8143 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
8144 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
8146 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
8147 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
8148 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
8149 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
8150 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
8151 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
8153 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
8154 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8155 @item nnmail-use-procmail
8156 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
8157 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
8158 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
8159 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
8162 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
8163 @item nnmail-crash-box
8164 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
8165 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
8166 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
8169 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8170 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8171 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
8172 used for, well, anything, really.
8174 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8175 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8176 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8177 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8178 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
8179 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
8180 starting to handle the new mail) and
8181 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
8182 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
8183 default file modes the new mail files get:
8186 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8187 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
8189 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
8190 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
8193 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
8194 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
8195 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
8196 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
8197 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
8198 it will be used instead.
8200 @item nnmail-movemail-program
8201 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
8202 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
8203 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
8205 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
8206 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
8207 @cindex incoming mail files
8208 @cindex deleting incoming files
8209 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
8210 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
8211 default for reasons of security.
8213 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
8214 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
8215 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
8216 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
8217 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
8220 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
8221 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
8223 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
8228 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
8229 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
8230 @cindex mail splitting
8231 @cindex fancy mail splitting
8233 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
8234 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
8235 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
8236 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
8237 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
8238 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
8240 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
8243 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
8244 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
8245 ;; from real errors.
8246 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
8248 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
8249 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
8250 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
8251 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
8252 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
8253 ;; Other mailing lists...
8254 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
8255 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
8257 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
8258 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
8262 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
8263 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
8264 the four possible split syntaxes:
8269 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
8271 @item (FIELD VALUE SPLIT)
8272 If the split is a list, and the first element is a string, then that
8273 means that if header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp),
8274 then store the message as specified by SPLIT.
8277 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
8278 bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them matches. A SPLIT is
8279 said to match if it will cause the mail message to be stored in one or
8283 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then process
8284 all SPLITs in the list.
8287 In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name. VALUE must
8288 match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
8289 You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial field names or
8292 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
8293 FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are expanded
8294 as specified by the variable @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is
8295 an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the key, and
8296 the cdr contains a string.
8299 @node Mail and Procmail
8300 @subsection Mail and Procmail
8305 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
8306 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
8307 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
8308 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
8309 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
8311 This also means that you probably don't want to set
8312 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
8315 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
8316 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
8317 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
8318 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
8319 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
8320 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
8322 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
8325 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
8327 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
8328 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
8330 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
8331 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
8332 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
8333 to include all your mail groups.
8335 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
8336 method will be created automatically.
8338 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8339 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
8340 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
8341 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
8342 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
8343 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
8344 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
8345 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
8347 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
8348 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
8349 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
8350 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
8351 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
8353 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8354 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
8355 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
8356 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
8357 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
8361 @node Incorporating Old Mail
8362 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
8364 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
8365 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
8366 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
8369 Doing so can be quite easy.
8371 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
8372 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
8373 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
8374 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
8375 your @code{nnml} groups.
8381 Go to the group buffer.
8384 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
8385 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8388 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
8391 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
8395 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
8396 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8399 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
8400 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
8401 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
8402 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
8403 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
8405 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
8406 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
8407 using the new mail backend.
8411 @subsection Expiring Mail
8412 @cindex article expiry
8414 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
8415 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
8416 different approach to mail reading.
8418 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
8419 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
8420 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
8421 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
8422 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
8423 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
8426 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
8427 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
8428 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
8429 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
8430 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
8431 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
8432 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
8433 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
8435 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8436 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
8437 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
8438 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
8439 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
8440 column in the summary buffer.
8442 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
8443 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
8446 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8447 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
8450 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
8451 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
8453 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
8454 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
8455 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
8457 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
8458 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
8459 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
8460 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
8463 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8465 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8467 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
8469 ((string= group "mail.junk")
8471 ((string= group "important")
8477 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
8478 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
8480 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
8481 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
8482 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
8485 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
8486 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8488 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8489 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
8490 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
8491 easier for procmail users.
8493 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
8494 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
8495 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
8496 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
8497 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
8498 caution. Even more dangerous is the
8499 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
8500 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
8501 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
8502 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
8503 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
8504 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
8505 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
8510 @subsection Duplicates
8512 @vindex nnmail-delete-duplicates
8513 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
8514 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
8515 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
8516 @cindex duplicate mails
8517 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
8518 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
8519 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
8520 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s -
8521 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
8522 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
8523 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
8524 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
8525 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
8526 @code{nnmail-delete-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
8527 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
8528 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
8529 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
8530 duplicate of a different message.
8532 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
8533 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
8534 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
8535 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
8537 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
8540 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
8541 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
8545 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
8546 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
8547 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
8548 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
8549 (any mail "mail.misc")
8556 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8557 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
8562 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
8563 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
8564 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
8565 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
8566 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
8569 @node Not Reading Mail
8570 @subsection Not Reading Mail
8572 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
8573 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
8574 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
8576 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
8577 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
8579 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8580 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8581 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
8582 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
8583 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
8584 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
8585 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
8586 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
8587 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
8588 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
8589 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
8591 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
8592 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
8596 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
8597 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
8599 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
8600 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
8601 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
8604 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
8605 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
8606 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
8607 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
8608 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
8613 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
8615 @cindex unix mail box
8617 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8618 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8619 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
8620 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
8621 which group it belongs in.
8623 Virtual server settings:
8626 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
8627 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8628 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
8630 @item nnmbox-active-file
8631 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8632 The name of the active file for the mail box.
8634 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
8635 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8636 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
8642 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
8646 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8647 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8648 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
8649 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
8650 article to say which group it belongs in.
8652 Virtual server settings:
8655 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
8656 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8657 The name of the rmail mbox file.
8659 @item nnbabyl-active-file
8660 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8661 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
8663 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8664 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8665 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
8670 @subsubsection Mail Spool
8672 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
8674 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
8675 format. It should be used with some caution.
8677 @vindex nnml-directory
8678 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
8679 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
8680 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
8681 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
8683 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
8686 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
8687 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
8688 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
8689 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
8690 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
8691 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
8692 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
8693 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
8695 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
8696 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
8697 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
8698 backend when it comes to reading mail.
8700 Virtual server settings:
8703 @item nnml-directory
8704 @vindex nnml-directory
8705 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
8707 @item nnml-active-file
8708 @vindex nnml-active-file
8709 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
8711 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
8712 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
8713 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
8716 @item nnml-get-new-mail
8717 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
8718 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
8720 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
8721 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
8722 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
8724 @item nnml-nov-file-name
8725 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
8726 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
8728 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
8729 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
8730 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
8734 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
8735 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
8736 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
8737 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
8738 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
8739 might take a while to complete.
8743 @subsubsection MH Spool
8745 @cindex mh-e mail spool
8747 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
8748 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
8749 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
8750 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
8752 Virtual server settings:
8755 @item nnmh-directory
8756 @vindex nnmh-directory
8757 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
8759 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
8760 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
8761 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
8764 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
8765 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
8766 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
8767 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
8768 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
8769 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
8770 to set this variable to @code{t}.
8775 @subsubsection Mail Folders
8777 @cindex mbox folders
8778 @cindex mail folders
8780 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
8781 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
8782 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
8785 Virtual server settings:
8788 @item nnfolder-directory
8789 @vindex nnfolder-directory
8790 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
8792 @item nnfolder-active-file
8793 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
8794 The name of the active file.
8796 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
8797 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
8798 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
8800 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
8801 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
8802 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
8805 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
8806 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
8807 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
8808 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
8809 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
8810 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
8814 @section Other Sources
8816 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
8817 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
8821 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
8822 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
8823 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
8824 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
8828 @node Directory Groups
8829 @subsection Directory Groups
8831 @cindex directory groups
8833 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
8834 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
8837 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
8838 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
8839 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
8841 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
8842 enter @file{"/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/"} as the the
8843 directory name, ange-ftp will actually allow you to read this directory
8844 over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
8846 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
8848 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
8849 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
8850 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
8851 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
8854 @node Anything Groups
8855 @subsection Anything Groups
8858 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
8859 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
8860 pretends that any random directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but true.
8862 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
8863 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
8864 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
8865 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
8866 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
8867 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
8868 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
8869 If this is just some random file without a head (eg. a C source file),
8870 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
8871 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
8874 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
8875 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
8876 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
8877 in the article buffer, just as usual.
8879 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
8880 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
8881 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
8882 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
8884 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
8885 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
8886 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
8887 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
8888 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
8889 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
8890 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
8891 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
8896 @item nneething-map-file-directory
8897 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
8898 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
8899 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
8901 @item nneething-exclude-files
8902 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
8903 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
8904 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
8906 @item nneething-map-file
8907 @vindex nneething-map-file
8908 Name of the map files.
8912 @node Document Groups
8913 @subsection Document Groups
8915 @cindex documentation group
8918 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
8919 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
8926 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
8931 The standard Unix mbox file.
8933 @cindex MMDF mail box
8935 The MMDF mail box format.
8938 Several news articles appended into a file.
8941 @cindex rnews batch files
8942 The rnews batch transport format.
8943 @cindex forwarded messages
8952 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
8953 @cindex RFC 341 digest
8954 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
8956 @item standard-digest
8957 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
8960 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
8963 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
8964 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
8965 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
8968 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
8969 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
8970 group. And that's it.
8972 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
8973 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
8974 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
8975 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
8976 @code{nndoc}, set the process mark on all the articles in the buffer
8977 (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r}) using
8978 @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL} file is
8979 now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can delete
8980 that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
8982 Virtual server variables:
8985 @item nndoc-article-type
8986 @vindex nndoc-article-type
8987 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
8988 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
8989 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
8991 @item nndoc-post-type
8992 @vindex nndoc-post-type
8993 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
8994 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
9004 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
9005 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
9006 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
9008 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
9009 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
9010 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
9013 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
9014 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
9015 that interested in doing things properly.
9017 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
9018 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
9024 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
9025 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie, or you can use Gnus to create the
9026 packet with the @kbd{O s} command.
9029 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
9032 You put the packet in your home directory.
9035 You fire up Gnus using the @code{nnsoup} backend as the native server.
9038 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
9042 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
9046 You transfer this packet to the server.
9049 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
9052 You then repeat until you die.
9056 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
9057 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
9060 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
9061 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
9062 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
9067 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
9071 @kindex G s b (Group)
9072 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
9073 Pack all unread articles in the current group
9074 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
9075 process/prefix convention.
9078 @kindex G s w (Group)
9079 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
9080 Save all data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
9083 @kindex G s s (Group)
9084 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
9085 Send all replies from the replies packet
9086 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
9089 @kindex G s p (Group)
9090 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
9091 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
9094 @kindex G s r (Group)
9095 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
9096 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
9099 @kindex O s (Summary)
9100 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
9101 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
9102 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
9108 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
9113 @item gnus-soup-directory
9114 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
9115 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
9116 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
9118 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
9119 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
9120 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
9121 reply packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/}.
9123 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
9124 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
9125 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
9128 @item gnus-soup-packer
9129 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
9130 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9131 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
9133 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
9134 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
9135 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9136 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9138 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
9139 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
9140 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
9142 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9143 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9144 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
9145 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
9151 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
9154 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
9155 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
9156 you can read them at leisure.
9158 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
9162 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
9163 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
9164 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
9165 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
9167 @item nnsoup-directory
9168 @vindex nnsoup-directory
9169 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
9170 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
9172 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
9173 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
9174 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
9175 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
9177 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
9178 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
9179 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
9180 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
9181 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
9183 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
9184 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
9185 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
9186 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
9188 @item nnsoup-active-file
9189 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
9190 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
9191 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
9192 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
9193 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
9196 @vindex nnsoup-packer
9197 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
9198 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
9200 @item nnsoup-unpacker
9201 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
9202 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
9203 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9205 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
9206 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
9207 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
9210 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
9211 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
9212 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
9219 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
9221 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
9222 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
9223 more for that to happen.
9225 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
9226 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
9227 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
9230 In specific, this is what it does:
9233 (setq gnus-inews-article-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
9234 (setq send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
9237 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
9238 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
9239 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
9242 @node Combined Groups
9243 @section Combined Groups
9245 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
9249 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
9250 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
9254 @node Virtual Groups
9255 @subsection Virtual Groups
9257 @cindex virtual groups
9259 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
9262 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
9263 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
9264 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
9266 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
9267 regexp to match component groups.
9269 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
9270 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
9271 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
9272 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
9275 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
9276 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
9279 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
9282 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
9283 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
9285 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
9286 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
9287 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
9288 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
9291 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
9294 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
9295 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
9296 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
9297 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
9298 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
9300 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
9301 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
9302 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
9304 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
9305 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
9306 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
9307 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
9308 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
9309 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
9310 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
9311 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
9312 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
9313 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
9314 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
9317 @node Kibozed Groups
9318 @subsection Kibozed Groups
9322 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
9323 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
9324 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
9325 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
9327 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
9328 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
9329 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
9330 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
9332 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
9333 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
9334 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
9336 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
9337 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
9338 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
9339 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
9340 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
9341 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
9342 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
9343 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
9345 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
9346 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
9347 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
9348 Stranger things have happened.
9350 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
9351 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
9353 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
9354 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
9355 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
9356 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
9357 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
9358 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
9361 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
9362 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
9369 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
9370 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
9371 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
9374 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
9375 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
9376 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
9377 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
9378 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
9380 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
9381 before generating the summary buffer.
9383 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
9384 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
9385 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
9387 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
9388 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
9389 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
9390 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
9393 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
9394 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
9395 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
9396 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
9397 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
9398 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus *knows* what you read.
9399 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
9400 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
9401 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
9402 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
9403 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
9407 @node Summary Score Commands
9408 @section Summary Score Commands
9409 @cindex score commands
9411 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
9412 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
9413 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
9414 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
9415 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
9417 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
9418 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
9419 some other score file (eg. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
9420 score file the current one.
9422 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
9427 @kindex V s (Summary)
9428 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
9429 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
9432 @kindex V S (Summary)
9433 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
9434 Display the score of the current article
9435 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
9438 @kindex V t (Summary)
9439 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
9440 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
9441 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
9444 @cindex V R (Summary)
9445 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
9446 Run the current summary through the scoring process
9447 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
9448 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
9449 effect you're having.
9452 @kindex V a (Summary)
9453 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
9454 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
9455 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
9458 @kindex V c (Summary)
9459 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
9460 Make a different score file the current
9461 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
9464 @kindex V e (Summary)
9465 @findex gnus-score-edit-alist
9466 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-alist}). You will be
9467 popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File
9471 @kindex V f (Summary)
9472 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
9473 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
9474 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
9477 @kindex V C (Summary)
9478 @findex gnus-score-customize
9479 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
9480 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
9483 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
9484 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
9485 Increase the score of the current article
9486 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
9489 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
9490 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
9491 Lower the score of the current article
9492 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
9495 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
9500 @kindex V m (Summary)
9501 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
9502 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
9503 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
9506 @kindex V E (Summary)
9507 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
9508 Expunge all articles with a score below the default score (or the
9509 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
9512 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
9513 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
9518 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
9519 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
9521 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
9526 Score on the author name.
9529 Score on the subject line.
9532 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
9535 Score on thread---the References line.
9541 Score on the number of lines.
9544 Score on the Message-ID.
9557 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
9558 what headers you are scoring on.
9602 Greater than number.
9607 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
9608 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
9609 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
9613 Temporary score entry.
9616 Permanent score entry.
9619 Immediately scoring.
9624 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
9625 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
9626 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
9627 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
9629 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
9630 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
9631 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
9632 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
9633 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
9635 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
9636 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
9637 pretend they are keymaps or not.
9640 @node Group Score Commands
9641 @section Group Score Commands
9642 @cindex group score commands
9644 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
9650 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
9651 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
9652 all the time. This command will flush the cache
9653 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
9658 @node Score Variables
9659 @section Score Variables
9660 @cindex score variables
9664 @item gnus-use-scoring
9665 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
9666 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
9667 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
9669 @item gnus-kill-killed
9670 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
9671 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
9672 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
9673 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
9674 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
9675 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
9676 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
9678 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
9679 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
9680 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
9681 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
9682 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
9684 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
9685 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
9686 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
9687 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
9689 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
9690 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
9692 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
9693 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
9694 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
9695 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
9696 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
9697 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
9698 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
9701 @item gnus-save-score
9702 @vindex gnus-save-score
9703 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
9704 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
9705 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
9707 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
9708 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
9709 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
9710 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
9711 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
9712 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
9713 manually entered data.
9715 @item gnus-summary-default-score
9716 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
9717 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
9719 @item gnus-score-over-mark
9720 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
9721 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
9722 default. Default is @samp{+}.
9724 @item gnus-score-below-mark
9725 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
9726 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
9727 default. Default is @samp{-}.
9729 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
9730 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
9731 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
9732 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
9734 Predefined functions available are:
9737 @item gnus-score-find-single
9738 @findex gnus-score-find-single
9739 Only apply the group's own score file.
9741 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
9742 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
9743 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
9744 default. For instance, if the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus},
9745 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
9746 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
9747 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
9748 then a regexp match is done.
9750 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
9751 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
9753 If @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} is non-@code{nil}, this won't work
9754 very will. It will find stuff like @file{gnu/all/SCORE}, but will not
9755 find files like @file{not/gnu/all/SCORE}.
9757 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
9758 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
9759 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
9760 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE} or @file{all.emacs.SCORE},
9761 but you can have @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and
9762 @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
9765 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
9766 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
9767 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
9768 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
9769 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
9770 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
9773 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
9774 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
9775 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
9776 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
9777 are expired. It's 7 by default.
9779 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
9780 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
9781 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
9782 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
9783 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
9784 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
9785 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
9788 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
9789 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
9790 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
9795 @node Score File Format
9796 @section Score File Format
9797 @cindex score file format
9799 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
9800 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
9801 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
9803 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
9807 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
9809 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
9811 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
9813 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
9818 (mark-and-expunge -10)
9822 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
9823 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
9824 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
9825 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
9829 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
9831 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
9832 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
9833 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
9835 Six keys are supported by this alist:
9840 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
9841 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
9842 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
9843 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
9844 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
9845 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
9846 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
9847 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
9848 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
9849 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
9850 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
9851 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
9852 to articles that matches these score entries.
9854 Following this key is a random number of score entries, where each score
9855 entry has one to four elements.
9859 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
9860 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
9864 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
9865 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
9866 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
9867 is successful. If this element is not present, the
9868 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
9869 instead. This is 1000 by default.
9872 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
9873 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
9874 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
9875 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
9876 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
9879 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
9880 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
9881 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
9882 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
9885 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
9886 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp) as
9887 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types and @code{e} and
9888 @code{E} (exact match) types. If this element is not present, Gnus will
9889 assume that substring matching should be used. @code{R} and @code{S}
9890 differ from the other two in that the matches will be done in a
9891 case-sensitive manner. All these one-letter types are really just
9892 abbreviations for the @code{regexp}, @code{string} and @code{exact}
9893 types, which you can use instead, if you feel like.
9896 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
9897 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
9900 For the Date header we have three match types: @code{before}, @code{at}
9901 and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this ever being useful, but,
9902 like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide this function. Just in
9903 case. You never know. Better safe than sorry. Once burnt, twice shy.
9904 Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have sex on a first date.
9906 @item Head, Body, All
9907 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
9911 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that followup to
9912 some author. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header uses.
9915 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that are part of
9916 a thread. Uses the same match types as the @code{References} header
9922 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9923 lower than this number will be marked as read.
9926 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9927 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
9929 @item mark-and-expunge
9930 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9931 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
9934 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
9935 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
9936 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
9937 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
9938 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
9941 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
9942 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
9946 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. This files will
9947 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
9951 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
9952 ignored when handling global score files.
9955 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
9956 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
9959 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
9960 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
9961 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
9962 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
9964 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
9968 (mark-and-expunge -100)
9971 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
9972 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
9973 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
9974 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
9975 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
9977 I.e. -- the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
9978 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
9979 ordinary scoring rules.
9982 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
9983 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
9984 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
9985 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
9986 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
9987 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
9988 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
9989 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
9990 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
9991 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
9992 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
9996 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
9997 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
9998 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
9999 file for a number of groups.
10002 @cindex local variables
10003 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
10004 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
10005 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
10006 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
10011 @node Score File Editing
10012 @section Score File Editing
10014 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
10015 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
10016 with a mode for that.
10018 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
10019 additional commands:
10024 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
10025 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
10026 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
10027 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
10030 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
10031 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
10032 Insert the current date in numerical format
10033 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
10034 you were wondering.
10037 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
10038 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
10039 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
10040 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
10041 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
10046 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
10047 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
10050 @node Adaptive Scoring
10051 @section Adaptive Scoring
10052 @cindex adaptive scoring
10054 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
10055 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
10056 stupidity, to be precise.
10058 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
10059 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
10060 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
10061 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
10062 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10065 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10066 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
10067 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. By default, it
10068 looks something like this:
10071 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10072 '((gnus-unread-mark)
10073 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
10074 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
10075 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
10076 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
10077 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
10078 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
10079 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
10080 (gnus-ancient-mark)
10081 (gnus-low-score-mark)
10082 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
10085 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
10086 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
10087 a random number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
10088 pairs following the key, not adaptive scoring will be done on articles
10089 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
10090 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
10093 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
10094 will be applied to each article.
10096 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
10097 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
10098 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
10099 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
10101 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
10102 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
10103 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
10104 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
10106 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
10107 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
10108 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
10109 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
10110 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
10111 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
10113 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
10114 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
10115 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
10116 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
10117 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
10118 aspirins afterwards.)
10120 If you use this scheme, you should set @code{mark-below} to something
10121 small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random changes result
10122 in articles getting marked as read.
10124 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
10125 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
10126 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
10128 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
10129 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
10130 let you use different rules in different groups.
10132 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
10133 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
10134 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
10137 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
10138 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
10139 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
10140 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
10141 the length of the match is less than
10142 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
10143 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
10147 @node Followups To Yourself
10148 @section Followups To Yourself
10150 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
10151 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
10152 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
10153 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
10154 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
10155 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
10159 @item gnus-score-followup-article
10160 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
10161 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
10164 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
10165 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
10166 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
10170 @vindex gnus-inews-article-hook
10171 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
10172 @code{gnus-inews-article-hook}.
10176 @section Scoring Tips
10177 @cindex scoring tips
10183 @cindex scoring crossposts
10184 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
10185 the @code{Xref} header.
10187 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
10190 @item Multiple crossposts
10191 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
10192 more than, say, 3 groups:
10194 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
10197 @item Matching on the body
10198 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
10199 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
10200 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
10201 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
10202 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
10203 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
10204 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
10207 @item Marking as read
10208 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
10209 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
10210 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
10214 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
10216 @item Negated character classes
10217 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
10218 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
10219 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
10223 @node Reverse Scoring
10224 @section Reverse Scoring
10225 @cindex reverse scoring
10227 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
10228 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
10229 like this in your score file:
10233 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
10238 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
10239 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
10242 @node Global Score Files
10243 @section Global Score Files
10244 @cindex global score files
10246 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
10247 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
10248 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
10250 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
10251 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
10252 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
10254 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
10255 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
10256 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
10257 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
10258 files are applicable to which group.
10260 Say you want to use all score files in the
10261 @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory and the single score
10262 file @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE}:
10265 (setq gnus-global-score-files
10266 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
10267 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
10270 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
10271 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
10272 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
10273 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
10274 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
10276 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
10277 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
10279 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
10280 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
10281 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
10282 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
10283 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
10284 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
10286 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
10292 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
10294 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
10296 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
10298 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
10299 lowered out of existence.
10301 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
10302 articles completely.
10305 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
10306 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
10307 old articles for a long time.
10310 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
10311 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
10312 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
10313 holding our breath yet?
10317 @section Kill Files
10320 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
10321 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
10322 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
10324 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
10325 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
10326 files into score files.
10328 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
10329 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
10330 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
10331 that isn't a very good idea.
10333 XCNormal kill files look like this:
10336 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10337 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
10341 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
10342 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
10344 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
10345 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
10348 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
10353 @kindex M-k (Summary)
10354 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
10355 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
10358 @kindex M-K (Summary)
10359 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
10360 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
10363 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
10368 @kindex M-k (Group)
10369 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
10370 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
10373 @kindex M-K (Group)
10374 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
10375 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
10378 Kill file variables:
10381 @item gnus-kill-file-name
10382 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
10383 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
10384 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
10385 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
10386 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
10387 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
10389 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
10390 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
10391 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
10392 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
10395 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
10396 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
10397 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
10398 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you don't want kill files
10399 to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
10401 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
10402 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
10403 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
10412 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
10413 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
10414 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
10415 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
10416 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
10417 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
10418 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
10419 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
10420 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
10421 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
10422 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
10426 @node Process/Prefix
10427 @section Process/Prefix
10428 @cindex process/prefix convention
10430 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
10431 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
10433 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
10434 command to be performed on.
10438 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
10439 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
10440 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
10441 with the current one.
10443 @vindex transient-mark-mode
10444 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
10445 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
10447 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
10448 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
10451 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
10452 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
10454 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
10457 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
10458 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
10459 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
10460 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
10461 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
10462 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
10463 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
10464 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
10468 @section Interactive
10469 @cindex interaction
10473 @item gnus-novice-user
10474 @vindex gnus-novice-user
10475 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
10476 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
10477 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
10478 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
10481 @item gnus-expert-user
10482 @vindex gnus-expert-user
10483 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
10484 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
10485 matter how strange.
10487 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
10488 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
10489 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
10490 is @code{t} by default.
10492 @item gnus-interactive-post
10493 @vindex gnus-interactive-post
10494 If non-@code{nil}, the user will be prompted for a group name when
10495 posting an article. It is @code{t} by default.
10497 @item gnus-interactive-exit
10498 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
10499 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
10504 @node Formatting Variables
10505 @section Formatting Variables
10506 @cindex formatting variables
10508 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
10509 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
10510 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
10511 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
10512 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
10515 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
10516 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
10517 lots of percentages everywhere.
10519 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
10520 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
10521 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''. Just like a
10522 normal format spec, almost.
10524 You can also say @samp{%6,4y}, which means that the field will never be
10525 more than 6 characters wide and never less than 4 characters wide.
10527 There are also specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the
10528 format variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers
10529 will get the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it
10530 will be highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse
10533 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
10534 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
10535 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
10536 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
10537 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
10538 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
10540 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
10543 ;; Create three face types.
10544 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
10545 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
10547 ;; We want the article count to be in
10548 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
10549 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
10550 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
10552 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
10553 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
10555 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
10556 (setq gnus-group-line-format
10557 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
10560 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
10561 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
10563 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
10564 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
10565 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
10566 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
10567 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
10568 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
10569 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}.
10571 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
10572 mode-line variables.
10574 All these format variables can also be random elisp forms. In that
10575 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
10577 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
10578 @findex gnus-update-format
10579 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
10580 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
10581 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
10582 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
10585 @node Windows Configuration
10586 @section Windows Configuration
10587 @cindex windows configuration
10589 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
10591 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
10592 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
10593 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
10594 @code{t} by default.
10596 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
10597 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
10598 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
10601 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
10602 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
10603 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
10607 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
10608 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
10609 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
10610 possible names is listed below.
10612 The @dfn{value} (i. e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
10613 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
10616 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
10620 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
10621 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
10622 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
10623 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
10624 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
10625 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
10626 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
10627 size spec per split.
10629 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
10632 Here's a more complicated example:
10635 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
10636 (summary 0.25 point)
10637 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
10641 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
10642 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
10643 occupy, not a percentage.
10645 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
10646 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
10647 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
10648 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
10649 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
10652 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
10655 (article (horizontal 1.0
10660 (summary 0.25 point)
10665 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
10666 @code{horizontal} thingie?
10668 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
10669 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
10670 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
10671 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
10672 the screen is to be given to this strip.
10674 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
10675 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
10676 lines from the splits.
10678 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
10682 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
10683 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
10684 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
10685 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
10686 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
10687 size = number | frame-params
10688 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
10691 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
10692 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
10693 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
10694 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
10696 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
10697 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
10698 @cindex window height
10699 @cindex window width
10700 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
10701 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 2) characters high, and all
10702 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
10703 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
10704 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
10705 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
10707 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
10708 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
10709 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
10710 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
10712 @findex gnus-configure-frame
10713 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
10714 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
10715 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
10716 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
10717 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
10718 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
10719 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
10720 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
10721 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
10722 configuration list.
10725 (gnus-configure-frame
10729 (article 0.3 point))
10737 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
10738 @code{frame} split:
10741 (gnus-configure-frame
10744 (summary 0.25 point)
10746 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
10747 (user-position . t)
10748 (left . -1) (top . 1))
10753 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
10754 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
10755 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
10756 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
10757 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
10758 @xref{(elisp)Frame Parameters}.
10760 Here's a list of all possible keys for
10761 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
10763 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
10764 @code{browse}, @code{group-mail}, @code{summary-mail},
10765 @code{summary-reply}, @code{info}, @code{summary-faq},
10766 @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server}, @code{reply}, @code{reply-yank},
10767 @code{followup}, @code{followup-yank}, @code{edit-score}.
10769 @findex gnus-add-configuration
10770 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
10771 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
10772 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
10773 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
10776 (gnus-add-configuration
10777 '(article (vertical 1.0
10779 (summary .25 point)
10783 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
10784 @file{.gnus} file or in some startup hook -- they should be run after
10785 Gnus has been loaded.
10789 @section Compilation
10790 @cindex compilation
10791 @cindex byte-compilation
10793 @findex gnus-compile
10795 Remember all those line format specification variables?
10796 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
10797 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
10798 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
10799 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
10800 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
10803 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
10804 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
10805 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
10806 you'll get top speed again.
10810 @section Mode Lines
10813 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
10814 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
10815 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
10816 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
10817 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
10818 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
10819 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
10822 @cindex display-time
10824 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
10825 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
10826 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
10827 to display (eg. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
10828 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
10829 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
10830 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
10831 additional elements on the mode line (eg. a clock), you should modify
10834 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
10836 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
10837 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
10839 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
10840 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
10841 (length display-time-string)))))
10844 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
10845 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
10848 @node Highlighting and Menus
10849 @section Highlighting and Menus
10851 @cindex highlighting
10854 @vindex gnus-visual
10855 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
10856 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
10857 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
10860 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
10861 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
10864 @item group-highlight
10865 Do highlights in the group buffer.
10866 @item summary-highlight
10867 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
10868 @item article-highlight
10869 Do highlights in the article buffer.
10871 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
10873 Create menus in the group buffer.
10875 Create menus in the summary buffers.
10877 Create menus in the article buffer.
10879 Create menus in the browse buffer.
10881 Create menus in the server buffer.
10883 Create menus in the score buffers.
10885 Create menus in all buffers.
10888 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
10889 buffers, you could say something like:
10892 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
10895 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
10898 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
10901 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
10902 in all Gnus buffers.
10904 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
10907 @item gnus-mouse-face
10908 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
10909 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
10910 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
10912 @item gnus-display-type
10913 @vindex gnus-display-type
10914 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
10915 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
10916 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
10917 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
10918 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
10920 @item gnus-background-mode
10921 @vindex gnus-background-mode
10922 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
10923 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
10924 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
10925 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
10926 `gnus-display-type'.
10929 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
10933 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
10934 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
10935 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
10937 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
10938 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
10939 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
10941 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
10942 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
10943 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
10945 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
10946 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
10947 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
10949 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
10950 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
10951 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
10953 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
10954 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
10955 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
10966 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
10967 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
10968 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
10969 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
10970 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
10974 @vindex gnus-carpal
10975 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
10976 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
10977 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
10982 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
10983 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
10984 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
10986 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
10987 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
10988 Face used on buttons.
10990 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
10991 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
10992 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
10994 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
10995 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
10996 Buttons in the group buffer.
10998 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
10999 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
11000 Buttons in the summary buffer.
11002 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
11003 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
11004 Buttons in the server buffer.
11006 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
11007 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
11008 Buttons in the browse buffer.
11011 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
11012 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
11013 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
11021 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
11022 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
11023 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
11024 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
11025 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
11027 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
11028 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
11029 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
11031 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
11032 been idle for thirty minutes:
11035 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
11038 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
11042 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
11045 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
11046 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
11047 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
11049 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
11050 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
11051 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
11052 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
11054 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
11055 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
11056 @var{idle} minutes.
11058 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
11059 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
11062 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
11063 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
11064 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
11066 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
11067 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
11068 seconds. This is @code{60} by default. If you change that variable,
11069 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
11071 @vindex gnus-use-demon
11072 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
11073 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
11075 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
11076 your @file{.gnus} file:
11078 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
11080 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
11083 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
11084 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
11085 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
11086 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
11087 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection}, and
11088 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
11089 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
11091 @findex gnus-demon-init
11092 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
11093 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
11094 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
11095 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
11096 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
11098 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
11099 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
11100 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
11109 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
11110 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
11112 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
11113 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
11114 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
11115 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
11118 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
11119 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
11120 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
11121 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
11123 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
11124 this will make spam disappear.
11126 There are some variables to customize, of course:
11129 @item gnus-use-nocem
11130 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
11131 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
11134 @item gnus-nocem-groups
11135 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
11136 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
11137 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
11139 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
11140 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
11141 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
11142 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
11143 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
11144 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
11146 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
11149 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
11150 @cindex Chris Lewis
11151 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
11152 usenet abuse than anybody else.
11155 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
11156 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
11157 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
11159 @item jem@@xpat.com;
11161 Jem---Korean despammer who is getting very busy these days.
11163 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
11164 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
11165 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
11168 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
11169 ones you want to listen to.
11171 @item gnus-nocem-directory
11172 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
11173 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
11174 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
11176 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
11177 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
11178 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
11179 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
11180 might then see old spam.
11185 @node Various Various
11186 @section Various Various
11193 @vindex gnus-verbose
11194 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
11195 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
11196 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
11197 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
11198 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
11200 @item gnus-verbose-backends
11201 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
11202 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
11203 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
11205 @item nnheader-max-head-length
11206 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
11207 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
11208 as little as possible. This variable (default @code{4096}) specifies
11209 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
11210 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
11211 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
11212 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
11213 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
11216 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11217 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11219 @cindex illegal characters in file names
11220 @cindex characters in file names
11221 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
11222 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
11223 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
11226 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11230 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
11231 Windows (phooey) systems.
11233 @item gnus-hidden-properties
11234 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
11235 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
11236 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
11237 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
11239 @item gnus-parse-header-hook
11240 @vindex gnus-parse-header-hook
11241 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
11242 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
11243 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
11251 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
11252 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
11254 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
11256 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
11261 Not because of victories @*
11264 but for the common sunshine,@*
11266 the largess of the spring.
11269 but for the day's work done@*
11270 as well as I was able;@*
11271 not for a seat upon the dais@*
11272 but at the common table.@*
11277 @chapter Appendices
11280 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
11281 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
11282 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
11283 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
11284 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
11285 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
11286 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
11294 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
11295 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
11297 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
11298 can point your (feh!) web browser to
11299 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
11300 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
11301 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
11303 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
11304 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)}, is, of course, short for
11305 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
11306 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
11307 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
11308 appropriate name, don't you think?)
11310 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
11311 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
11312 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
11313 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
11315 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
11316 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
11318 Incidentally, the next Gnus generation will be called ``September
11319 Gnus'', and won't be released until April 1996. Confused? You will be.
11322 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
11323 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
11324 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
11325 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
11326 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
11327 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
11328 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
11329 * Censorship:: This manual has been censored.
11336 What's the point of Gnus?
11338 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
11339 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
11340 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
11341 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
11342 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
11343 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
11344 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
11345 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
11346 keep track of millions of people who post?
11348 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
11349 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
11350 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
11351 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
11352 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
11353 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
11354 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
11355 of you to explore and invent.
11357 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
11360 @node Compatibility
11361 @subsection Compatibility
11363 @cindex compatibility
11364 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
11365 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
11366 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
11371 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
11375 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
11378 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
11381 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
11382 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
11383 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
11384 important variables have their values copied into their global
11385 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
11386 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
11388 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
11389 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
11390 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
11391 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
11392 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
11396 @cindex highlighting
11397 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
11398 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
11399 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
11400 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
11401 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
11402 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
11405 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
11406 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
11407 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
11408 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
11410 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
11411 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
11412 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
11413 to stop doing it the old way.
11415 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
11417 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
11419 @cindex reporting bugs
11421 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
11422 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
11423 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
11427 @subsection Conformity
11429 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
11430 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
11437 There are no known breaches of this standard.
11441 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
11443 @item Usenet Seal of Approval
11444 @cindex Usenet Seal of Approval
11445 Gnus hasn't been formally through the Seal process, but I have read
11446 through the Seal text and I think Gnus would pass.
11448 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
11449 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
11450 We do have some breaches to this one.
11455 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
11456 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
11459 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
11460 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
11461 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
11462 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
11463 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
11466 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
11467 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
11468 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
11469 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
11470 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
11471 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
11476 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
11477 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
11482 @subsection Emacsen
11488 Gnus should work on :
11493 Emacs 19.30 and up.
11496 XEmacs 19.13 and up.
11499 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.30 and up.
11503 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
11504 reliably, at least.
11506 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various platforms:
11511 The mouse-face on Gnus lines under Emacs and Mule is delimited to
11512 certain parts of the lines while they cover the entire line under
11516 The same with current-article marking---XEmacs puts an underline under
11517 the entire summary line while Emacs and Mule are nicer and kinder.
11520 XEmacs features more graphics---a logo and a toolbar.
11523 Citation highlighting us better under Emacs and Mule than under XEmacs.
11526 Emacs 19.26-19.28 have tangible hidden headers, which can be a bit
11533 @subsection Contributors
11534 @cindex contributors
11536 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
11537 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
11538 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
11539 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
11540 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
11541 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
11542 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
11543 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
11544 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
11545 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
11547 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
11552 Of course, @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}.
11554 Many excellent functions, especially dealing with scoring and
11555 highlighting (as well as the @sc{soup} support) was written
11558 Design and graphics were done by Luis Fernandes.
11560 Innumerable bug fixes were written by Sudish Joseph.
11562 @code{gnus-topic} was written by Ilja Weis.
11564 Lots and lots of bugs were found and fixed by Steven L. Baur.
11566 The refcard was written by Vladimir Alexiev.
11568 I stole some pieces from the XGnus distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
11570 @code{nnfolder} has been much enhanced by Scott Byer.
11572 The orphan scoring was written by Peter Mutsaers.
11574 GNU XEmacs support has been added by Fabrice Popineau.
11576 POP mail support was written by Ken Raeburn.
11578 Various bits and pieces, especially dealing with .newsrc files, were
11579 suggested and added by Hallvard B Furuseth.
11581 Brian Edmonds has written @code{gnus-bbdb}.
11583 Ricardo Nassif and Mark Borges did the proff-reading (sic).
11585 Kevin Davidson came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
11587 Peter Arius, Stainless Steel Rat, Ulrik Dickow, Jack Vinson, Daniel
11588 Quinlan, Frank D. Cringle, Geoffrey T. Dairiki, and Andrew Eskilsson have
11589 all contributed code and suggestions.
11594 @subsection New Features
11595 @cindex new features
11600 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
11601 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
11604 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
11605 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
11608 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
11611 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
11612 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
11613 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
11616 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
11617 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
11618 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
11619 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
11622 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
11623 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
11626 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
11627 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
11628 (@pxref{The Active File}).
11631 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
11632 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
11635 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
11636 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
11637 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
11640 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
11641 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
11642 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
11645 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
11646 the @file{.emacs} file.
11649 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
11650 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11653 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
11654 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
11657 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
11658 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
11661 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
11662 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
11665 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
11666 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
11669 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
11672 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
11673 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
11676 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
11677 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
11680 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
11681 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
11684 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
11687 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
11688 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
11691 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
11695 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
11699 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
11700 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
11703 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
11707 Gnus can use NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
11711 This is, of course, just a @emph{short} overview of the @emph{most}
11712 important new features. No, really. There are tons more. Yes, we have
11713 feeping creaturism in full effect, but nothing too gratuitous, I would
11717 @node Newest Features
11718 @subsection Newest Features
11721 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
11724 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
11728 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
11730 A better and simpler method for specifying mail composing methods.
11732 Allow posting through mail-to-news gateways.
11734 Really do unbinhexing.
11737 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
11738 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
11740 @code{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/sgnus/todo>} is where the actual
11741 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
11742 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
11746 @subsection Censorship
11749 This version of the Gnus manual (as well as Gnus itself) has been
11750 censored in accord with the Communications Decency Act. This law was
11751 described by its proponents as a ban on pornography---which was a
11752 deception, since it prohibits far more than that. This manual did not
11753 contain pornography, but part of it was prohibited nonetheless.
11755 For information on US government censorship of the Internet, and
11756 what you can do to bring back freedom of the press, see the web
11757 site @samp{http://www.vtw.org/}.
11761 @section Terminology
11763 @cindex terminology
11768 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
11769 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
11770 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
11771 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
11772 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
11776 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
11777 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
11778 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
11779 not posting, and replying is not following up.
11783 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
11787 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
11792 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
11793 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
11794 is all done by the backends.
11798 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
11799 default, way of getting news.
11803 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
11804 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
11808 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
11809 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
11813 A nessage that has been posted as news.
11816 @cindex mail message
11817 A message that has been mailed.
11821 A mail message or news article
11825 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
11830 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
11835 A line from the head of an article.
11839 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
11840 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
11844 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
11845 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
11846 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
11847 normal @sc{head} format.
11851 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
11852 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
11853 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
11854 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
11855 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
11856 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
11858 @item killed groups
11859 @cindex killed groups
11860 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
11861 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
11863 @item zombie groups
11864 @cindex zombie groups
11865 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
11868 @cindex active file
11869 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
11870 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
11871 is rather large, as you might surmise.
11874 @cindex bogus groups
11875 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
11876 server (i. e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
11877 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
11881 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
11883 @item select method
11884 @cindex select method
11885 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
11888 @item virtual server
11889 @cindex virtual server
11890 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
11891 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the who things as a
11892 whole is a virtual server.
11897 @node Customization
11898 @section Customization
11899 @cindex general customization
11901 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
11902 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
11903 for some quite common situations.
11906 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
11907 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
11908 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
11909 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
11913 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
11914 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
11916 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
11917 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
11918 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
11922 @item gnus-read-active-file
11923 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
11924 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
11925 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-news} and
11926 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
11927 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
11929 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
11930 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
11931 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
11932 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
11936 @node Slow Terminal Connection
11937 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
11939 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
11940 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
11941 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
11945 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
11946 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
11947 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
11948 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
11949 horizontal and vertical recentering.
11951 @item gnus-visible-headers
11952 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
11953 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
11954 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
11955 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
11957 @item gnus-article-display-hook
11958 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
11960 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
11961 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
11962 gnus-article-hide-citation))
11965 @item gnus-use-full-window
11966 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
11967 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
11968 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
11969 want to read them anyway.
11971 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
11972 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
11975 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
11976 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
11977 lines, which might save some time.
11981 @node Little Disk Space
11982 @subsection Little Disk Space
11985 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
11986 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
11990 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
11991 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
11992 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
11993 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
11996 @item gnus-save-killed-list
11997 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
11998 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
11999 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
12000 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
12006 @subsection Slow Machine
12007 @cindex slow machine
12009 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
12010 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
12012 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
12013 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
12015 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
12016 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
12017 summary buffer faster.
12019 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
12020 processing a bit faster.
12023 @node Troubleshooting
12024 @section Troubleshooting
12025 @cindex troubleshooting
12027 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
12035 Make sure your computer is switched on.
12038 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
12039 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
12043 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
12044 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
12045 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
12046 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
12049 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
12053 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
12056 @cindex reporting bugs
12058 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
12060 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
12061 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
12062 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
12063 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
12065 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
12066 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
12067 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
12068 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
12071 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
12072 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
12073 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
12074 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
12075 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
12076 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
12078 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
12079 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
12081 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
12082 @cindex ding mailing list
12083 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
12084 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
12087 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
12088 @section A Programmer's Guide to Gnus
12090 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
12091 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
12092 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
12093 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
12096 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
12097 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
12098 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
12099 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
12100 and general method of operations.
12103 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
12104 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
12105 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
12106 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
12107 * Group Info:: The group info format.
12108 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
12112 @node Backend Interface
12113 @subsection Backend Interface
12115 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
12116 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
12117 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
12118 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
12119 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
12120 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
12122 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
12123 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
12124 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
12125 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
12126 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
12127 been opened, the function should fail.
12129 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
12130 name. Take this example:
12134 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
12135 (nntp-port-number 4324))
12138 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
12139 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
12141 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
12142 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
12143 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
12145 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
12146 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
12147 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
12149 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
12150 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
12151 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
12152 ``resulting data'', I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
12153 talk about ``return value'', I talk about the function value returned by
12156 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
12157 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
12158 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
12159 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
12162 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
12165 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
12168 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
12169 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
12173 @node Required Backend Functions
12174 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
12178 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
12180 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
12181 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
12182 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
12183 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
12185 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
12186 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
12187 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
12188 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
12190 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
12191 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
12192 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
12193 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
12194 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
12195 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
12196 number, do maximum fetches.
12198 Here's an example HEAD:
12201 221 1056 Article retrieved.
12202 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
12203 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
12204 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
12205 Subject: Re: Something very droll
12206 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
12207 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
12209 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
12210 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
12211 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
12215 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
12216 these in the data buffer.
12218 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
12222 head = error / valid-head
12223 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
12224 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
12225 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
12226 header = <text> eol
12229 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
12230 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
12234 nov-buffer = *nov-line
12235 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
12236 field = <text except TAB>
12239 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
12243 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
12245 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
12246 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
12248 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
12249 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
12250 server. In fact, it should do so.
12252 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
12253 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
12256 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
12258 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
12261 There should be no data returned.
12264 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
12266 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
12267 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
12268 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.)
12270 There should be no data returned.
12273 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
12275 This function should return whether @var{server} is opened, and that the
12276 connection to it is still alive. This function should under no
12277 circumstances attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost
12280 There should be no data returned.
12283 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
12285 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
12287 There should be no data returned.
12290 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
12292 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
12293 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
12294 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
12295 it would be nice if that were possible.
12297 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
12298 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
12299 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
12300 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
12301 its article buffer.
12304 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12306 Make @var{group} the current group.
12308 There should be no data returned by this function.
12311 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12313 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
12314 making @var{group} the current group.
12316 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
12319 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
12322 The first number is the status, which should be @code{211}. Next is the
12323 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
12324 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
12325 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
12326 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
12327 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
12328 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
12329 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
12332 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
12333 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
12334 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
12338 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12340 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
12341 a no-op on most backends.
12343 There should be no data returned.
12346 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
12348 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
12351 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
12354 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
12355 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
12358 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
12359 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
12362 active-file = *active-line
12363 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
12365 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
12368 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
12369 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
12370 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
12373 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
12375 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
12376 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
12377 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
12378 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
12379 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
12380 clear if the posting could not be completed.
12382 There should be no result data from this function.
12385 @item (nnchoke-request-post-buffer POST GROUP SUBJECT HEADER ARTICLE-BUFFER INFO FOLLOW-TO RESPECT-POSTER)
12387 This function should return a buffer suitable for composing an article
12388 to be posted by @code{nnchoke-request-post}. If @var{post} is
12389 non-@code{nil}, this is not a followup, but a totally new article.
12390 @var{group} is the name of the group to be posted to. @var{subject} is
12391 the subject of the message. @var{article-buffer} is the buffer being
12392 followed up, if that is the case. @var{info} is the group info.
12393 @var{follow-to} is the group that one is supposed to re-direct the
12394 article ot. If @var{respect-poster} is non-@code{nil}, the special
12395 @samp{poster} value of a @code{Followup-To} header is to be respected.
12397 There should be no result data returned.
12402 @node Optional Backend Functions
12403 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
12407 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
12409 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
12410 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
12411 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
12413 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
12414 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
12415 former is in the same format as the data from
12416 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
12417 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
12420 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
12424 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
12426 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
12427 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
12428 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
12429 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
12430 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
12431 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
12433 There should be no result data from this function.
12436 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
12438 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
12439 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
12440 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
12441 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
12442 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
12443 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
12444 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.)
12446 There should be no result data from this function.
12449 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
12451 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
12452 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
12453 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
12454 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
12455 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
12457 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
12458 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
12459 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
12462 There should be no result data from this function.
12465 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
12467 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
12468 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
12469 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
12470 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
12471 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
12472 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
12473 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
12475 There should be no result data from this function.
12478 @item (nnchoke-request-asynchronous GROUP &optional SERVER ARTICLES)
12480 This is a request to fetch articles asynchronously later.
12481 @var{articles} is an alist of @var{(article-number line-number)}. One
12482 would generally expect that if one later fetches article number 4, for
12483 instance, some sort of asynchronous fetching of the articles after 4
12484 (which might be 5, 6, 7 or 11, 3, 909 depending on the order in that
12485 alist) would be fetched asynchronously, but that is left up to the
12486 backend. Gnus doesn't care.
12488 There should be no result data from this function.
12491 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
12493 The result data from this function should be a description of
12497 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
12499 description = <text>
12502 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
12504 The result data from this function should be the description of all
12505 groups available on the server.
12508 description-buffer = *description-line
12512 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
12514 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
12515 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
12516 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
12519 @item (nnchoke-request-create-groups GROUP &optional SERVER)
12521 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
12523 There should be no return data.
12526 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
12528 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
12529 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
12530 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
12531 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
12532 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
12535 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
12538 There should be no result data returned.
12541 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
12544 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
12545 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
12547 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
12548 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
12549 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
12550 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
12551 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
12552 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
12554 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
12555 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
12558 There should be no data returned.
12561 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional LAST)
12563 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
12564 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
12565 this function in short order.
12567 There should be no data returned.
12570 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
12572 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
12573 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
12575 There should be no data returned.
12578 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
12580 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
12581 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
12582 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
12584 There should be no data returned.
12587 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
12589 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
12590 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
12592 There should be no data returned.
12597 @node Score File Syntax
12598 @subsection Score File Syntax
12600 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
12601 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
12602 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
12604 Here's a typical score file:
12608 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
12615 BNF definition of a score file:
12618 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
12619 element = rule / atom
12620 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
12621 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
12622 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
12623 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
12625 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
12626 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
12627 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
12628 date-header = "date"
12629 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12630 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12631 score = "nil" / <integer>
12632 date = "nil" / <natural number>
12633 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
12634 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
12635 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
12636 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
12637 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12638 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12639 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
12640 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12641 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
12642 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
12643 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
12644 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
12645 exclude-files / read-only / touched
12646 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
12647 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
12648 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
12649 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
12650 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
12651 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
12652 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
12653 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
12654 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
12655 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
12656 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
12657 eval = "eval" space <form>
12658 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
12661 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
12664 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
12665 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
12666 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
12667 one looong line, then that's ok.
12669 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
12674 @subsection Headers
12676 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
12677 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
12678 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
12679 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
12681 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
12682 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (eg.,
12683 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
12684 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
12685 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
12686 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
12687 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
12689 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
12690 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
12691 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these slots --
12692 they all have predictable names beginning with @code{mail-header-} and
12693 @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
12695 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
12702 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
12703 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
12705 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
12706 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
12707 that you want to callify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
12708 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
12710 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
12714 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
12717 is transformed into
12720 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
12723 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
12724 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
12727 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
12730 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
12731 is slightly tricky:
12734 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
12740 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
12743 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
12749 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
12756 and is equal to the previous range.
12758 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
12759 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
12760 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
12764 range = simple-range / normal-range
12765 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
12766 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
12767 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
12768 number *[ " " contents ]
12771 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
12772 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
12773 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
12774 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
12775 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
12780 @subsection Group Info
12782 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
12783 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
12784 describes the group.
12786 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
12787 second is a more complex one:
12790 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
12792 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
12793 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
12795 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
12798 The first element is the group name as Gnus knows the group; the second
12799 is the group level; the third is the read articles in range format; the
12800 fourth is a list of article marks lists; the fifth is the select method;
12801 and the sixth contains the group parameters.
12803 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
12806 info = "(" group space level space read
12807 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
12808 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12809 group = quote <string> quote
12810 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
12812 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
12813 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
12814 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
12815 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
12818 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
12819 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
12823 @node Various File Formats
12824 @subsection Various File Formats
12827 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
12828 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
12832 @node Active File Format
12833 @subsubsection Active File Format
12835 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
12836 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
12839 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
12842 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
12843 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
12844 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
12845 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
12846 no.general 1000 900 y
12849 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
12852 active = *group-line
12853 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
12854 group = <non-white-space string>
12856 high-number = <non-negative integer>
12857 low-number = <positive integer>
12858 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
12862 @node Newsgroups File Format
12863 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
12865 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
12866 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
12867 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
12870 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
12871 Here's the definition:
12875 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
12876 group = <non-white-space string>
12878 description = <string>
12882 @node Emacs for Heathens
12883 @section Emacs for Heathens
12885 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
12886 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
12887 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
12888 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
12889 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
12890 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
12891 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
12895 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
12896 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
12901 @subsection Keystrokes
12905 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
12908 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
12911 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
12912 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
12913 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
12914 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
12915 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
12916 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
12918 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
12919 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
12920 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
12921 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
12922 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
12923 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
12924 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
12926 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
12927 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
12928 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
12929 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
12930 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
12931 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
12932 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
12934 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
12935 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
12936 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
12937 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
12938 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
12944 @subsection Emacs Lisp
12946 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
12947 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
12948 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
12949 any key to run any random code. You just, like, do it.
12951 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
12952 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
12953 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
12954 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
12955 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
12956 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
12957 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
12960 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
12961 write the following:
12964 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
12967 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
12968 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
12969 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
12972 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
12973 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
12974 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
12975 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
12976 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
12978 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
12979 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
12980 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
12984 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
12988 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
12991 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
12992 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
12995 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
12998 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
12999 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
13002 @include gnus-faq.texi