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265 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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274 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
276 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
277 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
278 are preserved on all copies.
280 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
281 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
282 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
283 permission notice identical to this one.
285 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
286 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
295 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
297 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
299 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
300 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
301 are preserved on all copies.
304 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
305 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
306 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
307 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
310 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
311 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
312 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
313 permission notice identical to this one.
315 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
316 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
324 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
327 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
328 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
330 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
331 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
332 are preserved on all copies.
334 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
335 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
336 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
337 permission notice identical to this one.
339 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
340 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
349 @top The Gnus Newsreader
353 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
354 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
355 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
358 This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.8.4.
369 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
370 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
372 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
373 being accused of plagiarism:
375 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
376 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
377 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
378 can even read news with it!
380 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
381 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
382 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
383 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
384 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
390 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
391 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
392 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
393 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
394 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
395 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
396 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
397 * Various:: General purpose settings.
398 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
399 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
400 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
401 * Key Index:: Key Index.
404 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
408 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
409 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
410 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
411 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
412 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
413 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
414 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
415 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
416 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
417 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
418 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
422 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
423 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
424 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
428 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
429 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
430 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
431 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
432 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
433 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
434 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
435 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
436 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
437 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
438 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
439 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
440 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
441 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
442 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
443 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
444 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
448 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
449 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
450 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
454 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
455 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
456 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
457 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
458 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
462 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
463 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
464 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
465 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
469 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
470 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
471 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
472 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
473 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
474 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
475 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
476 * Threading:: How threads are made.
477 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
478 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
479 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
480 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
481 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
482 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
483 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
484 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
485 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
486 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
487 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
488 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
489 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
490 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
491 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
492 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
493 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
494 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
495 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
496 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
498 Summary Buffer Format
500 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
501 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
502 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
503 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
507 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
508 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
510 Reply, Followup and Post
512 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
513 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
514 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
515 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
519 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
520 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
521 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
525 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
526 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
527 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
531 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
532 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
534 Customizing Threading
536 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
537 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
538 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
539 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
543 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
544 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
545 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
546 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
547 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
548 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
552 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
553 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
554 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
558 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
559 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
560 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
561 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
562 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
563 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
564 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
565 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
567 Alternative Approaches
569 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
570 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
572 Various Summary Stuff
574 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
575 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
576 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
577 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
581 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
582 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
583 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
584 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
585 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
589 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
590 * Post:: Posting and following up.
591 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
592 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
593 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
594 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
595 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
596 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
600 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
601 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
602 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
603 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
604 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
605 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
606 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
610 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
611 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
612 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
613 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
614 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
615 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
616 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
620 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
621 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
625 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
626 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
627 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
628 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
629 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
630 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
631 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
632 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
633 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
634 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
635 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
636 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
637 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
641 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
642 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
643 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
645 Choosing a Mail Backend
647 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
648 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
649 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
650 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
651 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
652 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
656 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
657 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
658 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
659 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
663 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
664 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
665 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
666 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
667 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
668 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
672 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
676 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
677 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
678 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
682 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
683 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
684 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
688 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
689 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
693 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
694 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
695 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
696 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
697 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
698 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
699 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
700 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
701 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
705 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
706 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
707 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
711 * Group Agent Commands::
712 * Summary Agent Commands::
713 * Server Agent Commands::
717 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
718 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
719 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
720 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
721 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
722 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
723 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
724 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
725 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
726 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
727 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
728 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
729 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
730 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
731 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
732 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
736 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
737 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
738 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
739 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
743 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
744 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
745 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
749 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
750 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
751 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
752 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
753 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
754 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
755 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
756 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
757 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
758 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
759 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
760 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
761 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
762 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
763 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
764 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
765 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
766 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
770 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
771 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
772 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
773 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
774 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
778 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
779 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
780 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
781 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
785 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
786 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
787 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
788 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
789 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
793 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
794 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
795 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
796 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
797 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
798 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
799 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
800 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
804 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
805 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
806 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
807 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
808 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
809 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
810 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
811 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
812 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
813 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
817 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
818 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
819 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
820 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
824 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
825 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
826 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
827 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
831 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
832 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
833 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
834 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
835 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
836 * Group Info:: The group info format.
837 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
838 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
839 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
843 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
844 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
845 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
846 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
847 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
848 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
852 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
853 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
857 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
858 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
864 @chapter Starting Gnus
869 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
870 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
873 @findex gnus-other-frame
874 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
875 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
876 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
878 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
879 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
880 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
882 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
883 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
886 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
887 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
888 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
889 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
890 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
891 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
892 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
893 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
894 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
895 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
896 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
900 @node Finding the News
901 @section Finding the News
904 @vindex gnus-select-method
906 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
907 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
908 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
909 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
912 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
913 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
916 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
919 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
922 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
925 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
926 certainly be much faster.
928 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
930 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
931 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
932 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
933 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
934 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
935 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
937 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
938 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
939 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
940 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
942 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
943 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
944 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
945 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
946 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
947 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
948 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
949 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
950 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
953 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
955 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
956 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
957 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
958 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
959 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
960 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
962 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
964 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
965 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
966 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
967 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
968 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
969 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
972 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
973 would typically set this variable to
976 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
981 @section The First Time
982 @cindex first time usage
984 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
985 be subscribed by default.
987 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
988 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
989 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
990 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
993 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
994 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
995 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
997 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
998 help you with most common problems.
1000 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1001 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1005 @node The Server is Down
1006 @section The Server is Down
1007 @cindex server errors
1009 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1010 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1011 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1013 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1014 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1015 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1016 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1017 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1018 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1019 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1021 @findex gnus-no-server
1022 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1024 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1025 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1026 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1027 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1028 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1029 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1034 @section Slave Gnusae
1037 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1038 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1039 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1040 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1042 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1043 @code{.newsrc} file.
1045 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1046 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1047 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1048 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1049 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1050 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1051 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1053 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1054 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1055 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1056 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1057 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1058 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1059 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1060 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1062 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1063 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1066 @node Fetching a Group
1067 @section Fetching a Group
1068 @cindex fetching a group
1070 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1071 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1072 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1073 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1074 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1075 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1081 @cindex subscription
1083 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1084 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1085 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1086 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1087 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1088 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1089 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1090 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1091 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1094 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1095 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1096 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1100 @node Checking New Groups
1101 @subsection Checking New Groups
1103 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1104 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1105 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1106 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1107 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1108 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1109 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1110 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1111 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1112 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1114 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1115 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1116 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1117 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1118 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1119 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1120 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1121 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1122 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1123 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1124 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1126 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1127 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1128 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1129 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1130 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1131 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1134 @node Subscription Methods
1135 @subsection Subscription Methods
1137 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1138 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1139 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1141 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1142 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1144 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1148 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1149 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1150 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1151 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1152 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1154 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1155 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1156 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1157 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1159 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1160 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1161 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1163 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1164 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1165 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1166 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1167 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1168 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1169 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1170 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1171 up. Or something like that.
1173 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1174 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1175 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1176 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1177 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1179 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1180 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1181 Kill all new groups.
1183 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1184 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1185 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1186 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1187 topic parameter that looks like
1193 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1196 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1201 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1202 A closely related variable is
1203 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1204 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1205 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1206 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1209 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1210 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1211 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1212 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1215 @node Filtering New Groups
1216 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1218 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1219 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1220 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1223 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1227 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1228 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1229 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1230 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1231 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1232 subscribing these groups.
1233 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1234 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1236 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1237 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1238 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1239 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1240 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1241 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1242 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1243 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1245 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1246 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1247 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1248 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1249 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1250 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1251 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1252 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1253 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1254 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1256 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1257 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1260 @node Changing Servers
1261 @section Changing Servers
1262 @cindex changing servers
1264 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1265 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1266 very flaky and you want to use another.
1268 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1269 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1273 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1274 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1275 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1276 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1279 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1280 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1281 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1282 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1284 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1285 @findex gnus-change-server
1286 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1287 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1288 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1289 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1290 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1292 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1293 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1294 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1295 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1296 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1298 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1299 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1300 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1301 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1302 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1303 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1305 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1306 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1307 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1311 @section Startup Files
1312 @cindex startup files
1317 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1318 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1320 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1321 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1322 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1323 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1324 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1325 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1326 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1328 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1329 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1330 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1331 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1332 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1333 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1335 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1336 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1337 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1338 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1339 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1340 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1341 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1342 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1343 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1344 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1346 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1347 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1348 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1349 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1350 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1351 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1352 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1353 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1354 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1355 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1356 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1357 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1359 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1360 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1361 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1362 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1364 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1365 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1366 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1367 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1368 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1369 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1370 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1371 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1372 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1373 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1376 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1377 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1379 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1380 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1383 @vindex gnus-init-file
1384 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1385 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1386 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1387 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1388 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1389 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1390 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1391 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1392 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1398 @cindex dribble file
1401 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1402 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1403 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1404 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1405 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1408 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1409 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1412 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1413 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1414 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1416 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1417 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1418 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1419 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1420 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1421 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1423 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1424 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1425 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1428 @node The Active File
1429 @section The Active File
1431 @cindex ignored groups
1433 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1434 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1435 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1437 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1438 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1439 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1440 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1441 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1442 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1443 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1446 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1447 @c if you set it to anything else.
1449 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1451 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1452 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1453 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1455 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1456 you actually subscribe to.
1458 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1459 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1460 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1461 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1463 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1464 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1465 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1466 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1467 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1468 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1470 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1471 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1472 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1474 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1475 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1476 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1477 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1478 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1479 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1481 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1482 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1484 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1485 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1487 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1488 secondary select methods.
1491 @node Startup Variables
1492 @section Startup Variables
1496 @item gnus-load-hook
1497 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1498 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1499 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1500 times you start Gnus.
1502 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1503 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1504 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1506 @item gnus-startup-hook
1507 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1508 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1510 @item gnus-started-hook
1511 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1512 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1515 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1516 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1517 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1518 generating the group buffer.
1520 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1521 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1522 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1523 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1524 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1525 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1526 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1527 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1529 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1530 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1531 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1532 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1533 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1534 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1536 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1537 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1538 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1540 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1541 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1542 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1544 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1545 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1546 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1547 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1552 @node The Group Buffer
1553 @chapter The Group Buffer
1554 @cindex group buffer
1556 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1557 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1558 long as Gnus is active.
1562 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1563 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1564 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1565 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1566 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1567 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1568 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1569 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1575 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1576 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1577 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1578 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1579 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1580 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1581 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1582 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1583 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1584 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1585 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1586 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1587 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1588 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1589 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1590 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1591 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1595 @node Group Buffer Format
1596 @section Group Buffer Format
1599 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1600 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1601 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1605 @node Group Line Specification
1606 @subsection Group Line Specification
1607 @cindex group buffer format
1609 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1610 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1612 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1615 25: news.announce.newusers
1616 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1621 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1622 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1623 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1624 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1626 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1627 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1628 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1629 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1630 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1631 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1633 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1635 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1636 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1637 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1638 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1641 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1642 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1643 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1645 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1650 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1653 Whether the group is subscribed.
1656 Level of subscribedness.
1659 Number of unread articles.
1662 Number of dormant articles.
1665 Number of ticked articles.
1668 Number of read articles.
1671 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1672 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1675 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1678 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1687 Newsgroup description.
1690 @samp{m} if moderated.
1693 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1702 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1706 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1709 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1710 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1711 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1712 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1713 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1716 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1718 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1722 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1726 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1727 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1728 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1729 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1730 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1731 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1736 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1737 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1738 group, or a bogus native group.
1741 @node Group Modeline Specification
1742 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1743 @cindex group modeline
1745 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1746 The mode line can be changed by setting
1747 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1748 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1752 The native news server.
1754 The native select method.
1758 @node Group Highlighting
1759 @subsection Group Highlighting
1760 @cindex highlighting
1761 @cindex group highlighting
1763 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1764 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1765 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1766 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1767 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1769 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1773 (cond (window-system
1774 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1775 (defface my-group-face-1
1776 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1777 (defface my-group-face-2
1778 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1779 (defface my-group-face-3
1780 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1781 (defface my-group-face-4
1782 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1783 (defface my-group-face-5
1784 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1786 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1787 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1788 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1789 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1790 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1791 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1794 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1796 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1803 The number of unread articles in the group.
1807 Whether the group is a mail group.
1809 The level of the group.
1811 The score of the group.
1813 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1815 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1816 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1818 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1819 topic being inserted.
1822 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1823 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1824 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1826 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1827 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1828 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1829 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1830 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1833 @node Group Maneuvering
1834 @section Group Maneuvering
1835 @cindex group movement
1837 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1838 expected, hopefully.
1844 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1845 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1846 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1852 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1853 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1854 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1858 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1859 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1863 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1864 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1868 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1869 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1870 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1874 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1875 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1876 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1879 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1885 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1886 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1887 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1892 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1893 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1894 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1898 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1899 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1900 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1903 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1904 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1905 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1906 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1910 @node Selecting a Group
1911 @section Selecting a Group
1912 @cindex group selection
1917 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1918 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1919 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1920 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1921 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1922 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1923 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1924 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1925 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1926 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1930 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1931 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1932 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1933 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1934 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1938 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1939 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1940 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1941 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1942 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1943 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1944 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1945 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1946 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1947 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1950 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1951 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1952 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1953 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1954 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1957 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1958 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1959 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1960 doing any processing of its contents
1961 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1962 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1963 manner will have no permanent effects.
1967 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1968 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1969 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1970 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1971 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1972 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1973 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1974 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1977 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1978 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1979 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1980 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1985 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1986 full summary buffer.
1989 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1992 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1997 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1998 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1999 Useful functions include:
2002 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2003 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2004 don't select the article.
2006 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2007 Select the first unread article.
2009 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2010 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2014 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2015 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2016 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2020 @node Subscription Commands
2021 @section Subscription Commands
2022 @cindex subscription
2030 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2031 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2032 Toggle subscription to the current group
2033 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2039 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2040 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2041 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2042 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2048 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2049 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2050 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2057 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2060 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2061 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2062 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2063 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2064 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2070 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2071 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2075 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2076 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2079 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2080 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2081 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2082 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2083 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2084 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2085 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2086 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2087 @file{.newsrc} file.
2091 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2101 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2102 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2103 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2104 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2105 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2106 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2111 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2112 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2113 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2117 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2118 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2119 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2121 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2122 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2123 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2124 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2125 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2126 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2133 @section Group Levels
2137 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2138 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2139 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2140 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2141 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2143 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2149 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2150 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2151 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2152 prompted for a level.
2155 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2156 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2157 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2158 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2159 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2160 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2161 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2162 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2163 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2164 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2165 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2166 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2167 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2168 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2169 reasons of efficiency.
2171 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2172 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2174 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2175 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2176 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2178 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2179 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2180 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2181 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2182 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2183 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2184 relevant valid ranges.
2186 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2187 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2188 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2189 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2190 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2191 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2194 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2195 one with the best level.
2197 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2198 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2199 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2202 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2203 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2204 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2205 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2208 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2209 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2210 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2211 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2213 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2214 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2215 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2216 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2217 to 5. The default is 6.
2221 @section Group Score
2226 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2227 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2228 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2231 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2232 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2233 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2234 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2235 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2236 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2237 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2238 least significant part.))
2240 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2241 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2242 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2243 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2244 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2245 action after each summary exit, you can add
2246 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2247 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2248 slow things down somewhat.
2251 @node Marking Groups
2252 @section Marking Groups
2253 @cindex marking groups
2255 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2256 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2257 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2258 bidding on those groups.
2260 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2261 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2262 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2270 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2271 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2277 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2278 Remove the mark from the current group
2279 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2283 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2284 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2288 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2289 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2293 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2294 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2298 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2299 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2300 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2303 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2305 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2306 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2307 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2308 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2309 the command to be executed.
2312 @node Foreign Groups
2313 @section Foreign Groups
2314 @cindex foreign groups
2316 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2317 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2318 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2319 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2326 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2327 @cindex making groups
2328 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2329 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2330 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2334 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2335 @cindex renaming groups
2336 Rename the current group to something else
2337 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2338 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2344 @findex gnus-group-customize
2345 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2349 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2350 @cindex renaming groups
2351 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2352 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2356 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2357 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2358 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2362 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2363 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2364 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2368 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2370 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2371 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2376 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2377 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2381 @cindex (ding) archive
2382 @cindex archive group
2383 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2384 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2385 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2386 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2387 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2388 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2389 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2393 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2395 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2396 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2397 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2398 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2402 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2404 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2405 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2406 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2410 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2411 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2413 Make a group based on some file or other
2414 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2415 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2416 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2417 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2418 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2419 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2420 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2424 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2425 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2426 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2427 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2431 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2436 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2437 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2438 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2439 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2440 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2441 @xref{Web Searches}.
2443 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2444 to a particular group by using a match string like
2445 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2448 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2449 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2450 This function will delete the current group
2451 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2452 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2453 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2454 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2455 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2459 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2460 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2461 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2465 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2466 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2467 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2470 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2473 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2474 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2475 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2476 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2477 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2478 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2482 @node Group Parameters
2483 @section Group Parameters
2484 @cindex group parameters
2486 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2487 Here's an example group parameter list:
2490 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2494 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2495 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2496 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2497 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2499 The following group parameters can be used:
2504 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2507 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2510 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2511 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2512 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2513 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2514 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2516 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2517 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2518 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2519 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2520 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2521 list address instead.
2525 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2528 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2531 It is totally ignored
2532 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2533 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2535 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2536 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2537 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2538 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2539 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2541 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2542 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2543 sending the message.
2547 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2548 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2549 of whether it has any unread articles.
2551 @item broken-reply-to
2552 @cindex broken-reply-to
2553 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2554 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2555 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2556 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2557 broken behavior. So there!
2561 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2562 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2566 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2567 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2568 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2573 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2574 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2575 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2576 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2577 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2578 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2579 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2583 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2584 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2585 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2588 @cindex total-expire
2589 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2590 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2591 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2592 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2597 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2598 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2599 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2600 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2601 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2602 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2605 @cindex score file group parameter
2606 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2607 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2608 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2611 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2612 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2613 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2614 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2617 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2618 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2619 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2620 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2623 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2624 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2628 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2631 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2636 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2637 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2638 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2642 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2643 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2644 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2646 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2647 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2648 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2649 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2650 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2651 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2652 @code{eval}ed there.
2654 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2655 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2656 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2657 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2658 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2661 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2662 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2663 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2664 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2665 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2667 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2668 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2669 like this in the group parameters:
2674 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2679 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2680 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2684 @node Listing Groups
2685 @section Listing Groups
2686 @cindex group listing
2688 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2696 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2697 List all groups that have unread articles
2698 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2699 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2700 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2701 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2708 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2709 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2710 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2711 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2712 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2713 unsubscribed groups).
2717 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2718 List all unread groups on a specific level
2719 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2720 with no unread articles.
2724 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2725 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2726 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2727 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2732 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2733 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2737 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2738 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2739 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2743 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2744 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2748 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2749 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2750 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2751 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2752 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2753 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2754 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2755 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2759 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2760 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2761 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2765 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2766 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2767 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2771 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2772 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2776 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2777 @cindex visible group parameter
2778 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2779 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2780 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2781 get the same effect.
2783 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2784 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2785 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2786 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2787 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2790 @node Sorting Groups
2791 @section Sorting Groups
2792 @cindex sorting groups
2794 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2795 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2796 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2797 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2798 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2799 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2804 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2805 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2806 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2808 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2809 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2810 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2812 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2813 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2814 Sort by group level.
2816 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2817 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2818 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2820 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2821 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2822 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2823 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2825 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2826 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2827 Sort by number of unread articles.
2829 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2830 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2831 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2836 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2837 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2841 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2842 some sorting criteria:
2846 @kindex G S a (Group)
2847 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2848 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2849 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2852 @kindex G S u (Group)
2853 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2854 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2855 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2858 @kindex G S l (Group)
2859 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2860 Sort the group buffer by group level
2861 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2864 @kindex G S v (Group)
2865 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2866 Sort the group buffer by group score
2867 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2870 @kindex G S r (Group)
2871 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2872 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2873 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2876 @kindex G S m (Group)
2877 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2878 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2879 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2883 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2884 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2886 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2887 commands will sort in reverse order.
2889 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2893 @kindex G P a (Group)
2894 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2895 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2896 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2899 @kindex G P u (Group)
2900 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2901 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2902 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2905 @kindex G P l (Group)
2906 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2907 Sort the groups by group level
2908 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2911 @kindex G P v (Group)
2912 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2913 Sort the groups by group score
2914 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2917 @kindex G P r (Group)
2918 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2919 Sort the groups by group rank
2920 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2923 @kindex G P m (Group)
2924 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2925 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2926 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2932 @node Group Maintenance
2933 @section Group Maintenance
2934 @cindex bogus groups
2939 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2940 Find bogus groups and delete them
2941 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2945 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2946 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2947 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2948 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2949 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2953 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2954 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2955 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2956 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2959 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2960 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2961 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2962 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2967 @node Browse Foreign Server
2968 @section Browse Foreign Server
2969 @cindex foreign servers
2970 @cindex browsing servers
2975 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2976 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2977 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2978 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2981 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2982 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2983 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2984 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2986 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2991 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2992 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2996 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2997 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3000 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3001 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3002 Enter the current group and display the first article
3003 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3006 @kindex RET (Browse)
3007 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3008 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3012 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3013 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3014 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3020 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3021 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3025 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3026 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3027 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3032 @section Exiting Gnus
3033 @cindex exiting Gnus
3035 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3040 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3041 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3042 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3043 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3047 @findex gnus-group-exit
3048 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3049 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3053 @findex gnus-group-quit
3054 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3055 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3058 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3059 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3060 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3061 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3062 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3067 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3068 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3069 trying to customize meta-variables.
3074 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3075 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3076 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3082 @section Group Topics
3085 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3086 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3087 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3088 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3089 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3090 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3094 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3095 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3106 2: alt.religion.emacs
3109 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3111 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3112 13: comp.sources.unix
3115 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3117 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3118 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3119 is a toggling command.)
3121 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3122 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3123 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3124 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3127 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3128 the hook for the group mode:
3131 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3135 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3136 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3137 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3138 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3139 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3143 @node Topic Variables
3144 @subsection Topic Variables
3145 @cindex topic variables
3147 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3148 really neat, I think.
3150 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3151 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3152 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3165 Number of groups in the topic.
3167 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3169 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3172 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3173 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3174 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3177 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3178 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3180 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3181 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3182 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3185 @node Topic Commands
3186 @subsection Topic Commands
3187 @cindex topic commands
3189 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3190 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3191 definitions slightly.
3197 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3198 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3199 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3203 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3204 Move the current group to some other topic
3205 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3206 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3210 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3211 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3215 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3216 Copy the current group to some other topic
3217 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3218 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3222 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3223 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3224 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3225 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3226 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3227 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3228 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3231 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3232 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3236 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3237 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3238 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3242 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3243 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3244 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3248 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3249 Toggle hiding empty topics
3250 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3254 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3255 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3256 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3259 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3260 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3261 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3262 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3266 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3268 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3269 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3270 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3271 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3274 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3275 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3276 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3277 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3281 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3283 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3284 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3285 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3286 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3287 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3288 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3291 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3292 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3293 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3294 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3298 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3299 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3300 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3304 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3305 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3306 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3311 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3312 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3315 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3316 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3317 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3321 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3322 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3323 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3327 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3328 @cindex group parameters
3329 @cindex topic parameters
3331 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3332 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3338 @subsection Topic Sorting
3339 @cindex topic sorting
3341 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3347 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3348 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3349 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3350 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3353 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3354 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3355 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3356 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3359 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3360 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3361 Sort the current topic by group level
3362 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3365 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3366 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3367 Sort the current topic by group score
3368 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3371 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3372 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3373 Sort the current topic by group rank
3374 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3377 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3378 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3379 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3380 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3384 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3387 @node Topic Topology
3388 @subsection Topic Topology
3389 @cindex topic topology
3392 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3398 2: alt.religion.emacs
3401 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3403 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3404 13: comp.sources.unix
3407 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3408 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3409 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3414 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3415 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3419 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3420 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3421 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3422 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3423 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3424 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3426 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3427 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3428 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3431 @node Topic Parameters
3432 @subsection Topic Parameters
3433 @cindex topic parameters
3435 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3436 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3437 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3439 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3444 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3445 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3446 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3451 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3452 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3453 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3454 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3460 2: alt.religion.emacs
3464 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3466 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3467 13: comp.sources.unix
3471 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3472 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3473 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3474 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3475 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3476 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3478 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3479 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3480 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3481 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3482 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3484 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3485 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3486 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3487 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3488 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3489 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3490 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3491 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3494 @node Misc Group Stuff
3495 @section Misc Group Stuff
3498 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3499 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3500 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3501 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3508 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3509 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3510 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3514 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3515 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3516 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3520 @findex gnus-group-mail
3521 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3525 Variables for the group buffer:
3529 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3530 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3531 is called after the group buffer has been
3534 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3535 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3536 is called after the group buffer is
3537 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3540 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3541 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3542 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3543 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3545 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3546 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3547 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3548 whether they are empty or not.
3553 @node Scanning New Messages
3554 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3555 @cindex new messages
3556 @cindex scanning new news
3562 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3563 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3564 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3565 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3566 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3567 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3572 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3573 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3574 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3575 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3576 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3577 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3578 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3580 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3581 @cindex activating groups
3583 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3584 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3589 @findex gnus-group-restart
3590 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3591 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3592 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3596 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3597 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3599 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3600 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3604 @node Group Information
3605 @subsection Group Information
3606 @cindex group information
3607 @cindex information on groups
3614 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3615 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3618 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3619 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3620 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3621 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3622 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3623 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3624 for fetching the file.
3626 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3627 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3631 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3633 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3634 @cindex describing groups
3635 @cindex group description
3636 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3637 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3638 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3642 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3643 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3644 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3651 @findex gnus-version
3652 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3656 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3657 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3660 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3663 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3664 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3668 @node Group Timestamp
3669 @subsection Group Timestamp
3671 @cindex group timestamps
3673 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3674 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3675 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3678 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3681 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3683 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3684 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3687 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3688 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3691 This will result in lines looking like:
3694 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3695 0: custom 19961002T012713
3698 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3699 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3703 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3704 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3709 @subsection File Commands
3710 @cindex file commands
3716 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3717 @vindex gnus-init-file
3718 @cindex reading init file
3719 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3720 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3724 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3725 @cindex saving .newsrc
3726 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3727 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3728 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3731 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3732 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3733 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3738 @node The Summary Buffer
3739 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3740 @cindex summary buffer
3742 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3743 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3745 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3746 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3748 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3751 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3752 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3753 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3754 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3755 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3756 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3757 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3758 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3759 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3760 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3761 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3762 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3763 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3764 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3765 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3766 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3767 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3768 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3769 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3770 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3771 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3772 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3773 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3774 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3775 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3776 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3777 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3778 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3782 @node Summary Buffer Format
3783 @section Summary Buffer Format
3784 @cindex summary buffer format
3788 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3789 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3790 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3796 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3797 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3798 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3799 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3802 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3803 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3804 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3805 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3806 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3807 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3808 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3809 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3810 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3811 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3812 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3815 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3816 'mail-extract-address-components)
3819 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3820 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3821 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3822 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3825 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3826 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3828 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3829 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3830 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3831 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3832 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3834 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3836 The following format specification characters are understood:
3842 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3843 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3845 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3846 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3847 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3849 Full @code{From} header.
3851 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3853 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3854 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3856 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3857 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3858 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3859 may be more thorough.
3861 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3864 Number of lines in the article.
3866 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3867 methods (like nnfolder).
3869 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3871 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3872 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3874 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3875 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3877 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3878 for adopted articles.
3880 One space for each thread level.
3882 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3887 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3888 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3892 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3894 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3895 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3896 default level. If the difference between
3897 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3898 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3906 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3908 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3914 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3915 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3917 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3918 article has any children.
3924 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3925 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3926 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3927 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3928 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3929 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3932 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3933 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3934 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3935 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3936 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3937 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3939 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3940 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3942 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3945 @node To From Newsgroups
3946 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3950 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3951 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3952 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3953 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3954 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3958 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3959 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3960 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3964 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3965 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3968 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3969 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3972 @findex gnus-extra-header
3973 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3974 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3975 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3978 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3982 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3983 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3984 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3985 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3986 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3987 headers are used instead.
3991 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3992 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3993 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3994 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
3997 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3998 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
3999 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4000 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4002 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4005 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4007 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4008 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4009 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4010 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4014 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4015 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4022 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4023 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4026 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4027 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4029 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4030 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4031 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4032 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4034 Here are the elements you can play with:
4040 Unprefixed group name.
4042 Current article number.
4044 Current article score.
4048 Number of unread articles in this group.
4050 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4053 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4054 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4055 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4056 and no unselected ones.
4058 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4059 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4061 Subject of the current article.
4063 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4065 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4067 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4069 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4071 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4073 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4077 @node Summary Highlighting
4078 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4082 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4083 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4084 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4085 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4086 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4088 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4089 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4090 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4091 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4093 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4094 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4095 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4096 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4098 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4099 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4100 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4101 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4102 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4103 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4106 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4107 ((> score default) . bold))
4109 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4110 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4114 @node Summary Maneuvering
4115 @section Summary Maneuvering
4116 @cindex summary movement
4118 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4119 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4121 None of these commands select articles.
4126 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4127 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4128 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4129 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4130 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4134 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4135 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4136 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4137 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4138 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4143 @kindex G j (Summary)
4144 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4145 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4146 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4149 @kindex G g (Summary)
4150 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4151 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4152 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4155 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4156 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4157 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4158 to the group buffer.
4160 Variables related to summary movement:
4164 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4165 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4166 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4167 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4168 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4169 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4170 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4171 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4172 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4173 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4174 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4175 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4176 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4177 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4179 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4180 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4181 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4182 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4183 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4184 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4185 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4187 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4189 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4190 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4191 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4192 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4193 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4195 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4196 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4197 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4198 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4199 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4200 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4201 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4202 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4205 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4206 the given number of lines from the top.
4211 @node Choosing Articles
4212 @section Choosing Articles
4213 @cindex selecting articles
4216 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4217 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4221 @node Choosing Commands
4222 @subsection Choosing Commands
4224 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4225 and they all select and display an article.
4229 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4230 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4231 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4232 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4237 @kindex G n (Summary)
4238 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4239 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4240 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4245 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4246 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4247 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4252 @kindex G N (Summary)
4253 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4254 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4259 @kindex G P (Summary)
4260 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4261 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4264 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4265 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4266 Go to the next article with the same subject
4267 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4270 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4271 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4272 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4273 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4277 @kindex G f (Summary)
4279 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4280 Go to the first unread article
4281 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4285 @kindex G b (Summary)
4287 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4288 Go to the article with the highest score
4289 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4294 @kindex G l (Summary)
4295 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4296 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4299 @kindex G o (Summary)
4300 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4302 @cindex article history
4303 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4304 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4305 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4306 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4307 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4308 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4312 @node Choosing Variables
4313 @subsection Choosing Variables
4315 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4318 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4319 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4320 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4321 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4322 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4323 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4325 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4326 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4327 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4328 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4330 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4331 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4332 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4333 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4334 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4335 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4336 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4337 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4338 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4339 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4340 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4341 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4342 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4343 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4348 @node Paging the Article
4349 @section Scrolling the Article
4350 @cindex article scrolling
4355 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4356 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4357 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4358 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4359 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4362 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4363 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4364 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4367 @kindex RET (Summary)
4368 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4369 Scroll the current article one line forward
4370 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4373 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4374 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4375 Scroll the current article one line backward
4376 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4380 @kindex A g (Summary)
4382 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4383 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4384 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4385 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4386 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4387 the way it came from the server.
4389 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4390 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4391 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4394 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4399 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4404 @kindex A < (Summary)
4405 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4406 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4407 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4412 @kindex A > (Summary)
4413 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4414 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4418 @kindex A s (Summary)
4420 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4421 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4422 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4426 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4427 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4432 @node Reply Followup and Post
4433 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4436 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4437 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4438 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4439 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4443 @node Summary Mail Commands
4444 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4446 @cindex composing mail
4448 Commands for composing a mail message:
4454 @kindex S r (Summary)
4456 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4457 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4458 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4459 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4460 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4465 @kindex S R (Summary)
4466 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4467 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4468 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4469 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4470 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4473 @kindex S w (Summary)
4474 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4475 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4476 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4477 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4478 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4481 @kindex S W (Summary)
4482 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4483 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4484 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4485 the process/prefix convention.
4488 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4489 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4490 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4491 Forward the current article to some other person
4492 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4493 headers of the forwarded article.
4498 @kindex S m (Summary)
4499 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4500 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4501 Send a mail to some other person
4502 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4505 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4506 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4507 @cindex bouncing mail
4508 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4509 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4510 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4511 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4512 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4513 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4514 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4515 very well fail, though.
4518 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4519 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4520 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4521 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4522 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4523 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4524 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4525 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4526 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4527 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4529 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4530 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4531 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4532 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4533 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4535 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4536 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4539 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4540 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4541 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4542 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4543 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4546 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4547 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4548 @cindex crossposting
4549 @cindex excessive crossposting
4550 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4551 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4553 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4554 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4555 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4556 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4557 command understands the process/prefix convention
4558 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4562 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4565 @node Summary Post Commands
4566 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4568 @cindex composing news
4570 Commands for posting a news article:
4576 @kindex S p (Summary)
4577 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4578 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4579 Post an article to the current group
4580 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4585 @kindex S f (Summary)
4586 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4587 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4588 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4592 @kindex S F (Summary)
4594 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4595 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4596 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4597 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4598 process/prefix convention.
4601 @kindex S n (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4603 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4604 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4607 @kindex S N (Summary)
4608 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4609 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4610 message through mail and include the original message
4611 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4612 the process/prefix convention.
4615 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4616 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4617 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4618 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4619 headers of the forwarded article.
4622 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4623 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4625 @cindex making digests
4626 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4627 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4628 process/prefix convention.
4631 @kindex S u (Summary)
4632 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4633 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4634 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4635 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4638 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4641 @node Summary Message Commands
4642 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4646 @kindex S y (Summary)
4647 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4648 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4649 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4650 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4651 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4656 @node Canceling and Superseding
4657 @subsection Canceling Articles
4658 @cindex canceling articles
4659 @cindex superseding articles
4661 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4662 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4664 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4666 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4668 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4669 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4670 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4671 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4672 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4673 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4675 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4676 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4679 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4680 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4681 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4683 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4684 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4685 your original article.
4687 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4689 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4690 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4691 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4694 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4695 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4696 have posted almost the same article twice.
4698 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4699 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4700 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4701 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4702 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4703 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4704 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4705 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4706 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4707 canceled/superseded.
4709 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4712 @node Marking Articles
4713 @section Marking Articles
4714 @cindex article marking
4715 @cindex article ticking
4718 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4720 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4721 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4722 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4724 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4727 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4728 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4729 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4733 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4737 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4738 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4739 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4743 @node Unread Articles
4744 @subsection Unread Articles
4746 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4751 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4752 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4754 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4755 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4756 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4757 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4758 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4762 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4763 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4765 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4766 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4767 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4770 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4771 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4773 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4778 @subsection Read Articles
4779 @cindex expirable mark
4781 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4786 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4787 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4788 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4791 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4792 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4795 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4796 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4797 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4800 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4801 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4804 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4805 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4808 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4809 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4812 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4813 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4816 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4817 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4820 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4821 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4824 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4825 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4829 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4830 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4831 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4835 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4836 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4838 One more special mark, though:
4842 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4843 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4845 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4846 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4847 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4848 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4854 @subsection Other Marks
4855 @cindex process mark
4858 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4864 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4865 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4866 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4867 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4868 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4871 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4872 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4873 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4874 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4877 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4878 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4879 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4882 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4883 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4884 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4885 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4888 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4889 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4890 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4891 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4892 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4895 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4896 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4897 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4898 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4899 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4900 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4904 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4905 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4906 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4908 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4909 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4910 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4914 @subsection Setting Marks
4915 @cindex setting marks
4917 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4922 @kindex M c (Summary)
4923 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4924 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4925 @cindex mark as unread
4926 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4927 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4933 @kindex M t (Summary)
4934 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4935 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4936 @xref{Article Caching}.
4941 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4942 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4943 Mark the current article as dormant
4944 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4948 @kindex M d (Summary)
4950 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4951 Mark the current article as read
4952 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4956 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4957 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4958 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4963 @kindex M k (Summary)
4964 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4965 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4966 and then select the next unread article
4967 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4971 @kindex M K (Summary)
4972 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4973 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4974 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4975 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4978 @kindex M C (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4980 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4981 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4984 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4986 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4987 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4990 @kindex M H (Summary)
4991 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4992 Catchup the current group to point
4993 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4996 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4997 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4998 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4999 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5002 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5004 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5005 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5009 @kindex M e (Summary)
5011 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5012 Mark the current article as expirable
5013 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5016 @kindex M b (Summary)
5017 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5018 Set a bookmark in the current article
5019 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5022 @kindex M B (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5024 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5025 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5028 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5029 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5030 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5031 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5034 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5036 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5037 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5040 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5041 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5042 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5043 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5044 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5047 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5048 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5049 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5050 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5051 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5052 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5053 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5054 The default is @code{t}.
5057 @node Generic Marking Commands
5058 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5060 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5061 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5062 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5063 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5064 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5067 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5068 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5071 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5072 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5073 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5074 to list in this manual.
5076 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5077 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5078 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5079 article, you could say something like:
5082 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5083 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5084 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5090 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5091 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5095 @node Setting Process Marks
5096 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5097 @cindex setting process marks
5104 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5105 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5106 Mark the current article with the process mark
5107 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5108 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5112 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5113 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5114 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5115 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5118 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5119 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5120 Remove the process mark from all articles
5121 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5124 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5125 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5126 Invert the list of process marked articles
5127 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5130 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5131 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5132 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5133 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5136 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5137 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5138 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5139 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5142 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5144 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5147 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5148 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5149 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5150 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5153 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5154 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5155 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5156 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5159 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5160 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5161 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5162 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5165 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5166 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5167 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5170 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5171 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5172 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5173 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5176 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5177 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5178 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5181 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5183 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5184 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5187 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5189 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5190 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5193 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5194 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5195 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5196 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5199 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5200 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5201 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5202 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5211 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5212 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5213 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5216 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5217 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5218 additional articles.
5224 @kindex / / (Summary)
5225 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5226 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5227 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5230 @kindex / a (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5232 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5233 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5236 @kindex / x (Summary)
5237 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5238 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5239 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5240 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5244 @kindex / u (Summary)
5246 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5247 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5248 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5249 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5250 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5253 @kindex / m (Summary)
5254 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5255 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5256 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5259 @kindex / t (Summary)
5260 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5261 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5262 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5263 articles younger than that number of days.
5266 @kindex / n (Summary)
5267 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5268 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5269 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5270 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5273 @kindex / w (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5275 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5276 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5280 @kindex / v (Summary)
5281 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5282 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5283 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5287 @kindex M S (Summary)
5288 @kindex / E (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5290 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5291 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5294 @kindex / D (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5296 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5297 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5300 @kindex / * (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5302 Include all cached articles in the limit
5303 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5306 @kindex / d (Summary)
5307 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5308 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5309 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5312 @kindex / M (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5314 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5317 @kindex / T (Summary)
5318 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5319 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5322 @kindex / c (Summary)
5323 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5324 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5325 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5328 @kindex / C (Summary)
5329 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5330 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5331 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5332 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5340 @cindex article threading
5342 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5343 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5344 hierarchical fashion.
5346 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5347 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5348 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5349 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5350 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5351 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5352 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5354 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5358 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5361 A tree-like article structure.
5364 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5367 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5368 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5369 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5370 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5371 called loose threads.
5373 @item thread gathering
5374 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5376 @item sparse threads
5377 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5378 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5384 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5385 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5389 @node Customizing Threading
5390 @subsection Customizing Threading
5391 @cindex customizing threading
5394 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5395 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5396 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5397 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5402 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5405 @cindex loose threads
5408 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5409 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5410 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5411 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5412 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5413 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5415 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5416 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5417 There are four possible values:
5421 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5422 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5423 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5424 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5425 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5430 @cindex adopting articles
5435 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5436 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5437 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5438 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5441 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5442 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5443 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5444 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5445 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5446 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5447 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5450 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5451 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5452 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5456 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5457 display them after one another.
5460 Don't gather loose threads.
5463 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5464 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5465 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5466 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5467 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5468 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5469 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5470 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5471 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5472 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5473 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5475 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5476 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5477 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5480 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5481 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5482 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5483 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5484 simplification is used.
5486 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5487 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5488 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5489 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5491 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5493 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5499 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5500 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5501 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5502 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5507 (mapconcat 'identity
5508 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5510 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5513 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5516 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5517 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5518 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5519 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5520 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5521 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5523 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5526 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5527 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5528 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5530 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5531 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5534 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5535 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5536 Remove excessive whitespace.
5539 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5542 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5543 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5544 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5545 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5546 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5547 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5548 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5549 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5551 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5552 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5553 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5554 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5555 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5556 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5557 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5558 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5559 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5563 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5564 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5565 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5566 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5568 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5569 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5570 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5573 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5577 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5578 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5584 @node Filling In Threads
5585 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5588 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5589 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5590 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5591 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5592 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5593 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5594 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5595 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5596 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5597 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5598 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5599 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5601 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5602 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5603 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5605 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5606 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5607 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5608 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5609 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5610 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5611 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5612 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5613 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5614 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5615 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5616 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5617 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5618 @code{nil} by default.
5623 @node More Threading
5624 @subsubsection More Threading
5627 @item gnus-show-threads
5628 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5629 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5630 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5631 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5632 slower and more awkward.
5634 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5635 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5636 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5639 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5640 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5641 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5642 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5643 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5644 threads are expunged.
5646 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5647 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5648 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5651 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5652 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5653 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5654 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5655 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5658 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5659 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5660 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5663 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5664 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5665 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5666 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5667 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5668 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5669 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5670 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5671 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5672 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5673 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5678 @node Low-Level Threading
5679 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5683 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5684 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5685 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5687 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5688 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5689 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5690 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5691 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5692 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5693 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5694 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5695 meaningful. Here's one example:
5698 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5700 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5701 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5703 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5705 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5712 @node Thread Commands
5713 @subsection Thread Commands
5714 @cindex thread commands
5720 @kindex T k (Summary)
5721 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5722 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5723 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5724 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5725 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5730 @kindex T l (Summary)
5731 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5733 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5734 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5737 @kindex T i (Summary)
5738 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5739 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5740 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5743 @kindex T # (Summary)
5744 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5745 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5746 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5749 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5751 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5752 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5755 @kindex T T (Summary)
5756 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5757 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5760 @kindex T s (Summary)
5761 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5762 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5763 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5766 @kindex T h (Summary)
5767 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5768 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5771 @kindex T S (Summary)
5772 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5773 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5776 @kindex T H (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5778 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5781 @kindex T t (Summary)
5782 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5783 Re-thread the current article's thread
5784 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5785 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5788 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5789 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5790 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5791 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5795 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5796 understand the numeric prefix.
5801 @kindex T n (Summary)
5803 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5805 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5806 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5807 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5810 @kindex T p (Summary)
5812 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5814 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5815 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5816 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5819 @kindex T d (Summary)
5820 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5821 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5824 @kindex T u (Summary)
5825 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5826 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5829 @kindex T o (Summary)
5830 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5831 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5834 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5835 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5836 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5837 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5838 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5839 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5840 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5841 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5842 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5843 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5844 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5845 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5852 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5853 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5854 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5855 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5856 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5857 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5858 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5859 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5860 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5861 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5862 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5864 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5865 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5866 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5867 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5868 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5870 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5871 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5872 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5874 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5875 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5876 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5877 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5878 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5879 ascending article order.
5881 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5882 by number, you could do something like:
5885 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5886 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5887 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5888 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5891 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5892 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5893 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5894 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5895 which the articles arrived.
5897 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5901 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5903 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5904 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5907 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5908 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5909 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5910 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5913 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5914 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5915 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5916 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5917 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5918 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5919 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5920 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5921 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5922 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5923 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5924 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5925 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5927 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5931 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5932 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5933 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5938 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5939 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5940 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5941 @cindex article pre-fetch
5944 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5945 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5946 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5947 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5948 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5950 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5951 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5953 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5954 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5955 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5956 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5957 connection is blocked.
5959 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5960 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5961 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5962 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5964 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5965 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5966 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5967 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5970 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5973 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5974 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5975 happen automatically.
5977 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5978 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5979 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5980 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5981 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5982 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5983 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5985 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5986 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5987 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5988 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5989 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5990 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5991 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5992 data structure as the only parameter.
5994 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5997 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5998 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5999 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6000 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6003 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6006 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6007 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6008 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6010 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6011 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6012 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6013 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6017 Remove articles when they are read.
6020 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6023 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6025 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6026 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6027 @c from the next group.
6030 @node Article Caching
6031 @section Article Caching
6032 @cindex article caching
6035 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6036 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6037 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6038 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6039 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6041 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6043 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6044 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6045 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6046 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6047 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6048 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6049 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6050 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6052 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6053 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6054 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6055 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6056 as dormant, and don't worry.
6058 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6060 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6061 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6062 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6063 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6064 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6065 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6066 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6067 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6068 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6069 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6071 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6072 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6073 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6074 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6075 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6076 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6077 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6078 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6079 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6080 not then be downloaded by this command.
6082 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6083 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6084 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6085 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6086 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6087 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6089 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6090 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6091 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6092 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6093 variables, the group is not cached.
6095 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6096 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6097 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6098 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6099 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6100 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6101 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6102 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6103 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6107 @node Persistent Articles
6108 @section Persistent Articles
6109 @cindex persistent articles
6111 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6112 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6113 useful in my opinion.
6115 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6116 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6117 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6118 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6119 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6120 the expiry going on at the news server.
6122 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6123 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6124 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6130 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6131 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6134 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6135 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6136 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6137 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6141 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6143 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6144 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6145 interested in persistent articles:
6148 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6152 @node Article Backlog
6153 @section Article Backlog
6155 @cindex article backlog
6157 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6158 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6159 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6160 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6161 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6162 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6163 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6164 increase memory usage some.
6166 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6167 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6168 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6169 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6170 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6171 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6172 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6174 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6177 @node Saving Articles
6178 @section Saving Articles
6179 @cindex saving articles
6181 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6182 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6183 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6184 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6185 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6187 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6188 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6189 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6191 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6192 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6193 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6194 deleted before saving.
6200 @kindex O o (Summary)
6202 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6203 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6204 Save the current article using the default article saver
6205 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6208 @kindex O m (Summary)
6209 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6210 Save the current article in mail format
6211 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6214 @kindex O r (Summary)
6215 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6216 Save the current article in rmail format
6217 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6220 @kindex O f (Summary)
6221 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6222 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6223 Save the current article in plain file format
6224 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6227 @kindex O F (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6229 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6230 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6233 @kindex O b (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6235 Save the current article body in plain file format
6236 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6239 @kindex O h (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6241 Save the current article in mh folder format
6242 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6245 @kindex O v (Summary)
6246 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6247 Save the current article in a VM folder
6248 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6251 @kindex O p (Summary)
6252 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6253 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6254 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6257 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6258 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6259 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6260 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6261 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6262 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6263 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6264 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6265 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6266 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6267 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6268 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6272 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6273 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6274 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6275 functions below, or you can create your own.
6279 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6280 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6281 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6282 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6283 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6284 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6285 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6287 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6288 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6289 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6290 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6291 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6292 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6294 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6295 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6296 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6297 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6298 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6299 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6300 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6302 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6303 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6304 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6305 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6306 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6308 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6309 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6310 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6311 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6312 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6315 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6316 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6317 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6318 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6319 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6321 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6322 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6323 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6324 reader to use this setting.
6327 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6328 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6329 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6330 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6333 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6334 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6335 available functions that generate names:
6339 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6340 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6341 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6343 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6344 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6345 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6347 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6348 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6349 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6351 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6352 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6353 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6356 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6357 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6358 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6359 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6360 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6364 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6365 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6366 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6367 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6370 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6371 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6372 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6373 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6374 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6375 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6376 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6377 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6378 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6380 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6381 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6382 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6383 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6385 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6386 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6387 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6390 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6391 lots of mail groups called things like
6392 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6393 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6394 following will do just that:
6397 (defun my-save-name (group)
6398 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6399 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6401 (setq gnus-split-methods
6402 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6407 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6408 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6409 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6410 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6411 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6412 all the files in the top level directory
6413 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6414 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6415 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6416 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6418 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6419 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6420 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6421 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6422 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6425 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6429 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6430 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6433 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6434 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6435 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6436 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6439 @node Decoding Articles
6440 @section Decoding Articles
6441 @cindex decoding articles
6443 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6444 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6447 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6448 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6449 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6450 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6451 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6452 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6456 @cindex article series
6457 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6458 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6459 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6460 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6461 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6463 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6464 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6465 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6467 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6468 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6469 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6471 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6472 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6473 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6476 @node Uuencoded Articles
6477 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6479 @cindex uuencoded articles
6484 @kindex X u (Summary)
6485 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6486 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6487 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6490 @kindex X U (Summary)
6491 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6492 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6493 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6496 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6497 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6498 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6501 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6502 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6503 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6504 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6508 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6509 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6510 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6511 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6512 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6514 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6515 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6516 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6517 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6520 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6521 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6522 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6523 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6524 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6525 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6529 @node Shell Archives
6530 @subsection Shell Archives
6532 @cindex shell archives
6533 @cindex shared articles
6535 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6536 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6537 some commands to deal with these:
6542 @kindex X s (Summary)
6543 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6544 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6547 @kindex X S (Summary)
6548 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6549 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6552 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6553 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6554 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6557 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6558 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6559 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6560 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6564 @node PostScript Files
6565 @subsection PostScript Files
6571 @kindex X p (Summary)
6572 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6573 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6576 @kindex X P (Summary)
6577 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6578 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6579 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6582 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6583 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6584 View the current PostScript series
6585 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6588 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6589 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6590 View and save the current PostScript series
6591 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6596 @subsection Other Files
6600 @kindex X o (Summary)
6601 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6602 Save the current series
6603 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6606 @kindex X b (Summary)
6607 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6608 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6609 doesn't really work yet.
6613 @node Decoding Variables
6614 @subsection Decoding Variables
6616 Adjective, not verb.
6619 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6620 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6621 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6625 @node Rule Variables
6626 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6627 @cindex rule variables
6629 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6630 variables are of the form
6633 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6640 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6641 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6643 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6644 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6647 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6648 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6651 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6652 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6653 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6654 user and default view rules.
6656 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6657 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6658 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6663 @node Other Decode Variables
6664 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6667 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6669 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6670 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6671 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6672 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6673 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6677 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6678 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6681 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6682 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6683 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6686 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6687 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6688 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6689 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6690 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6693 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6694 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6695 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6697 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6698 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6699 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6700 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6701 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6704 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6705 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6706 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6708 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6709 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6710 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6711 looking for files to display.
6713 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6714 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6715 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6718 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6719 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6720 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6723 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6724 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6725 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6728 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6729 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6730 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6733 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6734 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6735 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6736 decoded articles as unread.
6738 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6739 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6740 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6741 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6743 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6744 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6745 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6747 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6748 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6750 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6751 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6752 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6753 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6755 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6756 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6757 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6758 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6759 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6760 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6761 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6762 simply dropped them.
6767 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6768 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6772 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6773 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6774 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6775 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6776 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6777 for you when you post the article.
6779 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6780 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6781 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6782 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6784 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6785 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6786 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6787 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6788 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6789 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6790 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6792 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6793 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6794 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6795 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6796 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6797 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6798 Default is @code{t}.
6804 @subsection Viewing Files
6805 @cindex viewing files
6806 @cindex pseudo-articles
6808 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6809 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6810 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6811 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6812 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6813 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6814 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6816 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6817 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6818 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6819 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6821 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6822 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6823 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6825 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6826 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6827 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6828 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6829 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6831 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6832 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6833 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6834 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6835 a list of parameters to that command.
6837 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6838 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6839 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6841 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6842 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6843 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6846 @node Article Treatment
6847 @section Article Treatment
6849 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6850 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6851 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6852 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6853 these articles easier.
6856 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6857 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6858 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6859 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6860 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6861 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6862 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6863 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6867 @node Article Highlighting
6868 @subsection Article Highlighting
6869 @cindex highlighting
6871 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6872 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6877 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6878 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6879 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6880 Do much highlighting of the current article
6881 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6882 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6885 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6886 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6887 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6888 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6889 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6890 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6891 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6892 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6893 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6894 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6895 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6896 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6899 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6900 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6901 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6903 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6906 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6908 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6909 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6910 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6912 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6913 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6914 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6916 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6917 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6918 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6920 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6921 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6922 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6923 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6924 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6925 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6927 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6928 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6929 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6931 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6932 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6933 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6935 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6936 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6937 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6938 that it's a citation.
6940 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6941 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6942 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6944 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6945 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6946 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6948 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6949 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6950 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6951 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6957 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6958 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6959 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6960 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6961 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6962 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6963 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6964 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6969 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
6972 @node Article Fontisizing
6973 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6975 @cindex article emphasis
6977 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6978 @kindex W e (Summary)
6979 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6980 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
6981 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6982 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6984 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6985 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6986 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6987 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6988 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6989 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6990 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6991 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6995 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6996 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6997 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7006 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7007 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7008 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7009 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7010 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7011 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7012 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7013 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7014 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7015 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7016 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7017 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7018 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7020 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7021 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7022 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7026 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7029 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7031 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7032 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7033 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7034 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7036 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7039 @node Article Hiding
7040 @subsection Article Hiding
7041 @cindex article hiding
7043 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7044 too much cruft in most articles.
7049 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7050 @findex gnus-article-hide
7051 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7052 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7053 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7056 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7057 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7058 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7062 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7063 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7064 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7065 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7068 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7069 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7070 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7074 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7075 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7076 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7077 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}.
7078 These are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of
7079 all @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any
7080 leading @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping.
7084 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7085 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7086 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7087 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7092 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7093 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7094 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7095 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7096 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7097 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7098 articles that have signatures in them do:
7100 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7102 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7104 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7105 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7107 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7110 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7115 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7116 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7117 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7118 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7121 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7122 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7125 @cindex stripping advertisments
7126 @cindex advertisments
7127 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7128 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7129 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7130 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7131 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7132 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7133 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7134 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7135 signature should be removed.
7138 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7139 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7140 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7141 customizing the hiding:
7145 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7146 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7147 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7148 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7149 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7150 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7151 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7156 Starting point of the hidden text.
7158 Ending point of the hidden text.
7160 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7162 Number of lines of hidden text.
7165 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7166 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7167 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7168 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7169 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7174 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7175 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7177 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7178 following two variables:
7181 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7182 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7183 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7184 50), hide the cited text.
7186 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7187 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7188 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7193 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7194 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7195 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7196 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7197 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7198 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7202 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7203 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7204 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7206 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7207 citation customization.
7209 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7213 @node Article Washing
7214 @subsection Article Washing
7216 @cindex article washing
7218 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7219 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7221 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7222 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7228 @kindex W l (Summary)
7229 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7230 Remove page breaks from the current article
7231 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7235 @kindex W r (Summary)
7236 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7237 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7238 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7239 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7240 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7241 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7243 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7244 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7245 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7246 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7249 @kindex W t (Summary)
7250 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7251 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7252 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7255 @kindex W v (Summary)
7256 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7257 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7258 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7261 @kindex W o (Summary)
7262 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7263 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7266 @kindex W d (Summary)
7267 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7268 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7270 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
7272 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7273 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7274 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7275 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7279 @kindex W w (Summary)
7280 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7281 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7283 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7287 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7288 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7289 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7292 @kindex W C (Summary)
7293 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7294 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7295 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7298 @kindex W c (Summary)
7299 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7300 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7301 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7302 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7303 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7306 @kindex W q (Summary)
7307 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7308 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7309 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7310 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7311 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7312 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7313 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7314 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7317 @kindex W f (Summary)
7319 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7320 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7321 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7322 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7328 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7329 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7330 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7331 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7332 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7333 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7334 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7335 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
7336 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
7337 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7338 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7339 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7340 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
7341 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7345 @kindex W b (Summary)
7346 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7347 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7348 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7351 @kindex W B (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7353 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7354 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7357 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7358 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7359 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7360 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7363 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7364 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7365 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7366 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7369 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7371 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7372 lines with a single empty line.
7373 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7376 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7377 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7378 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7379 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7382 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7384 Do all the three commands above
7385 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7388 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7390 Remove all blank lines
7391 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7394 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7396 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7397 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7400 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7402 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7403 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7407 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7410 @node Article Buttons
7411 @subsection Article Buttons
7414 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7415 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7416 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7417 button on these references.
7419 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7420 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7421 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7426 @item gnus-button-alist
7427 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7428 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7431 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7437 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7438 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7439 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7442 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7443 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7444 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7447 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7448 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7449 avoid false matches.
7452 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7455 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7456 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7460 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7463 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7466 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7467 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7468 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7469 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7470 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7473 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7476 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7478 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7479 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7480 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7481 default values of the variables above.
7483 @item gnus-article-button-face
7484 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7485 Face used on buttons.
7487 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7488 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7489 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7493 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7497 @subsection Article Date
7499 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7500 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7501 when the article was sent.
7506 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7507 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7508 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7509 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7512 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7513 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7515 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7516 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7519 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7520 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7521 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7524 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7525 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7526 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7527 @findex format-time-string
7528 Display the date using a user-defined format
7529 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7530 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7531 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7532 for a list of possible format specs.
7535 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7536 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7537 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7538 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7539 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7540 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7543 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7546 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7547 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7550 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7551 into wonderful absurdities.
7553 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7556 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7559 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7560 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7564 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7565 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7566 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7567 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7568 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7569 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7570 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7574 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7575 preferred format automatically.
7578 @node Article Signature
7579 @subsection Article Signature
7581 @cindex article signature
7583 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7584 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7585 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7586 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7587 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7588 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7589 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7590 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7591 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7594 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7595 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7596 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7597 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7598 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7599 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7600 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7601 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7604 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7607 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7608 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7609 signature when displaying articles.
7613 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7616 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7619 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7620 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7622 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7623 in question is not a signature.
7626 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7627 listed above. Here's an example:
7630 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7631 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7634 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7635 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7636 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7637 signature after all.
7640 @node Article Miscellania
7641 @subsection Article Miscellania
7645 @kindex A t (Summary)
7646 @findex gnus-article-babel
7647 Translate the article from one language to another
7648 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7654 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7655 @cindex MIME decoding
7657 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7658 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7664 @kindex K v (Summary)
7665 View the @sc{mime} part.
7668 @kindex K o (Summary)
7669 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7672 @kindex K c (Summary)
7673 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7676 @kindex K e (Summary)
7677 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7680 @kindex K i (Summary)
7681 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7684 @kindex K | (Summary)
7685 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7688 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7693 @kindex K b (Summary)
7694 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in from of them. This is
7695 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7699 @kindex K m (Summary)
7700 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7701 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7702 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7703 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7704 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7707 @kindex X m (Summary)
7708 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7709 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7710 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7711 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7714 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7715 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7716 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7717 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7720 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7721 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
7722 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7725 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7726 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7727 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7729 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7730 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7731 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7732 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7733 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7734 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7737 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7738 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7739 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7746 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7747 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7748 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7749 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7752 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7755 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7759 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7760 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7761 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7762 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7763 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7765 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7766 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7767 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7768 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7769 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7770 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7771 save all jpegs into some directory).
7773 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7776 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7777 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7779 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7780 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7781 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7782 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7783 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7786 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7787 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7788 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7797 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7798 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7799 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7800 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7801 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7802 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7803 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7805 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7806 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7807 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7808 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7810 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7811 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7812 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7813 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7814 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7815 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7816 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7817 something some agents insist on having in there.
7819 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7820 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7821 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7822 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7823 quoted-printable header encoding.
7825 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7826 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7827 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7831 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7834 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7835 means encode all charsets),
7837 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7838 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7839 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7846 @cindex coding system aliases
7847 @cindex preferred charset
7849 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
7851 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
7852 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
7855 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
7856 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
7859 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
7860 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
7862 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
7865 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
7868 This will almost do the right thing.
7870 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
7874 (codepage-setup 1251)
7875 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
7879 @node Article Commands
7880 @section Article Commands
7887 @kindex A P (Summary)
7888 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7889 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7890 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7891 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7892 run just before printing the buffer.
7897 @node Summary Sorting
7898 @section Summary Sorting
7899 @cindex summary sorting
7901 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7902 can't really see why you'd want that.
7907 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7908 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7909 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7912 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7913 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7914 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7917 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7918 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7919 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7922 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7923 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7924 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7927 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7928 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7929 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7932 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
7933 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
7934 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
7937 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7938 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7939 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7942 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7943 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7944 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7945 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7946 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7950 @node Finding the Parent
7951 @section Finding the Parent
7952 @cindex parent articles
7953 @cindex referring articles
7958 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7959 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7960 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7961 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7962 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7963 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7964 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7965 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7966 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7968 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7969 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7970 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
7971 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7972 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7976 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7977 @kindex A R (Summary)
7978 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7979 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7982 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7983 @kindex A T (Summary)
7984 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7985 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7986 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7987 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7988 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7989 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7990 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7992 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7993 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7994 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7995 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7996 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7997 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8000 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8001 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8003 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8004 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8005 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8006 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8007 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8008 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8009 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8012 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8013 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8014 by giving this command a prefix.
8016 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8017 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8018 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8019 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8020 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8021 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8024 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8025 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8026 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8029 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8030 then ask Deja if that fails:
8033 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8035 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8038 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8039 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8040 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8041 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8042 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8043 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8046 @node Alternative Approaches
8047 @section Alternative Approaches
8049 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8050 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8053 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8054 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8059 @subsection Pick and Read
8060 @cindex pick and read
8062 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8063 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8064 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8065 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8067 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8068 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8069 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8070 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8071 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8072 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8074 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8079 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8080 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8081 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8082 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8083 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8084 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8085 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8086 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8089 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8090 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8091 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8092 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8096 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8097 Unpick the thread or article
8098 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8099 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8100 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8101 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8102 the thread or article at that line.
8106 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8107 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8108 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8109 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8110 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8111 will still be visible when you are reading.
8115 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8116 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8117 which is mapped to the same function
8118 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8120 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8123 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8126 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8127 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8129 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8130 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8131 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8133 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8134 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8135 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8136 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8137 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8138 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8139 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8143 @subsection Binary Groups
8144 @cindex binary groups
8146 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8147 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8148 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8149 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8150 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8151 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8152 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8155 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8156 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8157 command, when you have turned on this mode
8158 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8160 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8161 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8165 @section Tree Display
8168 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8169 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8170 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8171 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8174 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8177 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8178 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8179 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8181 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8182 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8183 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8184 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8185 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8187 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8188 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8189 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8190 default is @code{modeline}.
8192 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8193 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8194 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8195 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8196 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8197 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8198 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8204 The name of the poster.
8206 The @code{From} header.
8208 The number of the article.
8210 The opening bracket.
8212 The closing bracket.
8217 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8219 Variables related to the display are:
8222 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8223 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8224 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8225 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8226 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8227 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8229 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8230 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8231 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8232 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8236 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8237 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8238 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8239 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8240 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8241 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8242 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8243 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8244 other windows displayed next to it.
8246 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8247 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8248 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8249 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8250 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8251 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8252 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8256 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8259 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8269 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8273 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8274 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8276 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8278 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8283 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8284 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8285 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8288 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8289 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8290 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8291 (gnus-add-configuration
8295 (summary 0.75 point)
8300 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8303 @node Mail Group Commands
8304 @section Mail Group Commands
8305 @cindex mail group commands
8307 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8308 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8310 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8311 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8316 @kindex B e (Summary)
8317 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8318 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8319 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8322 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8323 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8324 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8325 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8326 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8327 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8330 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8331 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8332 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8333 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8334 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8335 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8338 @kindex B m (Summary)
8340 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8341 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8342 Move the article from one mail group to another
8343 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8344 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8347 @kindex B c (Summary)
8349 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8350 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8351 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8352 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8353 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8356 @kindex B B (Summary)
8357 @cindex crosspost mail
8358 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8359 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8360 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8361 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8362 be properly updated.
8365 @kindex B i (Summary)
8366 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8367 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8368 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8369 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8372 @kindex B r (Summary)
8373 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8374 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8375 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8376 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8377 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8378 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8379 (which is the default).
8383 @kindex B w (Summary)
8385 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8386 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8387 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8388 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8389 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8390 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8393 @kindex B q (Summary)
8394 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8395 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8396 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8397 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8400 @kindex B t (Summary)
8401 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8402 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8403 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8406 @kindex B p (Summary)
8407 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8408 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8409 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8410 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8411 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8412 article from your news server (or rather, from
8413 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8414 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8415 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8416 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8417 just not have arrived yet.
8421 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8422 @cindex moving articles
8423 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8424 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8425 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8426 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8427 suggestions you find reasonable.
8430 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8431 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8432 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8433 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8437 @node Various Summary Stuff
8438 @section Various Summary Stuff
8441 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8442 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8443 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8444 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8448 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8449 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8450 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8452 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8453 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8454 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8455 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8456 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8457 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8460 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8461 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8462 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8463 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8464 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8466 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8467 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8468 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8471 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8472 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8473 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8474 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8475 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8476 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8477 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8478 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8479 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8480 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8485 @node Summary Group Information
8486 @subsection Summary Group Information
8491 @kindex H f (Summary)
8492 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8493 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8494 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8495 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8496 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8497 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8498 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8499 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8500 be used for fetching the file.
8503 @kindex H d (Summary)
8504 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8505 Give a brief description of the current group
8506 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8507 rereading the description from the server.
8510 @kindex H h (Summary)
8511 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8512 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8513 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8516 @kindex H i (Summary)
8517 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8518 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8522 @node Searching for Articles
8523 @subsection Searching for Articles
8528 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8529 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8530 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8531 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8534 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8535 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8536 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8537 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8541 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8542 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
8543 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8544 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
8548 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8549 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8550 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8551 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8554 @node Summary Generation Commands
8555 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8560 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8561 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8562 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8565 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8566 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8567 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8568 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8573 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8574 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8580 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8581 @kindex A D (Summary)
8582 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8583 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8584 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8585 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8586 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8587 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8588 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8589 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8593 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8594 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8595 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8596 several documents into one biiig group
8597 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8598 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8599 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8600 command understands the process/prefix convention
8601 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8604 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8605 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8606 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8607 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8608 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8609 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8613 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8614 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8615 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8618 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8619 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8620 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8621 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8624 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8625 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8626 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8627 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8632 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8633 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8634 @cindex summary exit
8635 @cindex exiting groups
8637 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8638 group and return you to the group buffer.
8644 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8646 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8647 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8648 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8649 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8650 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8651 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8652 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8653 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8654 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8655 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8656 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8660 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8662 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8663 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8664 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8668 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8670 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8671 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8672 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8673 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8676 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8677 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8678 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8679 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8682 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8684 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8685 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8688 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8689 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8690 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8691 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8692 all articles, both read and unread.
8696 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8697 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8698 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8699 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8700 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8701 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8702 articles, both read and unread.
8705 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8706 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8707 Exit the group and go to the next group
8708 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8711 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8712 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8713 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8714 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8717 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8718 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8719 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8720 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8721 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8722 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8725 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8726 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8727 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8728 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8730 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8731 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8732 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8733 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8734 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8735 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8736 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8737 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8738 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8739 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8740 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8741 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8743 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8745 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8746 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8747 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8748 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8749 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8750 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8751 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8752 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8753 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8756 @node Crosspost Handling
8757 @section Crosspost Handling
8761 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8762 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8763 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8764 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8765 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8766 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8769 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8770 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8771 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8772 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8773 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8775 @cindex cross-posting
8778 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8779 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8780 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8781 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8782 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8783 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8784 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8785 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8786 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8787 the cross reference mechanism.
8789 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8790 @cindex overview.fmt
8791 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8792 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8793 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8794 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8795 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8796 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8799 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8800 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8801 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8806 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8809 @node Duplicate Suppression
8810 @section Duplicate Suppression
8812 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8813 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8814 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8815 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8820 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8821 is evil and not very common.
8824 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8825 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8828 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8829 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8832 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8835 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8836 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8838 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8839 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8840 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8841 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8842 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8843 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8844 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8847 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8848 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8849 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8850 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8851 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8855 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8856 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8857 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8859 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8860 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8861 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8862 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8863 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
8864 session are suppressed.
8866 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8867 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8868 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8869 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8871 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8872 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8873 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8874 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8877 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
8878 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8879 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8880 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8881 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
8882 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8883 to you to figure out, I think.
8886 @node The Article Buffer
8887 @chapter The Article Buffer
8888 @cindex article buffer
8890 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8891 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8892 tell Gnus otherwise.
8895 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8896 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
8897 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8898 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8899 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8903 @node Hiding Headers
8904 @section Hiding Headers
8905 @cindex hiding headers
8906 @cindex deleting headers
8908 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8909 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8911 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8912 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8913 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8914 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8915 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8916 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8917 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8918 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8919 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8921 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8925 @item gnus-visible-headers
8926 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8927 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8928 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8929 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8931 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8932 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8935 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8938 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8941 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8942 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8943 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8944 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8945 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8946 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8948 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
8949 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
8952 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8955 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8958 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8959 variable will have no effect.
8963 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8964 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8965 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8966 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8967 the headers are to be displayed.
8969 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8970 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8973 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8976 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8977 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8979 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8980 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8981 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8982 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-header} to @code{head}. What this function
8983 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8984 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8985 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8988 These conditions are:
8991 Remove all empty headers.
8993 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8994 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8996 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8999 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9002 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9005 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9007 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9010 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9013 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9014 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9017 This is also the default value for this variable.
9021 @section Using @sc{mime}
9024 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9025 while people stand around yawning.
9027 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9028 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9030 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9031 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9032 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9034 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9035 @findex gnus-display-mime
9036 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9037 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9038 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9039 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9041 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9045 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9047 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9048 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9049 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9051 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9052 @item M-RET (Article)
9054 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9055 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9057 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9059 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9060 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9062 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9064 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9065 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9067 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9069 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9070 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9072 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9074 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9076 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9078 Insert the raw contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9079 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}).
9083 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9084 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9087 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9088 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9089 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9090 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9091 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9092 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9093 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9094 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9095 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9097 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9099 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9102 @node Customizing Articles
9103 @section Customizing Articles
9104 @cindex article customization
9106 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9107 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9108 called automatically when you select the articles.
9110 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9111 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9112 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9113 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9115 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9116 for sensible values.
9120 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9123 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9126 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9129 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9132 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9136 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9137 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9138 regexps in the list.
9141 A list where the first element is not a string:
9143 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9144 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9145 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9149 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9154 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9155 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9156 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9157 considered to contain just a single part.
9159 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9160 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9161 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9162 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9163 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9164 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9165 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9167 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9168 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9169 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9170 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9173 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9174 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9175 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9176 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9177 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9178 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9179 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9180 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9181 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9182 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9183 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9184 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9185 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9186 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9187 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9188 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9189 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9190 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9191 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9192 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9193 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9194 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9195 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9196 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9197 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9198 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9199 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9200 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9201 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9202 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9203 @item gnus-treat-translate
9206 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9207 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9208 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9209 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9210 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9214 @node Article Keymap
9215 @section Article Keymap
9217 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9218 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9219 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9220 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9223 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9228 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9229 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9230 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9233 @kindex DEL (Article)
9234 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9235 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9238 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9239 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9240 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9241 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9242 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9245 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9246 @findex gnus-article-mail
9247 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9248 given a prefix, include the mail.
9252 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9253 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9254 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9258 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9259 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9260 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9263 @kindex TAB (Article)
9264 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9265 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9266 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9269 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9270 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9271 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9277 @section Misc Article
9281 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9282 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9283 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9284 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9287 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9288 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9290 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9291 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9293 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9294 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9295 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9296 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9297 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9298 the contents of the article buffer.
9300 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9301 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9302 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9304 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9305 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9306 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9307 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9309 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9310 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9311 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9312 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9313 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9318 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9319 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9322 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9325 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9327 @item gnus-break-pages
9328 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9329 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9330 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9331 paging will not be done.
9333 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9334 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9335 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9340 @node Composing Messages
9341 @chapter Composing Messages
9342 @cindex composing messages
9345 @cindex sending mail
9350 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9351 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9352 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9353 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9354 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9355 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9358 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9359 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9360 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9361 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9362 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9363 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9364 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9365 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9368 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9369 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9375 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9378 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9379 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9380 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9381 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9383 @item gnus-add-to-list
9384 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9385 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9386 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9394 Variables for composing news articles:
9397 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9398 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9399 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9400 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9401 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9402 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9403 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9404 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9405 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
9408 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9409 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9410 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9411 file. It is 1000 by default.
9416 @node Posting Server
9417 @section Posting Server
9419 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9420 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9422 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9424 @vindex gnus-post-method
9426 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
9427 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9428 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9429 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9430 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9433 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9436 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9437 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9438 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9439 the ``current'' server for posting.
9441 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9442 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9444 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9445 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9448 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9449 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9450 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9455 @section Mail and Post
9457 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9461 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9462 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9463 @cindex mailing lists
9465 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9466 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9467 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9468 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9469 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9470 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9471 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9472 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9473 still a pain, though.
9477 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9478 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9479 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9482 @findex ispell-message
9484 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9487 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9488 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9491 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9494 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9495 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9497 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9500 Modify to suit your needs.
9503 @node Archived Messages
9504 @section Archived Messages
9505 @cindex archived messages
9506 @cindex sent messages
9508 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9509 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9510 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9511 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9514 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9515 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
9516 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9520 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9521 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9522 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9523 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9526 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9527 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9528 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9529 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9532 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9533 '(nnfolder "archive"
9534 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9535 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9536 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9539 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9541 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9542 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9543 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9545 This variable can be used to do the following:
9549 Messages will be saved in that group.
9550 @item a list of strings
9551 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9552 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9553 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9555 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9560 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9562 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9565 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9567 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9570 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9572 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9573 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9574 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9575 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9580 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9581 '((if (message-news-p)
9586 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9587 messages in one file per month:
9590 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9591 '((if (message-news-p)
9593 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9596 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9597 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9599 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9600 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9601 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9602 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9603 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9604 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9605 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9606 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9607 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9608 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9610 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9611 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9612 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9613 this will disable archiving.
9616 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9617 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9618 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9619 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9620 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9623 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9624 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9625 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9628 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9629 but the latter is the preferred method.
9633 @node Posting Styles
9634 @section Posting Styles
9635 @cindex posting styles
9638 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9640 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9641 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9642 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9645 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9646 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9647 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9648 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9649 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9654 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9655 (organization "What me?"))
9657 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9658 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9659 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9662 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9663 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9664 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9665 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9666 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9667 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9668 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9669 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9671 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9672 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9673 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9674 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9675 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9676 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9677 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9678 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9681 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9682 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9683 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9684 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9685 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9686 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9687 article. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated,
9688 and the result is thrown away.
9690 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9691 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9692 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9693 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9694 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9695 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9697 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9698 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9699 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9701 @findex message-mail-p
9702 @findex message-news-p
9704 So here's a new example:
9707 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9709 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9711 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9712 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9714 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9715 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9716 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9718 (signature my-news-signature))
9719 (header "From.*To" "larsi.*org"
9720 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9721 ((posting-from-work-p)
9722 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9723 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9724 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9725 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9727 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9735 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9736 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9737 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9738 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9739 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9741 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9742 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9743 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9744 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9745 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9749 @vindex nndraft-directory
9750 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9751 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9752 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9753 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9754 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9755 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9757 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9758 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9761 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9762 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9763 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9764 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9765 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9766 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9767 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9768 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9769 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9770 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9771 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9772 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9773 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9774 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9776 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9777 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9778 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9780 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9782 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9783 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9784 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9786 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9789 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9790 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9791 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9792 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9793 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9794 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9795 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9798 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9799 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9800 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9803 @node Rejected Articles
9804 @section Rejected Articles
9805 @cindex rejected articles
9807 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9808 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9809 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9810 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9812 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
9813 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9814 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9815 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
9816 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9818 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9819 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9820 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9823 @node Select Methods
9824 @chapter Select Methods
9825 @cindex foreign groups
9826 @cindex select methods
9828 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9829 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9830 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9831 personal mail group.
9833 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9834 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9835 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9836 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9837 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9838 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9840 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9841 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9843 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9846 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9847 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9848 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9849 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9850 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9852 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9855 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9856 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9857 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9858 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
9859 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9860 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9861 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9865 @node The Server Buffer
9866 @section The Server Buffer
9868 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9869 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9870 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9871 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9872 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9873 backend represents a virtual server.
9875 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9876 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9877 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9878 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9880 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9881 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9882 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9883 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9884 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9885 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9886 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9888 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9889 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9892 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9893 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9894 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9895 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9896 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9897 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9898 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9901 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9902 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9905 @node Server Buffer Format
9906 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9907 @cindex server buffer format
9909 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9910 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9911 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9912 variable, with some simple extensions:
9917 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9920 The name of this server.
9923 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9926 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9929 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9930 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9931 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9932 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9942 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9945 @node Server Commands
9946 @subsection Server Commands
9947 @cindex server commands
9953 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9954 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9958 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9959 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9962 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9963 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9964 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9968 @findex gnus-server-exit
9969 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9973 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9974 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9978 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9979 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9983 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9984 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9988 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9989 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9993 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9994 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9995 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10000 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10001 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10002 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10003 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
10008 @node Example Methods
10009 @subsection Example Methods
10011 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10014 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10017 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10023 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10024 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10027 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10028 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10030 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10031 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10035 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10038 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10039 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10041 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10042 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10043 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10047 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10050 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10053 Here's the method for a public spool:
10057 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10058 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10061 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10062 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10063 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10064 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10065 should probably look something like this:
10069 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10070 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10071 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10072 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10073 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10076 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10077 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10078 server that would look something like this:
10082 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10083 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10084 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10085 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10086 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10087 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10090 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10091 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10092 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10093 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10096 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10097 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10099 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10100 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10102 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10103 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10104 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10106 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10108 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10109 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10110 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10111 will contain the following:
10121 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10122 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10123 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10126 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10127 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10128 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10131 @node Server Variables
10132 @subsection Server Variables
10134 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10135 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10136 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10137 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10138 won't change the "derived" variables.
10140 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10141 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10142 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10143 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10144 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10145 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10146 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10147 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10148 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10152 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10153 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10154 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10158 @node Servers and Methods
10159 @subsection Servers and Methods
10161 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10162 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10163 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10164 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10168 @node Unavailable Servers
10169 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10171 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10172 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10173 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10174 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10175 actually the case or not.
10177 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10178 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10179 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10180 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10181 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10182 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10183 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10184 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10186 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10187 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10189 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10190 with the following commands:
10196 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10197 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10198 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10202 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10203 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10204 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10208 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10209 Mark the current server as unreachable
10210 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10213 @kindex M-o (Server)
10214 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10215 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10216 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10219 @kindex M-c (Server)
10220 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10221 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10222 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10226 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10227 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10228 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10234 @section Getting News
10235 @cindex reading news
10236 @cindex news backends
10238 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10239 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10240 or it can read from a local spool.
10243 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10244 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10249 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10252 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10253 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10254 server as the, uhm, address.
10256 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10257 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10258 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10259 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10261 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10262 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10263 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10265 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10270 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10271 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10272 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10274 @cindex authentification
10275 @cindex nntp authentification
10276 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10277 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10278 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10279 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10280 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10281 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10282 present in this hook.
10284 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10285 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10286 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10287 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10288 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10289 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10290 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10291 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10292 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10293 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10294 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10295 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10299 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10302 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
10303 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10304 @samp{default}, @samp{port} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a
10305 valid @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is almost the only way the
10306 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
10311 Here's an example file:
10314 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10315 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10318 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10319 have to be first, for instance.
10321 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10322 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10323 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10324 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10325 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10326 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10327 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10329 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10330 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10336 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10337 previously mentioned.
10339 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10341 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10342 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10343 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10344 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10345 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10348 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10349 '(("innd" (ding))))
10352 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10354 The default value is
10357 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10358 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10361 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10362 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10364 @item nntp-maximum-request
10365 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10366 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10367 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10368 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10369 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10370 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10371 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10373 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10374 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10375 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10376 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10377 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10378 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10379 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10380 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10381 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10382 no timeouts are done.
10384 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10385 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10386 @c @cindex PPP connections
10387 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10388 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10389 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10390 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10391 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10392 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10393 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10394 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10395 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10396 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10398 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10399 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10400 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10401 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10402 @c described above.
10404 @item nntp-server-hook
10405 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10406 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10409 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10410 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10411 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10412 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10413 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10414 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10415 functions are supplied:
10418 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10419 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10422 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10423 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10424 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10427 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10431 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10432 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10433 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10434 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10436 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10437 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10438 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10440 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10441 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10442 User name on the remote system.
10446 @item nntp-open-telnet
10447 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10448 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10450 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10453 @item nntp-telnet-command
10454 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10455 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10457 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10458 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10459 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10461 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10462 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10463 User name for log in on the remote system.
10465 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10466 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10467 Password to use when logging in.
10469 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10470 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10471 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10474 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10475 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10476 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10477 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10479 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10480 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10481 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10482 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10483 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10487 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10488 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10489 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10490 you must have SSLay installed
10491 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10492 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10493 define a server as follows:
10496 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10498 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10500 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10501 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10502 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10503 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10508 @item nntp-end-of-line
10509 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10510 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10511 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10512 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10514 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10515 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10516 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10520 @vindex nntp-address
10521 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10523 @item nntp-port-number
10524 @vindex nntp-port-number
10525 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10528 @item nntp-buggy-select
10529 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10530 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10532 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10533 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10534 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10535 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10538 @item nntp-xover-commands
10539 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10542 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10543 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10547 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10548 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10549 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10550 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10551 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10552 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10553 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10554 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10555 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10556 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10557 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10559 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10560 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10561 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10563 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10564 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10565 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10566 server closes connection.
10568 @item nntp-record-commands
10569 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10570 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10571 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10572 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10573 that doesn't seem to work.
10579 @subsection News Spool
10583 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10584 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10585 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10588 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10589 anything else) as the address.
10591 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10592 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10593 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10594 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10598 @item nnspool-inews-program
10599 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10600 Program used to post an article.
10602 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10603 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10604 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10606 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10607 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10608 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10609 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10611 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10612 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10613 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10614 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10616 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10617 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10618 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10620 @item nnspool-active-file
10621 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10622 The path to the active file.
10624 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10625 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10626 The path to the group descriptions file.
10628 @item nnspool-history-file
10629 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10630 The path to the news history file.
10632 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10633 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10634 The path to the active date file.
10636 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10637 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10638 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10641 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10642 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10644 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10645 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10646 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10652 @section Getting Mail
10653 @cindex reading mail
10656 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10660 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10661 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10662 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10663 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10664 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10665 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10666 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10667 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10668 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10669 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10670 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10671 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10672 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10676 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10677 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10679 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10680 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10681 of a culture shock.
10683 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10684 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10686 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10687 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10688 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10689 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10691 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10693 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10694 deleted? How awful!
10696 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10697 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10698 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10699 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10702 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10703 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10704 they want to treat a message.
10706 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10707 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10708 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10709 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10710 archived somewhere else.
10712 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10713 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10714 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10715 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10716 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10718 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10719 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10720 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10722 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10723 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10726 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10727 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10728 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10729 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10730 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
10732 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
10733 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
10734 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
10735 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
10736 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
10737 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
10741 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
10742 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
10744 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
10745 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
10746 and things will happen automatically.
10748 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
10749 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
10752 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10753 '((nnml "private")))
10756 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10757 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10758 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10759 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10760 like any other group.
10762 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10765 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10766 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10767 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10771 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10772 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10773 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10776 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10777 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10778 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10781 @node Splitting Mail
10782 @subsection Splitting Mail
10783 @cindex splitting mail
10784 @cindex mail splitting
10786 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10787 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10788 to be split into groups.
10791 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10792 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10793 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10794 ("mail.other" "")))
10797 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10798 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10799 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10800 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10801 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10802 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10803 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10806 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10809 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10810 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10811 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10812 mail belongs in that group.
10814 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10815 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10816 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10817 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10818 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10819 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10821 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10822 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10823 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10824 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10825 thinks should carry this mail message.
10827 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10828 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10829 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10830 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10832 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10833 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10834 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10835 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10836 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10838 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10841 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10842 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10843 links. If that's the case for you, set
10844 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10845 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10847 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10848 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10849 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10850 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
10852 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10853 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10854 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10855 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10856 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10857 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10858 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10859 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10860 month's rent money.
10864 @subsection Mail Sources
10866 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10867 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
10871 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10872 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10873 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10877 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10878 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10880 @cindex mail server
10883 @cindex mail source
10885 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10886 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
10891 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
10894 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
10895 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
10896 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
10899 The following mail source types are available:
10903 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
10909 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
10910 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
10913 An example file mail source:
10916 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
10919 Or using the default path:
10925 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
10926 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not you ange-ftp
10927 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
10930 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
10934 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
10937 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
10941 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
10944 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
10946 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
10949 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
10953 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
10954 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
10960 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
10964 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
10968 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
10969 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
10970 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
10971 predicate are considered.
10975 Script run before/after fetching mail.
10979 An example directory mail source:
10982 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
10987 Get mail from a POP server.
10993 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
10994 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10997 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
11000 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11004 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11008 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
11009 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11012 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11015 The valid format specifier characters are:
11019 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11020 included in this string.
11023 The name of the server.
11026 The port number of the server.
11029 The user name to use.
11032 The password to use.
11035 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11036 corresponding keywords.
11039 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11040 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11043 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11044 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11047 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11048 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11051 @item :authentication
11052 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11053 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11058 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11059 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11061 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11062 default user name, and default fetcher:
11068 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11071 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11072 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11075 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11078 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11082 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11083 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11084 contains exactly one mail.
11090 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11091 @samp{~/Maildir/new}.
11093 If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11094 them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11095 @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11098 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11099 from locking problems).
11103 Two example maildir mail sources:
11106 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/cur")
11110 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/new")
11114 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11115 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11116 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11117 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11123 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11124 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11127 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11128 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11131 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11135 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11139 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11140 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11141 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11143 @item :authenticator
11144 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11145 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11146 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11150 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11151 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11154 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11155 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11156 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11157 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11158 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11159 complete list of predicates, see RFC2060 §6.4.4.
11162 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{Deleted}
11163 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{Seen} which
11164 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11165 but more flags are defined in RFC2060 §2.3.2.
11168 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11169 after finishing the fetch.
11173 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11176 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11180 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11181 mail.yahoo.com, www.netaddress.com and www.my-deja.com.
11183 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on w3 (url) package, whose version of "WWW
11184 4.0pre.46 1999/10/01" or previous ones may not work.
11186 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11192 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11193 alternatives are @code{yahoo}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11196 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11200 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11204 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11205 folder after finishing the fetch.
11209 An example webmail source:
11212 (webmail :subtype 'yahoo :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11217 @item Common Keywords
11218 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11224 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11225 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11229 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11234 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11235 useful when you use local mail and news.
11240 @node Mail Source Customization
11241 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11243 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11244 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11248 @item mail-source-crash-box
11249 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11250 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11251 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11253 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11254 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11255 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11257 @item mail-source-directory
11258 @vindex mail-source-directory
11259 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11260 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11261 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11264 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11265 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11266 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11271 @node Fetching Mail
11272 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11274 @vindex mail-sources
11275 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11276 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11277 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11278 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11280 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11281 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11284 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11285 mail server, you'd say something like:
11290 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11291 :password "secret")))
11294 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11298 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11299 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11302 :password "secret")))
11306 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11307 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11308 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11309 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11310 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11311 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11315 @node Mail Backend Variables
11316 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11318 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11322 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11323 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11324 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11325 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11327 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11328 @item nnmail-split-hook
11329 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11330 @findex RFC1522 decoding
11331 @findex RFC2047 decoding
11332 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11333 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11334 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11335 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11336 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11337 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11340 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11341 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11342 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11343 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11344 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11345 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11346 starting to handle the new mail) and
11347 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11348 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11349 default file modes the new mail files get:
11352 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11353 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11355 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11356 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11359 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11360 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11361 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11362 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11363 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11364 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11365 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11367 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11368 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11369 @findex delete-file
11370 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11372 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11373 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11374 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11375 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11376 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11381 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11382 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11383 @cindex mail splitting
11384 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11386 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11387 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11388 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11389 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11390 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11391 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11393 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11396 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11397 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11398 ;; from real errors.
11399 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11401 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11402 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11403 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11404 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11405 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11406 ;; Other mailing lists...
11407 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11408 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11409 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11410 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11411 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11412 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11413 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11414 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11416 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11417 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11421 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11422 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11423 the five possible split syntaxes:
11428 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11429 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11433 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11434 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11435 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11436 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11437 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11438 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11439 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11440 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11443 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11444 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11445 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11446 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11449 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11450 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11453 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11454 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11457 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11458 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11459 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11460 function should return a @var{split}.
11463 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11464 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11465 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11469 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11473 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11474 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11475 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11476 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11477 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11479 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11480 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11481 are expanded as specified by the variable
11482 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11483 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11486 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11487 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11488 when all this splitting is performed.
11490 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11491 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11492 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11495 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11498 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11499 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11501 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11502 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11503 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11504 groupings 1 through 9.
11507 @node Group Mail Splitting
11508 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11509 @cindex mail splitting
11510 @cindex group mail splitting
11512 @findex gnus-group-split
11513 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11514 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11515 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11516 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11517 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11518 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11519 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11520 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11522 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11523 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11524 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11525 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11527 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11528 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11529 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11530 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11531 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11532 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11533 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11535 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11536 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11537 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11538 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11539 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11540 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11541 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11543 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11544 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11545 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11546 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11547 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11548 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11549 that group is used as the catch-all group. Note that, in this case,
11550 there's no cross-posting, as a @code{|} fancy split encloses the
11551 @code{&} split and the catch-all group.
11553 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11558 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11559 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11561 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11562 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11563 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11564 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11566 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11569 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11570 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11571 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11574 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11575 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11576 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11580 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11581 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11582 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11586 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11589 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11590 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11591 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11592 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} may be the name
11593 of a group to be used as the default catch-all group. If
11594 @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11595 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11596 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11597 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11599 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11600 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11601 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11602 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11603 used to select @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11604 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11605 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11606 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11607 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11609 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11610 However, if you change group parameters, you have to update
11611 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11612 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11613 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11614 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11617 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11620 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11621 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11622 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11623 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional),
11624 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
11627 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
11628 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
11629 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
11630 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
11632 @node Incorporating Old Mail
11633 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
11635 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
11636 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
11637 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
11640 Doing so can be quite easy.
11642 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
11643 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
11644 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
11645 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
11646 your @code{nnml} groups.
11652 Go to the group buffer.
11655 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
11656 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11659 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
11662 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
11663 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11666 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
11667 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
11670 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
11671 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
11672 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
11673 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
11674 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
11676 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
11677 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
11678 using the new mail backend.
11681 @node Expiring Mail
11682 @subsection Expiring Mail
11683 @cindex article expiry
11685 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
11686 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
11687 different approach to mail reading.
11689 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
11690 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
11691 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
11692 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
11693 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
11694 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
11697 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
11698 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
11699 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
11700 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
11701 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
11702 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
11703 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
11704 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
11706 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11707 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
11708 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
11709 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
11710 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
11711 column in the summary buffer.
11713 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
11714 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
11715 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
11716 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
11719 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
11721 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
11722 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
11723 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
11726 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
11727 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
11728 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
11729 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
11730 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
11732 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
11733 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
11736 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11737 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
11740 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
11741 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
11743 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
11744 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
11745 don't really mix very well.
11747 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
11748 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
11749 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
11750 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
11753 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
11754 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
11755 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
11756 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
11759 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11761 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11763 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
11765 ((string= group "mail.junk")
11767 ((string= group "important")
11773 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
11774 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
11776 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
11777 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
11778 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
11781 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
11782 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
11784 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
11785 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
11786 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
11787 other groups instead of deleting them. The @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
11788 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
11789 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
11790 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
11791 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
11792 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
11793 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
11796 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
11797 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
11798 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
11799 easier for procmail users.
11801 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
11802 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
11803 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
11804 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
11805 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
11806 caution. Even more dangerous is the
11807 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
11808 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
11809 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
11810 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
11811 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
11812 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
11813 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
11816 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
11818 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
11819 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
11820 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
11821 auto-expire turned on.
11825 @subsection Washing Mail
11826 @cindex mail washing
11827 @cindex list server brain damage
11828 @cindex incoming mail treatment
11830 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
11831 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
11832 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
11833 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
11834 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
11835 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
11837 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
11838 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
11839 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
11842 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
11843 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
11844 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
11845 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
11848 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11849 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11850 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
11851 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
11852 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
11855 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11856 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11857 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
11858 Emacs running on MS machines.
11862 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11863 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11864 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
11865 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
11868 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11869 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11870 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
11871 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
11873 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11874 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11875 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
11876 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
11877 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
11878 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
11879 also be a list of regexp.
11881 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
11882 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
11885 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
11886 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
11889 This can also be done non-destructively with
11890 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
11892 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
11893 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
11894 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
11896 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11897 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11899 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
11900 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
11901 @code{References} headers.
11905 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11906 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11907 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
11911 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
11912 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
11913 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
11920 @subsection Duplicates
11922 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
11923 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
11924 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
11925 @cindex duplicate mails
11926 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
11927 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
11928 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
11929 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
11930 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
11931 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
11932 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
11933 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
11934 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
11935 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
11936 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
11937 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
11938 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
11940 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
11941 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
11942 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
11943 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
11945 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
11948 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
11949 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
11953 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11954 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
11955 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
11956 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
11957 (any mail "mail.misc")
11964 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11965 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
11970 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
11971 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
11972 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
11973 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
11974 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
11977 @node Not Reading Mail
11978 @subsection Not Reading Mail
11980 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
11981 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
11982 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
11984 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
11985 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
11986 mail, which should help.
11988 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11989 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
11990 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11991 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11992 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11993 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
11994 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
11995 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
11996 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
11997 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
11998 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12000 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12001 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12005 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12006 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12008 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12009 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12010 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12012 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12013 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12014 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12015 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12018 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12019 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12020 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12021 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12022 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12023 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12027 @node Unix Mail Box
12028 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12030 @cindex unix mail box
12032 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12033 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12034 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12035 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12036 which group it belongs in.
12038 Virtual server settings:
12041 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12042 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12043 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12045 @item nnmbox-active-file
12046 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12047 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12049 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12050 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12051 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12057 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12061 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12062 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12063 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12064 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12065 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12067 Virtual server settings:
12070 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12071 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12072 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12074 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12075 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12076 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12078 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12079 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12080 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12085 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12087 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12089 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12090 format. It should be used with some caution.
12092 @vindex nnml-directory
12093 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12094 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12095 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12096 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12098 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12101 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12102 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12103 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12104 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12105 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12106 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12107 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12108 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12110 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12111 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12112 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12113 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12115 Virtual server settings:
12118 @item nnml-directory
12119 @vindex nnml-directory
12120 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12122 @item nnml-active-file
12123 @vindex nnml-active-file
12124 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12126 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12127 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12128 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12131 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12132 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12133 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12135 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12136 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12137 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12139 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12140 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12141 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12143 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12144 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12145 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12149 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12150 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12151 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12152 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12153 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12154 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12155 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12160 @subsubsection MH Spool
12162 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12164 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12165 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12166 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12167 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12169 Virtual server settings:
12172 @item nnmh-directory
12173 @vindex nnmh-directory
12174 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12176 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12177 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12178 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12181 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12182 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12183 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12184 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12185 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12186 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12187 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12192 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12194 @cindex mbox folders
12195 @cindex mail folders
12197 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12198 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12199 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12202 Virtual server settings:
12205 @item nnfolder-directory
12206 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12207 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12209 @item nnfolder-active-file
12210 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12211 The name of the active file.
12213 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12214 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12215 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12217 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12218 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12219 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12221 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12222 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12223 @cindex backup files
12224 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12225 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12226 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12227 your @file{.emacs} file:
12230 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12231 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12233 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12236 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12237 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12238 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12239 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12240 extract some information from it before removing it.
12245 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12246 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12247 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12248 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12249 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12250 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12253 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12254 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12256 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12257 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12258 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12259 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12260 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12262 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12263 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12264 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12265 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12266 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12267 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12268 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12269 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12272 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12273 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12274 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12275 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12280 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12281 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12282 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12283 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12284 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12285 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12286 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12287 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12288 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12289 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12290 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12291 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12292 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12297 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12298 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12299 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12300 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12301 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12302 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12303 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12304 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12305 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12306 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12307 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12308 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12309 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12310 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12312 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12313 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12318 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12319 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12320 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12321 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12322 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12323 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12324 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12325 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12326 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12327 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12328 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12329 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12330 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12331 provided by the active file and overviews.
12333 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12334 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12335 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12336 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12337 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12340 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12341 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12346 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12347 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12348 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12349 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12350 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12351 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12352 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12356 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12357 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12358 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12359 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12360 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12361 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12362 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12363 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12364 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12366 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12367 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12368 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12369 friendly mail backend all over.
12374 @node Browsing the Web
12375 @section Browsing the Web
12377 @cindex browsing the web
12381 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12382 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12383 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12384 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12385 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12386 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12387 even know what a news group is.
12389 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12390 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12391 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12392 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12393 you mad in the end.
12395 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12398 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12399 interfaces to these sources.
12402 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12403 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12404 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12405 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12406 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12409 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12411 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12412 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12413 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12414 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12415 though, you should be ok.
12417 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12418 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12419 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12420 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12421 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12425 @subsection Web Searches
12429 @cindex InReference
12430 @cindex Usenet searches
12431 @cindex searching the Usenet
12433 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12434 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12435 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12436 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12437 searches without having to use a browser.
12439 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12440 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12441 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12442 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12443 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12445 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12446 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12447 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12448 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12449 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12450 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12451 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12452 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12453 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12454 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12457 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12458 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12459 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12460 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12461 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12462 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12464 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12465 to use @code{nnweb}.
12467 Virtual server variables:
12472 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12473 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12477 @vindex nnweb-search
12478 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12480 @item nnweb-max-hits
12481 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12482 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12485 @item nnweb-type-definition
12486 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12487 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12488 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12493 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12497 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12500 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12503 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12507 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12514 @subsection Slashdot
12518 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12519 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12520 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12522 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12523 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12526 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12527 '((nnslashdot "")))
12530 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12531 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12532 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12533 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12534 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12537 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12538 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12540 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12541 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12542 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12543 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12544 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12545 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12548 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12551 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12552 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12553 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12554 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12555 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12556 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12557 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12559 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12560 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12561 The login name to use when posting.
12563 @item nnslashdot-password
12564 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12565 The password to use when posting.
12567 @item nnslashdot-directory
12568 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12569 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12570 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12572 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12573 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12574 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12575 news articles and comments. The default is
12576 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12578 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12579 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12580 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12582 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12584 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12585 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12586 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12588 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12590 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12591 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12592 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12594 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12595 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12596 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12597 updated. The default is 0.
12604 @subsection Ultimate
12606 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12608 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12609 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12610 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12611 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
12613 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
12614 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
12615 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
12616 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
12617 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
12618 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
12619 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
12621 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
12624 @item nnultimate-directory
12625 @vindex nnultimate-directory
12626 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
12627 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
12632 @subsection Web Archive
12634 @cindex Web Archive
12636 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
12637 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
12638 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
12639 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
12642 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
12643 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
12644 gnus-group-make-nnwarchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
12645 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
12646 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
12647 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
12648 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
12650 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
12653 @item nnwarchive-directory
12654 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
12655 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
12656 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
12658 @item nnwarchive-login
12659 @vindex nnwarchive-login
12660 The account name on the web server.
12662 @item nnwarchive-passwd
12663 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
12664 The password for your account on the web server.
12668 @node Customizing w3
12669 @subsection Customizing w3
12675 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
12676 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
12677 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
12679 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
12680 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
12681 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
12684 (eval-after-load "w3"
12686 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
12687 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
12688 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
12689 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
12691 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
12694 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
12695 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
12699 @node Other Sources
12700 @section Other Sources
12702 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
12703 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
12707 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
12708 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
12709 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
12710 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
12711 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
12712 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
12716 @node Directory Groups
12717 @subsection Directory Groups
12719 @cindex directory groups
12721 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
12722 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
12725 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
12726 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
12727 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
12728 backend to read directories. Big deal.
12730 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
12731 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
12732 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
12733 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
12734 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
12736 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
12738 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
12739 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
12740 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
12741 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
12744 @node Anything Groups
12745 @subsection Anything Groups
12748 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
12749 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
12750 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
12753 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
12754 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
12755 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
12756 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
12757 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
12758 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
12759 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
12760 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
12761 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
12762 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
12765 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
12766 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
12767 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
12768 in the article buffer, just as usual.
12770 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
12771 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
12772 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
12773 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
12775 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
12776 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
12777 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
12778 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
12779 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
12780 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
12781 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
12782 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
12787 @item nneething-map-file-directory
12788 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
12789 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
12790 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
12792 @item nneething-exclude-files
12793 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
12794 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
12795 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
12797 @item nneething-include-files
12798 @vindex nneething-include-files
12799 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
12800 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
12802 @item nneething-map-file
12803 @vindex nneething-map-file
12804 Name of the map files.
12808 @node Document Groups
12809 @subsection Document Groups
12811 @cindex documentation group
12814 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
12815 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
12822 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
12827 The standard Unix mbox file.
12829 @cindex MMDF mail box
12831 The MMDF mail box format.
12834 Several news articles appended into a file.
12837 @cindex rnews batch files
12838 The rnews batch transport format.
12839 @cindex forwarded messages
12842 Forwarded articles.
12845 Netscape mail boxes.
12848 MIME multipart messages.
12850 @item standard-digest
12851 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
12854 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
12857 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
12858 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
12859 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
12862 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
12863 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
12864 group. And that's it.
12866 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
12867 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
12868 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
12869 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
12870 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
12871 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
12872 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
12873 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
12874 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
12875 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
12877 Virtual server variables:
12880 @item nndoc-article-type
12881 @vindex nndoc-article-type
12882 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
12883 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
12884 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
12885 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
12887 @item nndoc-post-type
12888 @vindex nndoc-post-type
12889 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
12890 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
12895 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
12899 @node Document Server Internals
12900 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
12902 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
12903 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
12904 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
12905 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
12907 First, here's an example document type definition:
12911 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
12912 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
12915 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
12916 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
12917 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
12918 types can be defined with very few settings:
12921 @item first-article
12922 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
12923 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
12926 @item article-begin
12927 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
12928 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
12930 @item head-begin-function
12931 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
12934 @item nndoc-head-begin
12935 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
12938 @item nndoc-head-end
12939 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
12940 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
12942 @item body-begin-function
12943 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
12947 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
12950 @item body-end-function
12951 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
12955 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
12958 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
12959 regexp will be totally ignored.
12963 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
12964 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
12965 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
12966 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
12967 something that's palatable for Gnus:
12970 @item prepare-body-function
12971 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
12972 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
12973 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
12975 @item article-transform-function
12976 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
12977 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
12978 body of the article.
12980 @item generate-head-function
12981 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
12982 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
12983 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
12984 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
12988 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
12993 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12994 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12995 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
12996 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
12997 (head-end . "^ ?$")
12998 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
12999 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13000 (subtype digest guess))
13003 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13004 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13005 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13006 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13007 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13009 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13010 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13011 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13012 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13013 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
13014 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13015 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13016 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13017 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13018 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13026 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13027 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13028 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13030 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13031 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13032 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13035 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13036 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13037 that interested in doing things properly.
13039 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13040 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13043 First some terminology:
13048 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13049 get news and/or mail from.
13052 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13053 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13056 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13060 @item message packets
13061 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13062 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13063 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13065 @item response packets
13066 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13067 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13068 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13078 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13079 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13080 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13081 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13084 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13087 You put the packet in your home directory.
13090 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13091 the native or secondary server.
13094 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13095 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13098 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13102 You transfer this packet to the server.
13105 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13108 You then repeat until you die.
13112 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13113 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13116 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13117 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13118 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13122 @node SOUP Commands
13123 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13125 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13129 @kindex G s b (Group)
13130 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13131 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13132 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13133 process/prefix convention.
13136 @kindex G s w (Group)
13137 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13138 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13141 @kindex G s s (Group)
13142 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13143 Send all replies from the replies packet
13144 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13147 @kindex G s p (Group)
13148 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13149 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13152 @kindex G s r (Group)
13153 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13154 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13157 @kindex O s (Summary)
13158 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13159 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13160 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13161 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13166 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13171 @item gnus-soup-directory
13172 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13173 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13174 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13176 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13177 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13178 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13179 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13181 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13182 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13183 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13184 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13186 @item gnus-soup-packer
13187 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13188 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13189 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13191 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13192 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13193 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13194 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13196 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13197 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13198 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13200 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13201 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13202 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13203 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13209 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13212 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13213 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13214 you can read them at leisure.
13216 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13220 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13221 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13222 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13223 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13225 @item nnsoup-directory
13226 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13227 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13228 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13230 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13231 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13232 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13233 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13235 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13236 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13237 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13238 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13239 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13241 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13242 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13243 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13244 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13246 @item nnsoup-active-file
13247 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13248 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13249 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13250 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13251 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13253 @item nnsoup-packer
13254 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13255 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13256 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13258 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13259 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13260 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13261 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13263 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13264 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13265 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13268 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13269 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13270 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13273 @item nnsoup-always-save
13274 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13275 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13281 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13283 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13284 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13285 more for that to happen.
13287 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13288 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13289 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13292 In specific, this is what it does:
13295 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13296 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13299 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13300 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13301 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13304 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13305 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13306 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13309 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13310 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13311 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13313 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13319 @item nngateway-address
13320 @vindex nngateway-address
13321 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13323 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13324 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13325 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13326 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13327 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13328 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13329 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13332 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13333 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13334 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13337 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13340 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13343 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13346 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13348 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13351 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13352 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13353 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13355 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13357 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13358 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13359 @code{nngateway-address}.
13364 (setq gnus-post-method
13365 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13366 (nngateway-header-transformation
13367 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13375 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13378 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13384 @subsection @sc{imap}
13388 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13389 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13390 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13391 network address of the server.
13393 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13398 @item nnimap-address
13399 @vindex nnimap-address
13401 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13402 server name if not specified.
13404 @item nnimap-server-port
13405 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13406 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13408 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13409 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13410 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13411 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13412 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13413 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13414 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13416 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13417 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13418 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13424 ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*" ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))
13427 @item nnimap-stream
13428 @vindex nnimap-stream
13429 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13430 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13431 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13432 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13436 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13437 @samp{imtest} program.
13439 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13441 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13442 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13445 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13446 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13448 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13451 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13452 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x.
13454 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13455 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13456 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of SSLeay,
13457 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it useless. Earlier
13458 versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to work.
13460 @item nnimap-authenticator
13461 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13463 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13464 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13468 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13469 external program @code{imtest}.
13471 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13474 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13475 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13477 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13479 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13481 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13484 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13486 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13487 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13488 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13489 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13490 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13491 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13494 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13495 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13496 running in circles yet?
13498 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13499 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13502 The possible options are:
13507 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13510 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13511 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13512 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13513 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13515 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13522 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
13523 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
13524 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
13529 @node Splitting in IMAP
13530 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
13531 @cindex splitting imap mail
13533 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
13534 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
13535 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
13536 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
13537 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
13541 Here are the variables of interest:
13545 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
13546 @cindex splitting, crosspost
13548 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
13550 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
13551 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
13553 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
13555 @item nnimap-split-inbox
13556 @cindex splitting, inbox
13558 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
13560 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
13561 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
13565 (setq nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
13568 No nnmail equivalent.
13570 @item nnimap-split-rule
13571 @cindex Splitting, rules
13572 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
13574 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
13577 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
13578 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
13579 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
13580 Neither did I, we need examples.
13583 (setq nnimap-split-rule
13584 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
13585 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
13586 ("INBOX.private" "")))
13589 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
13590 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
13591 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
13593 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
13594 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
13598 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
13601 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13602 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
13603 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
13604 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
13606 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
13607 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
13608 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
13609 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
13610 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
13611 them every time you fetch new mail.)
13613 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
13614 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
13615 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
13617 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
13618 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
13619 thinks the article should be splitted to.
13621 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
13623 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
13625 @item nnimap-split-predicate
13627 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
13629 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
13630 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
13632 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
13633 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
13634 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
13637 @item nnimap-split-fancy
13638 @cindex splitting, fancy
13639 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
13640 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
13642 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13643 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
13644 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13646 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
13647 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13648 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
13649 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
13654 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
13655 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
13658 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
13662 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
13663 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13664 @cindex editing imap acls
13665 @cindex Access Control Lists
13666 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13668 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
13670 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
13671 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
13672 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
13675 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
13676 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
13677 editing window with detailed instructions.
13679 Some possible uses:
13683 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
13684 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
13685 follow the list without subscribing to it.
13687 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
13688 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
13689 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
13693 @node Expunging mailboxes
13694 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
13698 @cindex Manual expunging
13700 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
13702 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
13703 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
13704 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
13706 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
13711 @node Combined Groups
13712 @section Combined Groups
13714 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
13718 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
13719 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
13723 @node Virtual Groups
13724 @subsection Virtual Groups
13726 @cindex virtual groups
13727 @cindex merging groups
13729 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
13732 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
13733 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
13734 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
13736 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
13737 regexp to match component groups.
13739 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
13740 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
13741 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
13742 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
13743 the virtual group.)
13745 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
13746 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
13749 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
13752 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
13753 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
13755 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
13756 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
13757 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
13758 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
13761 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
13764 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
13765 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
13766 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
13768 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
13769 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
13770 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
13771 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
13772 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
13774 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
13775 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
13776 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
13778 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
13779 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
13780 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
13781 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13782 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
13783 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
13784 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
13785 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
13786 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
13787 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
13788 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
13790 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
13791 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
13792 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
13793 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
13794 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
13795 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
13796 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
13798 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
13799 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
13803 @node Kibozed Groups
13804 @subsection Kibozed Groups
13808 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
13809 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
13810 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
13811 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
13813 @kindex G k (Group)
13814 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
13817 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
13818 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
13819 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
13820 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
13822 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
13823 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
13824 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
13826 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
13827 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
13828 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
13829 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
13830 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
13831 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
13832 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
13833 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
13835 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
13836 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
13837 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
13838 Stranger things have happened.
13840 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
13841 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
13843 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
13844 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
13845 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
13846 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
13847 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
13848 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
13850 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
13851 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
13854 @node Gnus Unplugged
13855 @section Gnus Unplugged
13860 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
13862 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
13863 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
13864 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
13865 read news. Believe it or not.
13867 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
13868 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
13869 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
13870 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
13871 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
13873 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
13874 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
13875 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
13876 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
13877 reading news on a machine.
13879 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
13883 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
13884 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
13888 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
13889 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13896 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
13898 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
13901 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
13902 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
13903 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
13904 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
13905 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
13906 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
13907 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
13908 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
13909 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
13914 @subsection Agent Basics
13916 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
13918 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
13919 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
13920 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
13921 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
13923 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
13924 connected to the net continuously.
13926 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
13927 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
13929 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
13934 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
13935 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
13936 already fetched while in this mode.
13939 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
13940 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
13941 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
13944 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
13945 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
13946 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
13947 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
13950 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
13951 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
13952 then you read the news offline.
13955 And then you go to step 2.
13958 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
13964 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
13965 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
13966 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
13967 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
13968 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
13969 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
13972 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
13979 @node Agent Categories
13980 @subsection Agent Categories
13982 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
13983 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
13984 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
13985 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
13986 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
13987 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
13988 you're interested in the articles anyway.
13990 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
13991 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
13992 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
13993 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
13994 managing categories.
13997 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
13998 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
13999 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14003 @node Category Syntax
14004 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14006 A category consists of two things.
14010 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14011 are eligible for downloading; and
14014 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14015 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14016 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14019 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14020 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14021 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14022 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14024 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14025 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14026 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
14028 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14029 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14030 operators sprinkled in between.
14032 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14034 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14035 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14041 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14042 short (for some value of ``short'').
14044 Here's a more complex predicate:
14053 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14054 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14057 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14058 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14059 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14061 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14062 you want to do, you can write your own.
14066 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14067 lines; default 100.
14070 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14071 lines; default 200.
14074 True iff the article has a download score less than
14075 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14078 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14079 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14082 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14083 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14084 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14093 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14094 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14095 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14098 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14099 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14100 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14101 something along the lines of the following:
14104 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14105 "Say whether an article is old."
14106 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14107 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14110 with the predicate then defined as:
14113 (not my-article-old-p)
14116 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14117 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14118 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14119 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14122 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
14123 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14124 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14127 and simply specify your predicate as:
14133 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14134 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14135 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14136 just don't give a damm.
14138 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14139 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14140 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14141 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14142 parameters like so:
14145 (agent-predicate . short)
14148 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14149 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14150 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14152 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14155 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14158 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14159 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14160 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14163 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14164 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14165 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14166 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14167 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14168 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14170 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14171 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14172 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14173 if it's to be specific to that group.
14175 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14182 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14183 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14189 Category specification
14193 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14199 Group Parameter specification
14202 (agent-score ("from"
14203 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14208 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14214 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14221 Category specification
14224 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14230 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14234 Group Parameter specification
14237 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14240 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14245 Use @code{normal} score files
14247 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14248 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14249 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14250 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14252 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14253 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14254 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14255 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14259 Category Specification
14266 Group Parameter specification
14269 (agent-score . file)
14274 @node The Category Buffer
14275 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14277 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14278 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14279 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14281 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14285 @kindex q (Category)
14286 @findex gnus-category-exit
14287 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14290 @kindex k (Category)
14291 @findex gnus-category-kill
14292 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14295 @kindex c (Category)
14296 @findex gnus-category-copy
14297 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14300 @kindex a (Category)
14301 @findex gnus-category-add
14302 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14305 @kindex p (Category)
14306 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14307 Edit the predicate of the current category
14308 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14311 @kindex g (Category)
14312 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14313 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14314 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14317 @kindex s (Category)
14318 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14319 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14320 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14323 @kindex l (Category)
14324 @findex gnus-category-list
14325 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14329 @node Category Variables
14330 @subsubsection Category Variables
14333 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14334 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14335 Hook run in category buffers.
14337 @item gnus-category-line-format
14338 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14339 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14340 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14344 The name of the category.
14347 The number of groups in the category.
14350 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14351 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14352 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14354 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14355 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14356 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14358 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14359 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14360 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14362 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14363 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14364 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14367 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14368 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14369 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14375 @node Agent Commands
14376 @subsection Agent Commands
14378 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14379 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14380 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14384 * Group Agent Commands::
14385 * Summary Agent Commands::
14386 * Server Agent Commands::
14389 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14390 following incantation:
14392 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14394 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14399 @node Group Agent Commands
14400 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14404 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14405 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14406 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14407 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14410 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14411 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14412 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14415 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14416 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14417 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14418 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14421 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14422 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14423 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14424 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14427 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14428 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14429 Add the current group to an Agent category
14430 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14431 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14434 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14435 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14436 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14437 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14438 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14443 @node Summary Agent Commands
14444 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14448 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14449 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14450 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14453 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14454 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14455 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14456 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14459 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14460 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14461 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14464 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14465 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14466 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14471 @node Server Agent Commands
14472 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14476 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14477 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14478 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14479 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14482 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14483 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14484 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14485 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
14491 @subsection Agent Expiry
14493 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
14494 @findex gnus-agent-expire
14495 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
14496 @cindex Agent expiry
14497 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
14500 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
14501 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
14502 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
14503 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
14504 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
14505 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
14507 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
14508 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
14509 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
14510 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
14511 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
14514 @node Outgoing Messages
14515 @subsection Outgoing Messages
14517 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
14518 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
14519 after posting, and edit them at will.
14521 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
14522 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
14523 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
14524 messages in the draft group.
14528 @node Agent Variables
14529 @subsection Agent Variables
14532 @item gnus-agent-directory
14533 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
14534 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
14535 @file{~/News/agent/}.
14537 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
14538 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
14539 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
14540 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
14541 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
14544 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14545 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14546 Hook run when connecting to the network.
14548 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14549 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14550 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
14555 @node Example Setup
14556 @subsection Example Setup
14558 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
14559 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
14560 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
14563 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
14564 ;;; from your ISP's server.
14565 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
14567 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
14568 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
14569 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
14571 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
14572 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14574 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
14578 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
14579 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
14582 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
14583 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
14584 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
14585 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
14586 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
14589 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
14590 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
14591 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
14592 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
14593 back all the killed groups.)
14595 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
14596 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
14597 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
14600 @node Batching Agents
14601 @subsection Batching Agents
14603 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
14604 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
14605 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
14609 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
14613 @node Agent Caveats
14614 @subsection Agent Caveats
14616 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
14617 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
14621 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
14626 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
14627 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
14633 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
14634 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
14641 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
14642 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
14643 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
14646 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
14647 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
14648 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
14649 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
14650 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
14652 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
14653 before generating the summary buffer.
14655 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
14656 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
14657 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
14659 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
14660 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
14661 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
14662 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
14665 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
14666 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
14667 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
14668 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
14669 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
14670 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
14671 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
14672 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
14673 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
14674 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
14675 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
14676 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
14677 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
14678 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
14679 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
14680 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
14684 @node Summary Score Commands
14685 @section Summary Score Commands
14686 @cindex score commands
14688 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
14689 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
14690 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
14691 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
14692 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
14694 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
14695 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
14696 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
14697 score file the current one.
14699 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
14704 @kindex V s (Summary)
14705 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
14706 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
14709 @kindex V S (Summary)
14710 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
14711 Display the score of the current article
14712 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
14715 @kindex V t (Summary)
14716 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
14717 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
14718 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
14721 @kindex V R (Summary)
14722 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
14723 Run the current summary through the scoring process
14724 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
14725 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
14726 effect you're having.
14729 @kindex V c (Summary)
14730 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
14731 Make a different score file the current
14732 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
14735 @kindex V e (Summary)
14736 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
14737 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
14738 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
14742 @kindex V f (Summary)
14743 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
14744 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
14745 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
14748 @kindex V F (Summary)
14749 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14750 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
14751 after editing score files.
14754 @kindex V C (Summary)
14755 @findex gnus-score-customize
14756 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
14757 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
14761 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
14766 @kindex V m (Summary)
14767 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
14768 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
14769 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
14772 @kindex V x (Summary)
14773 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
14774 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
14775 expunge all articles below this score
14776 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
14779 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
14780 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
14783 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
14784 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
14788 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
14789 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
14791 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
14792 keys are available:
14796 Score on the author name.
14799 Score on the subject line.
14802 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
14805 Score on the @code{References} line.
14811 Score on the number of lines.
14814 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
14817 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
14818 the followups to this author.
14832 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
14833 what headers you are scoring on.
14845 Substring matching.
14848 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
14877 Greater than number.
14882 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
14883 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
14884 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
14888 Temporary score entry.
14891 Permanent score entry.
14894 Immediately scoring.
14899 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
14900 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
14901 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
14902 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
14904 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
14905 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
14906 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
14907 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
14908 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
14910 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
14911 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
14912 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
14913 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
14914 current score file.
14916 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
14917 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
14918 pretend they are keymaps or not.
14921 @node Group Score Commands
14922 @section Group Score Commands
14923 @cindex group score commands
14925 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
14930 @kindex W f (Group)
14931 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14932 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
14933 all the time. This command will flush the cache
14934 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
14938 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
14940 @findex gnus-batch-score
14941 @cindex batch scoring
14943 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
14947 @node Score Variables
14948 @section Score Variables
14949 @cindex score variables
14953 @item gnus-use-scoring
14954 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
14955 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
14956 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
14958 @item gnus-kill-killed
14959 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
14960 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
14961 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
14962 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
14963 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
14964 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
14965 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
14967 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
14968 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
14969 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
14970 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
14971 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
14973 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
14974 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
14975 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
14976 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
14978 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14979 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14980 @cindex score cache
14981 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
14982 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
14983 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
14984 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
14985 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
14986 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
14989 @item gnus-save-score
14990 @vindex gnus-save-score
14991 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
14992 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
14993 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
14995 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
14996 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
14997 across group visits.
14999 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15000 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15001 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15002 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15003 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15004 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15005 manually entered data.
15007 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15008 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15009 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15011 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15012 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15013 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15014 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15015 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15016 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15018 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15019 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15020 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15021 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15023 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15024 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15025 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15026 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15028 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15029 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15030 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15031 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15033 Predefined functions available are:
15036 @item gnus-score-find-single
15037 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15038 Only apply the group's own score file.
15040 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15041 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15042 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15043 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15044 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15045 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15046 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15047 then a regexp match is done.
15049 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15050 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15052 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15053 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15054 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15055 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15057 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15058 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15059 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15060 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15061 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
15064 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15065 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
15066 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
15067 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
15068 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
15069 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
15072 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15073 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15074 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15075 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15076 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15078 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15079 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15080 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15081 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15082 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15083 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15084 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15087 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15088 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15089 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15091 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15092 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15093 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15094 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15095 threading---according to the current value of
15096 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15097 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15098 simplified in this manner.
15103 @node Score File Format
15104 @section Score File Format
15105 @cindex score file format
15107 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15108 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15109 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15111 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15115 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15117 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15119 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15121 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15126 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15130 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15131 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15132 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15133 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15137 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15138 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15140 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15141 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15142 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15144 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15149 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15150 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15151 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15152 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15153 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15154 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15155 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15156 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15157 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15158 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15159 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15160 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15161 to articles that matches these score entries.
15163 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15164 score entry has one to four elements.
15168 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15169 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15173 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15174 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15175 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15176 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15177 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15178 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15181 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15182 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15183 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15184 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15185 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15188 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15189 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15190 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15191 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15194 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15195 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15196 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15197 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15198 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15199 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15200 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15201 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15202 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15203 instead, if you feel like.
15206 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15207 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15209 These predicates are true if
15212 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15215 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15216 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15223 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15224 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15225 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15226 it's not. I think.)
15228 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15229 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15230 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15231 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15234 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15235 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15236 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15237 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15238 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15239 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15240 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15244 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15245 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15246 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15247 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15248 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15249 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15250 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15251 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15254 @item Head, Body, All
15255 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15259 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15260 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15261 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15262 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15263 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15264 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15265 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15269 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15270 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15271 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15272 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15273 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15274 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15275 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15276 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15277 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15278 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15279 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15283 @cindex Score File Atoms
15285 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15286 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15289 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15290 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15292 @item mark-and-expunge
15293 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15294 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15297 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15298 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15299 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15300 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15301 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15304 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15305 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15308 @item exclude-files
15309 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15310 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15314 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15315 ignored when handling global score files.
15318 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15319 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15320 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15321 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15324 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15325 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15326 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15327 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15329 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15333 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15336 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15337 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15338 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15339 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15340 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15342 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15343 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15344 ordinary scoring rules.
15347 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15348 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15349 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15350 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15351 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15352 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15353 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15354 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15355 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15356 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15357 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15361 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15362 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15363 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15364 file for a number of groups.
15367 @cindex local variables
15368 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15369 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15370 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15371 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15372 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15376 @node Score File Editing
15377 @section Score File Editing
15379 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15380 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15381 with a mode for that.
15383 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15384 additional commands:
15389 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15390 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15391 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15392 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15395 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15396 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15397 Insert the current date in numerical format
15398 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15399 you were wondering.
15402 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15403 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15404 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15405 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15406 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15411 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15413 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15414 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15416 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15417 e} to begin editing score files.
15420 @node Adaptive Scoring
15421 @section Adaptive Scoring
15422 @cindex adaptive scoring
15424 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
15425 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
15426 stupidity, to be precise.
15428 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
15429 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
15430 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
15431 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
15432 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15433 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
15434 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
15435 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
15436 variable to @code{(word line)}.
15438 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15439 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
15440 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
15441 might look something like this:
15444 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15445 '((gnus-unread-mark)
15446 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
15447 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
15448 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
15449 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
15450 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
15451 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
15452 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
15453 (gnus-ancient-mark)
15454 (gnus-low-score-mark)
15455 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
15458 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
15459 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
15460 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
15461 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
15462 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
15463 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
15466 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
15467 will be applied to each article.
15469 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
15470 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
15471 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
15472 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
15474 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
15475 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
15476 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
15477 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
15479 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
15480 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
15481 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
15482 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
15484 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
15485 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
15486 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
15487 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
15488 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
15489 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
15491 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
15492 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
15493 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
15494 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
15495 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
15496 aspirins afterwards.)
15498 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
15499 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
15500 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
15502 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
15503 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
15504 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
15506 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
15507 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
15508 let you use different rules in different groups.
15510 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
15511 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
15512 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
15515 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
15516 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
15517 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
15518 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
15519 the length of the match is less than
15520 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
15521 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
15524 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15525 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
15526 headers. If you adapt on words, the
15527 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
15528 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
15531 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15532 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
15533 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
15534 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
15535 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
15538 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
15539 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
15540 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
15541 score with 30 points.
15543 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
15544 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
15545 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
15546 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
15547 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
15549 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
15550 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
15551 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
15552 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
15554 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
15555 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
15556 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
15557 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
15559 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
15560 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
15561 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
15562 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
15563 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
15565 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
15566 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
15567 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
15569 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
15570 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
15571 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
15572 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
15575 @node Home Score File
15576 @section Home Score File
15578 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
15579 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
15580 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
15581 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
15583 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
15584 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
15585 could perhaps use the same home score file.
15587 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
15588 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
15593 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
15597 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
15598 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
15602 A list. The elements in this list can be:
15606 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
15607 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
15610 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
15611 the home score file.
15614 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
15617 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
15622 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
15625 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15626 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
15629 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
15630 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
15632 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
15634 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15635 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
15638 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
15639 Other functions include
15642 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
15643 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
15644 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
15645 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
15649 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
15650 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
15651 their own home score files:
15654 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15655 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
15656 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
15657 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
15658 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
15661 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
15662 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
15663 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
15664 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
15665 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
15667 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
15668 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
15669 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
15670 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
15671 precedence over this variable.
15674 @node Followups To Yourself
15675 @section Followups To Yourself
15677 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
15678 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
15679 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
15680 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
15681 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
15682 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
15686 @item gnus-score-followup-article
15687 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
15688 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
15691 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
15692 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
15693 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
15697 @vindex message-sent-hook
15698 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
15699 @code{message-sent-hook}.
15701 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
15702 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
15706 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15707 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15710 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
15711 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
15716 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
15720 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
15721 is system-dependent.
15725 @section Scoring Tips
15726 @cindex scoring tips
15732 @cindex scoring crossposts
15733 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
15734 the @code{Xref} header.
15736 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
15739 @item Multiple crossposts
15740 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
15741 more than, say, 3 groups:
15743 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
15746 @item Matching on the body
15747 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
15748 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
15749 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
15750 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
15751 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
15752 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
15753 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
15756 @item Marking as read
15757 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
15758 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
15759 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
15763 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
15765 @item Negated character classes
15766 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
15767 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
15768 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
15772 @node Reverse Scoring
15773 @section Reverse Scoring
15774 @cindex reverse scoring
15776 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
15777 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
15778 like this in your score file:
15782 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
15787 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
15788 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
15791 @node Global Score Files
15792 @section Global Score Files
15793 @cindex global score files
15795 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
15796 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
15797 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
15799 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
15800 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
15801 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
15803 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
15804 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
15805 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
15806 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
15807 files are applicable to which group.
15809 Say you want to use the score file
15810 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
15811 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
15814 (setq gnus-global-score-files
15815 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
15816 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
15819 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
15820 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
15821 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
15822 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
15823 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
15825 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
15826 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
15828 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
15829 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
15830 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
15831 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
15832 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
15833 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
15835 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
15841 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
15843 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
15845 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
15847 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
15848 lowered out of existence.
15850 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
15851 articles completely.
15854 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
15855 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
15856 old articles for a long time.
15859 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
15860 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
15861 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
15862 holding our breath yet?
15866 @section Kill Files
15869 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
15870 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
15871 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
15873 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
15874 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
15875 files into score files.
15877 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
15878 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
15879 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
15880 that isn't a very good idea.
15882 Normal kill files look like this:
15885 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15886 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
15890 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
15891 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
15893 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
15894 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
15897 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
15902 @kindex M-k (Summary)
15903 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
15904 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
15907 @kindex M-K (Summary)
15908 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
15909 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
15912 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
15917 @kindex M-k (Group)
15918 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
15919 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
15922 @kindex M-K (Group)
15923 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
15924 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
15927 Kill file variables:
15930 @item gnus-kill-file-name
15931 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
15932 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
15933 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
15934 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
15935 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
15936 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
15938 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15939 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15940 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
15941 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
15944 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
15945 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
15946 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
15947 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
15948 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
15949 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
15950 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
15951 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
15952 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
15954 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15955 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15956 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
15961 @node Converting Kill Files
15962 @section Converting Kill Files
15964 @cindex converting kill files
15966 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
15967 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
15968 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
15971 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
15972 You can fetch it from
15973 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
15975 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
15976 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
15977 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
15985 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
15986 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
15987 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
15989 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
15990 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
15991 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
15992 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
15993 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
15994 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
15995 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
15996 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16000 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16001 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16002 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16003 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16007 @node Using GroupLens
16008 @subsection Using GroupLens
16010 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16012 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16013 better bit in town at the moment.
16015 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16019 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16020 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16021 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16022 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16024 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16025 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16026 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16027 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16029 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16030 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16031 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16035 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16036 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16037 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16038 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16039 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16040 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16043 @node Rating Articles
16044 @subsection Rating Articles
16046 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16047 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16048 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16049 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16052 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16057 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16058 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16059 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16062 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16063 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16064 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16065 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16066 threads in rec.humor.
16070 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16071 the score of the article you're reading.
16076 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16077 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16078 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16081 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16082 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16083 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16087 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16088 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16091 @node Displaying Predictions
16092 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16094 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16095 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16096 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16097 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16098 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16100 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16101 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16102 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16103 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16104 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16105 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16106 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16107 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16108 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16109 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16110 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16111 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16112 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16114 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16115 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16116 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16117 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16119 The following are valid values for that variable.
16122 @item prediction-spot
16123 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16126 @item confidence-interval
16127 A numeric confidence interval.
16129 @item prediction-bar
16130 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16132 @item confidence-bar
16133 Numerical confidence.
16135 @item confidence-spot
16136 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16138 @item prediction-num
16139 Plain-old numeric value.
16141 @item confidence-plus-minus
16142 Prediction +/- confidence.
16147 @node GroupLens Variables
16148 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16152 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16153 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16154 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16155 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16158 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16159 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16162 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16163 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16165 @item grouplens-score-offset
16166 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16167 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16170 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16171 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16172 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16177 @node Advanced Scoring
16178 @section Advanced Scoring
16180 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16181 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16182 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16183 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16184 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16186 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16190 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16191 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16192 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16196 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16197 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16199 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16200 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16201 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16202 non-@code{nil} value.
16204 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16205 operator, and various match operators.
16212 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16213 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16214 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16219 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16220 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16221 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16226 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16227 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16231 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16232 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16233 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16234 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16235 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16236 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16237 the ancestry you want to go.
16239 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16240 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16241 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16242 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16243 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16246 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16247 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16249 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16250 when he's talking about Gnus:
16254 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16255 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16261 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16265 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16272 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16273 really don't want to read what he's written:
16277 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16278 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16282 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16283 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16284 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16291 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16292 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16293 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16294 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16298 The possibilities are endless.
16301 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16302 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16304 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16305 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16306 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16307 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16308 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16309 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16310 @samp{subject}) first.
16312 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16313 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16324 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16325 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16331 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16338 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16339 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16344 @section Score Decays
16345 @cindex score decays
16348 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16349 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16350 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16351 use them in any sensible way.
16353 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16354 @findex gnus-decay-score
16355 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16356 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16357 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16358 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16359 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16360 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16361 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16362 definition of that function:
16365 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16367 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16368 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16371 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16373 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16375 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16378 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16379 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16380 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16381 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16385 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16388 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16391 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16395 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16396 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16397 the new score, which should be an integer.
16399 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16400 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16407 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16408 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16409 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16410 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16411 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16412 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16413 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
16414 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
16415 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
16416 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
16417 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
16418 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
16419 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
16420 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
16421 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
16422 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
16423 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
16424 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
16428 @node Process/Prefix
16429 @section Process/Prefix
16430 @cindex process/prefix convention
16432 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
16433 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
16435 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
16436 command to be performed on.
16440 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
16441 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
16442 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
16443 with the current one.
16445 @vindex transient-mark-mode
16446 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
16447 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
16449 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
16450 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
16453 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
16454 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
16456 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
16459 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
16460 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
16461 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
16462 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16464 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
16465 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
16466 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
16467 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
16468 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
16469 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
16470 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
16471 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
16473 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
16474 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
16475 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
16476 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
16477 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
16481 @section Interactive
16482 @cindex interaction
16486 @item gnus-novice-user
16487 @vindex gnus-novice-user
16488 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
16489 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
16490 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
16491 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
16494 @item gnus-expert-user
16495 @vindex gnus-expert-user
16496 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
16497 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
16498 matter how strange.
16500 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
16501 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
16502 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
16503 is @code{t} by default.
16505 @item gnus-interactive-exit
16506 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
16507 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
16512 @node Symbolic Prefixes
16513 @section Symbolic Prefixes
16514 @cindex symbolic prefixes
16516 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
16517 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
16518 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
16519 rule of 900 to the current article.
16521 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
16522 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
16523 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
16524 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
16525 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
16526 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
16527 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
16529 @kindex M-i (Summary)
16530 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
16531 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
16532 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
16533 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
16534 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
16535 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
16536 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
16537 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
16539 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
16540 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
16541 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
16543 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
16547 @node Formatting Variables
16548 @section Formatting Variables
16549 @cindex formatting variables
16551 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
16552 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
16553 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
16554 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
16555 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
16558 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
16559 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
16560 lots of percentages everywhere.
16563 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
16564 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
16565 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
16566 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
16567 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
16570 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
16571 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
16572 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
16573 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
16574 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
16575 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
16576 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
16577 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
16579 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
16580 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
16582 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
16583 @findex gnus-update-format
16584 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
16585 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
16586 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
16587 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
16591 @node Formatting Basics
16592 @subsection Formatting Basics
16594 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
16595 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
16596 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
16598 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
16599 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
16600 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
16601 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
16602 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
16605 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
16606 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
16607 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
16608 less than 4 characters wide.
16611 @node Mode Line Formatting
16612 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
16614 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
16615 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
16616 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
16617 with the following two differences:
16622 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
16625 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
16626 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
16627 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
16628 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
16629 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
16630 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
16631 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
16636 @node Advanced Formatting
16637 @subsection Advanced Formatting
16639 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
16640 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
16641 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
16642 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
16644 These are the valid modifiers:
16649 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
16653 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
16658 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
16661 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
16666 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
16669 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
16672 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
16675 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
16679 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
16680 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
16681 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
16682 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
16683 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
16684 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
16685 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
16687 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
16688 last operation, padding.
16690 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
16691 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
16692 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
16693 @xref{Compilation}.
16696 @node User-Defined Specs
16697 @subsection User-Defined Specs
16699 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
16700 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
16701 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
16702 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
16703 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
16704 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
16705 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
16706 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
16707 should protect against that.
16709 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
16710 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
16711 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
16712 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
16716 @node Formatting Fonts
16717 @subsection Formatting Fonts
16719 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
16720 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
16721 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
16722 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
16725 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
16726 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
16727 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
16728 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
16729 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
16730 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
16732 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
16733 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
16734 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
16735 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
16736 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
16737 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
16738 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
16739 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
16741 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
16744 ;; Create three face types.
16745 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
16746 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
16748 ;; We want the article count to be in
16749 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
16750 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
16751 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
16753 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
16754 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
16756 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
16757 (setq gnus-group-line-format
16758 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
16761 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
16762 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
16764 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
16765 mode-line variables.
16768 @node Windows Configuration
16769 @section Windows Configuration
16770 @cindex windows configuration
16772 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
16774 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
16775 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
16776 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
16777 @code{t} by default.
16779 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
16780 glitches. Use at your own peril.
16782 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
16783 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
16784 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
16787 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
16788 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
16789 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16793 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
16794 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
16795 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
16796 possible names is listed below.
16798 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
16799 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
16802 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16806 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
16807 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
16808 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
16809 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
16810 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
16811 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
16812 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
16813 size spec per split.
16815 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
16816 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
16817 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
16818 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
16819 present) gets focus.
16821 Here's a more complicated example:
16824 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
16825 (summary 0.25 point)
16826 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
16830 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
16831 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
16832 occupy, not a percentage.
16834 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
16835 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
16836 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
16837 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
16838 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
16841 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
16844 (article (horizontal 1.0
16849 (summary 0.25 point)
16854 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
16855 @code{horizontal} thingie?
16857 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
16858 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
16859 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
16860 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
16861 the screen is to be given to this strip.
16863 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
16864 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
16865 lines from the splits.
16867 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
16871 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
16872 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
16873 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
16874 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
16875 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
16876 size = number | frame-params
16877 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
16880 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
16881 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
16882 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
16883 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
16885 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
16886 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
16887 @cindex window height
16888 @cindex window width
16889 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
16890 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
16891 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
16892 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
16893 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
16894 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
16896 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
16897 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
16898 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
16899 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
16901 @findex gnus-configure-frame
16902 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
16903 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
16904 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
16905 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
16906 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
16907 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
16908 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
16909 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
16910 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
16911 configuration list.
16914 (gnus-configure-frame
16918 (article 0.3 point))
16926 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
16927 @code{frame} split:
16930 (gnus-configure-frame
16933 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
16935 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
16936 (user-position . t)
16937 (left . -1) (top . 1))
16942 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
16943 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
16944 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
16945 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
16946 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
16947 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
16948 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
16949 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
16951 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
16952 be found in its default value.
16954 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
16955 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
16956 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
16960 (message (horizontal 1.0
16961 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
16963 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
16968 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
16969 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
16970 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
16973 (message (frame 1.0
16974 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
16975 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
16976 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
16977 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
16978 (name . "Message"))
16979 (message 1.0 point))))
16982 @findex gnus-add-configuration
16983 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
16984 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
16985 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
16986 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
16989 (gnus-add-configuration
16990 '(article (vertical 1.0
16992 (summary .25 point)
16996 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
16997 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
16998 Gnus has been loaded.
17000 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17001 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17002 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17003 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17004 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17006 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17007 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17008 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17012 @node Faces and Fonts
17013 @section Faces and Fonts
17018 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17019 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17020 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17025 @section Compilation
17026 @cindex compilation
17027 @cindex byte-compilation
17029 @findex gnus-compile
17031 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17032 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17033 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
17034 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17035 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17036 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17039 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17040 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17041 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17042 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
17043 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
17044 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
17045 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
17049 @section Mode Lines
17052 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17053 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17054 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17055 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17056 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17057 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17058 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17061 @cindex display-time
17063 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17064 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17065 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17066 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17067 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17068 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17069 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17070 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17073 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17075 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17076 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17078 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17079 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17080 (length display-time-string)))))
17083 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17084 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17085 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17086 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17087 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17090 @node Highlighting and Menus
17091 @section Highlighting and Menus
17093 @cindex highlighting
17096 @vindex gnus-visual
17097 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17098 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17099 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17102 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17103 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17106 @item group-highlight
17107 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17108 @item summary-highlight
17109 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17110 @item article-highlight
17111 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17113 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17115 Create menus in the group buffer.
17117 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17119 Create menus in the article buffer.
17121 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17123 Create menus in the server buffer.
17125 Create menus in the score buffers.
17127 Create menus in all buffers.
17130 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17131 buffers, you could say something like:
17134 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17137 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17140 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17143 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17144 in all Gnus buffers.
17146 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17149 @item gnus-mouse-face
17150 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17151 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17152 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17156 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17160 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17161 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17162 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17164 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17165 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17166 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17168 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17169 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17170 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17172 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17173 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17174 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17176 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17177 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17178 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17180 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17181 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17182 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17193 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17194 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17195 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17196 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17197 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17201 @vindex gnus-carpal
17202 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17203 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17204 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17209 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17210 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17211 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17213 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17214 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17215 Face used on buttons.
17217 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17218 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17219 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17221 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17222 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17223 Buttons in the group buffer.
17225 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17226 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17227 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17229 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17230 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17231 Buttons in the server buffer.
17233 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17234 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17235 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17238 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17239 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17240 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17248 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17249 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17250 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17251 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17252 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17254 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17255 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17256 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17258 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17259 been idle for thirty minutes:
17262 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17265 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17269 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17272 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17273 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17274 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17276 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17277 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17278 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17279 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17281 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17282 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17283 @var{idle} minutes.
17285 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17286 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17289 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17290 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17291 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17293 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17294 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17295 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17296 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17298 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17299 your @file{.gnus} file:
17301 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17303 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17306 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17307 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17308 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17309 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17310 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17311 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17312 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17313 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17314 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17315 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17316 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17318 @findex gnus-demon-init
17319 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17320 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17321 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17322 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17323 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17325 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17326 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17327 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17336 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17337 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17339 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17340 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17341 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17342 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17345 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17346 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17347 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17348 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17350 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17351 this will make spam disappear.
17353 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17356 @item gnus-use-nocem
17357 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17358 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17361 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17362 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17363 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17364 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17365 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
17367 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
17368 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
17369 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
17370 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
17371 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
17372 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
17373 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
17375 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
17378 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
17379 @cindex Chris Lewis
17380 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
17381 usenet abuse than anybody else.
17384 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
17385 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
17386 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
17388 @item jem@@xpat.com;
17390 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
17393 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
17394 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
17395 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
17398 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
17399 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
17400 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
17401 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
17402 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
17403 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
17404 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
17405 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
17406 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
17407 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
17409 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
17410 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
17413 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
17416 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
17417 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
17420 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
17423 The specs are applied left-to-right.
17426 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
17427 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
17429 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
17430 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
17431 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
17432 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
17434 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
17435 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
17438 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
17440 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
17448 This might be dangerous, though.
17450 @item gnus-nocem-directory
17451 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
17452 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
17453 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
17455 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17456 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17457 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
17458 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
17459 might then see old spam.
17463 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
17464 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
17465 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
17466 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
17473 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
17474 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
17475 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
17477 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
17478 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
17479 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
17480 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
17481 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
17482 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
17483 @code{undo} function.
17485 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
17486 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
17487 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
17488 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
17489 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
17490 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
17491 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
17492 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
17493 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
17494 never be totally undoable.
17496 @findex gnus-undo-mode
17497 @vindex gnus-use-undo
17499 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
17500 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
17501 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
17502 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
17507 @section Moderation
17510 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
17511 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
17512 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
17515 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
17519 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
17522 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17524 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
17529 You split your incoming mail by matching on
17530 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
17531 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
17534 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
17535 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
17538 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
17539 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
17543 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
17546 (setq gnus-moderated-list
17547 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
17551 @node XEmacs Enhancements
17552 @section XEmacs Enhancements
17555 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
17559 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
17560 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
17561 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
17562 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
17575 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
17576 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
17577 over your shoulder as you read news.
17580 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
17581 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
17582 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
17583 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
17584 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
17589 @subsubsection Picon Basics
17591 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
17600 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
17601 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
17602 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
17603 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
17604 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
17605 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
17606 @code{GIF} formats.
17609 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17610 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
17611 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
17612 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
17613 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
17615 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17616 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
17617 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
17618 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
17619 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
17620 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17623 @node Picon Requirements
17624 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
17626 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
17627 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
17630 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
17631 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
17632 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
17634 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17635 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
17636 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
17637 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
17638 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
17642 @subsubsection Easy Picons
17644 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
17645 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
17648 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
17649 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
17652 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
17653 containing the Picons databases.
17655 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
17658 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17659 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
17664 @subsubsection Hard Picons
17672 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
17673 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
17674 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
17675 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
17676 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
17681 @item gnus-picons-database
17682 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17683 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
17684 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
17685 subdirectories. This is only useful if
17686 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
17687 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
17689 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17690 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17691 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
17692 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
17693 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
17694 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
17695 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17697 @item gnus-picons-display-where
17698 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17699 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
17700 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
17701 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
17702 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
17703 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
17704 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
17706 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17707 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17708 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
17713 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
17714 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
17716 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
17717 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
17720 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17722 @item gnus-article-display-picons
17723 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17724 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
17725 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
17727 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
17728 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17729 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
17735 @node Picon Useless Configuration
17736 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
17744 The following variables offer further control over how things are
17745 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
17746 don't need to worry about.
17750 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
17751 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
17752 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17753 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
17755 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
17756 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
17757 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
17758 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
17760 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
17761 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
17762 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17763 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
17764 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
17766 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17767 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17768 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
17769 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
17770 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
17771 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
17772 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
17774 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17775 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17776 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
17777 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
17779 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17780 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17781 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
17782 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
17783 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
17784 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
17785 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
17787 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17788 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17789 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
17790 Defaults to @code{nil}.
17792 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
17793 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
17794 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
17795 Defaults to @code{t}.
17797 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17798 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17799 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
17800 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
17802 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
17803 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
17804 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
17806 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17807 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17808 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
17809 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
17811 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
17812 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
17814 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17815 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17816 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
17817 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
17818 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
17819 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
17820 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
17821 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
17832 @subsection Smileys
17837 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
17842 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
17843 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
17845 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
17846 @file{.gnus.el} file:
17849 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
17852 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
17853 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
17854 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
17855 text and maps that to file names.
17857 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
17858 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
17859 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
17860 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
17861 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
17862 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
17864 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
17865 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
17867 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
17868 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
17869 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
17871 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
17872 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
17876 @item smiley-data-directory
17877 @vindex smiley-data-directory
17878 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
17880 @item smiley-flesh-color
17881 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
17882 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
17884 @item smiley-features-color
17885 @vindex smiley-features-color
17886 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17888 @item smiley-tongue-color
17889 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
17890 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
17892 @item smiley-circle-color
17893 @vindex smiley-circle-color
17894 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17896 @item smiley-mouse-face
17897 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
17898 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
17904 @subsection Toolbar
17914 @item gnus-use-toolbar
17915 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
17916 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
17917 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
17918 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
17920 @item gnus-group-toolbar
17921 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
17922 The toolbar in the group buffer.
17924 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
17925 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
17926 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
17928 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17929 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17930 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
17936 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
17939 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17940 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17941 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
17942 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
17943 unusual directory structure.
17945 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17946 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17947 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
17948 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
17950 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17951 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17952 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
17953 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
17954 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
17955 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
17957 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17958 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17959 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
17973 @node Fuzzy Matching
17974 @section Fuzzy Matching
17975 @cindex fuzzy matching
17977 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
17978 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
17980 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
17981 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
17982 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
17984 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
17985 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
17986 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
17987 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
17988 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
17991 @node Thwarting Email Spam
17992 @section Thwarting Email Spam
17996 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
17998 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
17999 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18000 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18001 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18002 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18003 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18004 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18005 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18008 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18009 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18010 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18011 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18012 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18013 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18017 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18018 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18020 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18021 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18022 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18023 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18024 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18025 part of the mail address.)
18028 (setq message-default-news-headers
18029 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18032 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18033 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18038 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18039 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18040 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18046 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18047 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18048 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18049 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18051 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18052 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18053 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18054 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18055 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18056 your fancy split rule in this way:
18061 (to "larsi" "misc")
18065 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18066 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18067 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18068 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18069 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18071 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18072 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18073 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
18074 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18075 cosmic balance somewhat.
18077 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18078 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18079 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18080 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18083 @node Various Various
18084 @section Various Various
18090 @item gnus-home-directory
18091 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18092 defaults to @file{~/}.
18094 @item gnus-directory
18095 @vindex gnus-directory
18096 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18097 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18098 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18100 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18101 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18102 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18103 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18105 @item gnus-default-directory
18106 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18107 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18108 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18109 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18110 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18111 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18112 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18115 @vindex gnus-verbose
18116 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18117 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18118 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18119 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18120 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18122 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18123 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18124 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18125 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18127 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18128 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18129 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18130 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18131 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18132 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18133 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18134 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18135 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18136 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18138 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18139 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18140 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18141 read when doing the operation described above.
18143 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18144 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18146 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18147 @cindex characters in file names
18148 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18149 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18150 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18153 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18157 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18158 Windows (phooey) systems.
18160 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18161 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18162 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18163 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18164 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18166 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18167 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18168 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18169 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18170 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18172 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18173 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18174 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18183 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18184 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18186 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18188 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18194 Not because of victories @*
18197 but for the common sunshine,@*
18199 the largess of the spring.
18203 but for the day's work done@*
18204 as well as I was able;@*
18205 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18206 but at the common table.@*
18211 @chapter Appendices
18214 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18215 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18216 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18217 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18218 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18219 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18220 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18221 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18229 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18230 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18232 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18233 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18234 @file{http://quimby.gnus.org/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
18235 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18236 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18238 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18239 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18240 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18241 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18242 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18243 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18245 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18246 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18247 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18248 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18251 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18252 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18253 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18254 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18255 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18256 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18257 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18258 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18259 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18260 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18264 @node Gnus Versions
18265 @subsection Gnus Versions
18266 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18268 @cindex September Gnus
18269 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18271 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18272 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18273 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18275 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18276 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18278 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18279 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18281 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18282 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18284 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18285 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18288 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18289 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
18290 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
18291 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
18292 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
18296 @node Other Gnus Versions
18297 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18300 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18301 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18302 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18303 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18305 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18306 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18307 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18308 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18315 What's the point of Gnus?
18317 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18318 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18319 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18320 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18321 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18322 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18323 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18324 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18325 keep track of millions of people who post?
18327 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18328 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18329 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18330 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18331 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18332 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18333 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18334 every one of you to explore and invent.
18336 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18337 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18340 @node Compatibility
18341 @subsection Compatibility
18343 @cindex compatibility
18344 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18345 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18346 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18351 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18355 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18358 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18361 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
18362 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
18363 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
18364 important variables have their values copied into their global
18365 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
18366 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
18368 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
18369 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
18370 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
18371 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
18372 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
18376 @cindex highlighting
18377 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
18378 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
18379 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
18380 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
18381 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
18382 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
18385 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
18386 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
18387 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
18388 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
18390 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
18391 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
18392 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
18393 to stop doing it the old way.
18395 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
18397 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18399 @cindex reporting bugs
18401 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
18402 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
18403 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
18405 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
18406 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
18407 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
18408 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
18413 @subsection Conformity
18415 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
18416 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
18423 There are no known breaches of this standard.
18427 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
18429 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
18430 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
18431 We do have some breaches to this one.
18437 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
18438 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
18439 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
18440 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
18441 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
18446 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
18447 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
18448 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
18449 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
18453 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
18454 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
18459 @subsection Emacsen
18465 Gnus should work on :
18473 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
18477 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
18478 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
18481 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
18482 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
18483 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
18487 @node Gnus Development
18488 @subsection Gnus Development
18490 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
18491 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
18492 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
18493 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
18494 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
18495 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
18496 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
18497 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
18499 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
18500 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
18501 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
18502 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
18503 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
18506 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
18507 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
18508 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
18509 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
18510 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
18512 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
18513 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
18514 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
18515 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
18516 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
18517 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
18518 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
18519 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
18520 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
18521 can't be assumed to do so.
18526 @subsection Contributors
18527 @cindex contributors
18529 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
18530 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
18531 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
18532 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
18533 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
18534 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
18535 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
18536 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
18537 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
18538 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
18540 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
18546 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
18549 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
18550 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
18551 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
18552 functionality and stuff.
18555 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
18556 well as numerous other things).
18559 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
18562 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
18565 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
18568 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
18569 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
18572 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
18575 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
18576 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18579 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
18582 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
18585 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
18588 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
18591 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
18592 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
18595 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
18598 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
18601 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
18604 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
18608 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
18611 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
18614 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
18617 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
18618 well as autoconf support.
18622 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
18623 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
18625 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
18634 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
18638 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
18648 Alexei V. Barantsev,
18663 Massimo Campostrini,
18668 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
18669 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
18673 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
18676 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
18682 Michael Welsh Duggan,
18687 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
18691 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
18699 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
18701 Michelangelo Grigni,
18705 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
18707 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
18709 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
18716 François Felix Ingrand,
18717 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
18718 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
18720 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
18731 Peter Skov Knudsen,
18732 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
18734 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
18735 Thor Kristoffersen,
18738 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
18756 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
18757 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
18764 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
18769 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
18773 John McClary Prevost,
18779 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
18784 Christian von Roques,
18787 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
18794 Philippe Schnoebelen,
18796 Randal L. Schwartz,
18810 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
18815 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
18831 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
18836 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
18837 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
18838 (550kB and counting).
18840 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
18843 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
18844 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
18848 @subsection New Features
18849 @cindex new features
18852 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
18853 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
18854 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
18855 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
18858 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
18859 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
18860 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
18864 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
18866 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
18871 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
18872 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
18875 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
18876 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
18879 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
18882 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
18883 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
18884 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
18887 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
18888 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
18889 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
18890 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
18893 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
18894 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18897 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
18898 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
18899 (@pxref{The Active File}).
18902 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
18903 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
18906 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
18907 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
18908 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
18911 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
18912 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
18913 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
18916 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
18917 the @file{.emacs} file.
18920 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
18921 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18924 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
18925 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
18928 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
18929 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18932 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
18933 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
18936 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
18937 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
18940 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
18943 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
18944 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
18947 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
18948 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
18951 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
18952 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
18955 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
18958 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
18959 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
18962 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
18966 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
18970 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
18971 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
18974 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
18980 @node September Gnus
18981 @subsubsection September Gnus
18985 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
18989 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
18994 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
18995 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
18999 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19000 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19004 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19008 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19009 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19012 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19016 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19019 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19022 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19025 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19029 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19030 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19033 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19037 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19041 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19045 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19049 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19052 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19053 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19056 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19060 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19061 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19064 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19067 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19068 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19069 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19072 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19076 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19079 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19083 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19084 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19087 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19088 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19091 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19092 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19095 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19096 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19097 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19100 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19101 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19104 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19107 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19110 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19113 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19116 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19117 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19120 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19124 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19127 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19132 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19135 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19139 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19142 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19146 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19149 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19152 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19153 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19156 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19157 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19161 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19162 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19165 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19169 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19170 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19173 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19176 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19180 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19184 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19185 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19188 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19192 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19193 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19196 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19197 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19200 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19204 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19207 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19210 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19216 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19218 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19222 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19229 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19232 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19233 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19236 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19237 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19241 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19242 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19245 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19248 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19249 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19252 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19256 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19257 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19261 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19262 Server Internals}).
19265 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19269 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19272 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19273 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19276 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19277 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19278 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19281 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19282 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19285 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19286 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19289 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19293 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19294 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19297 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19298 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19301 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19305 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19308 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19312 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19313 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19316 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19317 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19320 A new command for reading collections of documents
19321 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19322 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19325 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19329 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19330 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19333 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19334 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19335 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19338 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19339 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19343 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19347 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19351 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19356 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
19360 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
19364 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
19365 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
19368 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
19374 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
19376 New features in Gnus 5.6:
19381 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
19382 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
19383 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
19386 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
19387 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
19388 group, which is created automatically.
19391 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
19395 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
19398 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
19399 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
19402 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
19406 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
19409 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
19410 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
19413 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
19416 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
19417 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
19420 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
19421 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
19424 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
19425 control over simplification.
19428 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
19431 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
19435 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
19438 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
19441 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
19442 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
19443 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
19446 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
19447 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
19450 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
19454 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
19455 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
19458 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
19459 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
19462 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
19466 A history of where mails have been split is available.
19469 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
19472 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
19473 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
19476 A new function for citing in Message has been
19477 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
19480 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
19483 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
19487 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
19488 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
19491 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
19492 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
19495 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
19498 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
19503 @node Newest Features
19504 @subsection Newest Features
19507 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
19510 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
19512 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
19513 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
19516 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
19521 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
19522 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
19525 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
19528 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
19531 facep is not declared.
19534 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
19535 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
19538 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
19543 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
19544 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
19545 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
19546 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
19547 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
19548 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
19549 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
19554 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
19557 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
19560 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
19562 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
19563 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
19565 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
19567 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
19569 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
19570 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
19572 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
19574 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
19575 be marked as unread.
19577 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
19579 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
19581 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
19582 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
19584 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
19586 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
19588 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
19589 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
19591 topics that contain just groups with ticked
19592 articles aren't displayed.
19594 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
19596 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
19597 make the mail groups killed.
19599 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
19601 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
19602 and articles have to be removed.
19604 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
19607 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
19609 finding short score file names takes forever.
19611 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19613 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
19615 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
19617 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
19619 nnweb doesn't work properly.
19621 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
19623 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
19624 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
19628 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
19630 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
19631 bar and the Gnus bar.
19634 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
19635 `(canonize-message-id id)'
19636 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
19637 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
19638 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
19639 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
19644 nnml .overview directory with splits.
19648 postponed commands.
19650 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
19652 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
19655 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
19656 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
19658 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
19659 inherit copy prompts and save files.
19661 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
19663 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
19664 for backends that support that.
19666 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
19668 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
19669 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
19671 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
19672 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
19674 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
19676 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
19678 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
19680 server mode command: close/open all connections
19682 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
19683 has been changed before using it.
19685 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
19687 hide (sub)threads with low score.
19689 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
19691 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
19693 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
19694 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
19696 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
19697 contain groups that match a regexp.
19699 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
19702 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
19705 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
19706 from subject lines.
19708 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
19710 nntp-ping-before-connect
19712 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
19714 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
19715 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
19717 message annotations.
19719 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
19721 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
19722 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
19724 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
19729 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
19731 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
19733 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
19735 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
19736 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
19738 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
19740 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
19742 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
19743 finds and generate proper active ranges.
19745 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
19746 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
19748 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
19750 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
19752 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
19753 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
19755 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
19757 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
19759 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
19760 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
19763 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
19765 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
19767 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
19768 `C-c C-c' when posting.
19770 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
19773 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
19774 should be marker as expirable.
19776 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
19778 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
19779 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
19781 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
19782 Also consult Date headers.
19784 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
19786 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
19788 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
19789 Message-ID, delete the "original".
19791 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
19792 into a See-Also header.
19794 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
19796 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
19798 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
19799 should be listed as such and not as "K".
19801 generate font names dynamically.
19803 score file mode auto-alist.
19805 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
19806 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
19808 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
19809 absolutely all headers there is.
19811 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
19812 and pipe them to the process.
19814 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
19815 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
19816 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
19818 function for starting to edit a file to put into
19819 the current mail group.
19821 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
19823 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
19824 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
19826 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
19827 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
19829 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
19831 when replying to several process-marked articles,
19832 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
19834 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
19835 groups it has been mailed to.
19837 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
19839 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
19841 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
19843 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
19844 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
19846 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
19847 newlines) should be ignored.
19849 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
19850 groups in subtopics as well.
19852 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
19854 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
19857 add edit and forward secondary marks.
19859 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
19861 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
19863 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
19865 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
19867 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
19869 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
19870 or the formatted article.
19872 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
19874 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
19875 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
19877 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
19879 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
19881 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
19883 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
19884 even unread articles.
19886 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
19888 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
19890 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
19892 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
19894 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19896 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
19899 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
19900 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
19902 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
19903 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
19905 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
19907 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
19909 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
19910 from a particular server? Hm.
19912 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
19913 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
19915 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
19917 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
19918 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
19920 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
19921 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
19923 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
19924 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
19925 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
19928 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
19929 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
19931 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
19933 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
19935 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
19937 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
19940 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
19943 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
19944 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
19946 command to show and edit group scores
19948 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
19951 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
19953 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
19955 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
19956 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
19959 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
19960 that are of that length.
19962 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
19964 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
19966 asynchronous posting under nntp.
19968 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
19970 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
19972 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
19974 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
19975 a score lower than this number.
19977 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
19979 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
19981 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
19982 so that each copy can be edited separately.
19984 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
19986 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
19987 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
19989 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
19992 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
19993 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
19994 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
19995 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
19997 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
20000 command to remove all topic stuff.
20002 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
20003 and splitting the resulting digests.
20005 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
20007 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
20009 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
20010 matches an alist -- before saving.
20012 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
20014 variable to activate each group before entering them
20015 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
20017 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
20018 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20020 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20021 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20023 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20025 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20026 of several groups at once.
20028 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20029 matches some regexp(s).
20031 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20033 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20035 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20037 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20039 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20041 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20043 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20045 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20046 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20047 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20048 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20050 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20051 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20053 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20055 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20056 recently cited text.
20058 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20060 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20063 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20064 server and just read the articles in the server
20066 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20067 value of nnoo variables.
20069 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20071 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20072 listed in each group info.
20074 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20077 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20078 should only be applied to some groups.
20080 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20081 mail-copies-to: never.
20083 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20084 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20086 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20088 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20091 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20094 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20096 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20099 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20103 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20105 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20106 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20107 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20108 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20109 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20111 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20112 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
20119 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20120 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20122 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20123 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20125 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20126 "Return the date the group was last read."
20127 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20132 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20133 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20134 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20135 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20139 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20140 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20142 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20145 They could be used like this:
20149 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20150 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20151 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20153 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20155 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20158 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20161 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20162 affect the summary line format.
20166 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20168 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20169 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20171 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20174 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20176 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20178 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20180 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20182 - For other files, just find them normally.
20184 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20185 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20188 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20189 tell him what you are doing.
20192 Currently, I get prompted:
20196 decend into sci.something ?
20200 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20201 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20202 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20203 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20206 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20207 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20208 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20209 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20212 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20213 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20219 more than n blank lines
20221 more than m identical lines
20222 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20224 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20228 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20229 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20230 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20231 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20234 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20235 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20236 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20237 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20240 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20243 soup - bowl of soup
20244 score below - dim light bulb
20245 score over - bright light bulb
20248 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20253 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20254 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20255 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20256 if (articles-selected)
20257 start-reading-selected-articles;
20258 junk-unread-articles;
20263 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20264 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20265 select-thread-under-cursor;
20267 select-article-under-cursor;
20271 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20272 if (more-pages-in-article)
20274 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20281 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20282 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20283 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20286 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20287 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20288 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20289 the wildcard expression).
20292 It would be nice if it also handled
20294 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20296 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20301 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20302 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20303 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20304 article versions) variable.
20306 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20308 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20309 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20313 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20316 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20317 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20318 (message-sent-hook).
20320 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20323 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20327 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20328 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20331 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20332 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20333 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20336 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20337 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20341 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20344 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20348 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20349 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20352 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20353 value of the signature file.
20356 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20357 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
20360 (setq message-tab-alist
20361 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
20362 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
20364 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
20368 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
20371 a command to import a buffer into a group.
20374 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
20377 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
20378 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
20381 a command to process mark all unread articles.
20384 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
20385 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
20386 do more gathering by subject.
20389 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
20390 article numerical order.
20393 (gnus-thread-total-score
20394 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
20398 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
20401 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
20402 in the summary buffer.
20405 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
20406 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
20409 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
20410 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
20411 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
20412 and/or newsgroup name.
20415 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
20418 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
20421 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
20424 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
20425 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
20426 will automatically get the process mark.
20429 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
20430 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
20431 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
20434 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
20438 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
20439 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
20442 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
20443 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
20447 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
20448 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
20451 be able to post via DejaNews.
20454 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
20457 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
20458 allow them to be displayed separately.
20461 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
20462 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
20465 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
20466 articles that match a certain From header.
20469 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
20470 saving living summary buffers.
20473 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
20474 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
20477 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
20478 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
20481 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
20482 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
20485 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
20486 (goto-char (point-min))
20487 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
20488 (replace-match "`" t t))
20489 (goto-char (point-min))
20490 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
20491 (replace-match "'" t t))
20492 (goto-char (point-min))
20493 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
20494 (replace-match "\"" t t))
20495 (goto-char (point-min))
20496 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
20497 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
20502 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
20504 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
20505 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
20506 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
20507 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
20511 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
20514 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
20515 numbers and match on the age of the article.
20519 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
20520 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
20521 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
20523 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
20524 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
20526 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
20527 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
20532 all commands that react to the process mark should push
20533 the current process mark set onto the stack.
20536 gnus-article-hide-pgp
20537 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
20539 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
20541 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
20542 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
20545 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
20546 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
20549 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
20553 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
20554 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
20557 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
20560 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
20563 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
20566 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
20570 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
20576 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
20579 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
20583 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
20584 X characters in the body.
20587 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
20590 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
20593 format spec to "tab" to a position.
20596 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
20599 command to display all dormant articles.
20602 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
20605 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
20606 to something someone else has said.
20609 Read Netscape discussion groups:
20610 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
20613 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
20614 the displayed version.
20617 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
20621 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
20624 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
20625 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
20626 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
20630 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
20631 in the head or body.
20634 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
20637 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
20640 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
20641 in a special, unique buffer.
20644 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
20647 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
20648 is less than a certain number of days old.
20651 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
20654 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
20657 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
20658 file, for instance.
20661 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
20662 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
20663 dummy root instead of the first article.
20666 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
20667 topics for displaying.
20670 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
20671 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
20674 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
20677 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
20678 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
20679 summary buffer for each article.
20682 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
20685 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
20689 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
20692 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
20696 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
20699 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
20702 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
20703 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
20706 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
20707 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
20710 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
20711 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
20714 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
20715 timeout for all commands.
20718 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
20719 It should go somewhere else.
20722 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
20723 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
20724 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
20726 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
20727 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
20729 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
20730 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
20737 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
20738 --text follows this line--
20739 Sorry I killfiled you...
20741 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20743 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20748 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
20752 - Edit article's summary line.
20754 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
20756 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
20762 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
20766 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
20767 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
20771 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
20774 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
20777 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
20778 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
20779 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
20780 turn into a [-] button.)
20783 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
20784 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
20785 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
20786 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
20789 Solve the halting problem.
20798 @section The Manual
20802 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20803 either @code{texi2dvi}
20805 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20806 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20808 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20810 The following conventions have been used:
20815 This is a @samp{string}
20818 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20821 This is a @file{file}
20824 This is a @code{symbol}
20828 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20832 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20835 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20838 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20841 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20842 ever get them confused.
20846 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20847 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20848 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20849 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20850 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20851 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20852 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20858 @node On Writing Manuals
20859 @section On Writing Manuals
20861 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20862 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20863 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20864 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20865 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20866 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20869 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20870 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20871 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20874 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20875 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20880 @section Terminology
20882 @cindex terminology
20887 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20888 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20889 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20890 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20891 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20895 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20896 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20897 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20898 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20902 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20906 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20911 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20912 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20913 is all done by the backends.
20917 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20918 default, way of getting news.
20922 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20923 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20928 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20929 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20933 A message that has been posted as news.
20936 @cindex mail message
20937 A message that has been mailed.
20941 A mail message or news article
20945 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20950 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20955 A line from the head of an article.
20959 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20960 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20964 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20965 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20966 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20967 normal @sc{head} format.
20971 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20972 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20973 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20974 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20975 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20976 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20978 @item killed groups
20979 @cindex killed groups
20980 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20981 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20983 @item zombie groups
20984 @cindex zombie groups
20985 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20988 @cindex active file
20989 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20990 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20991 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20994 @cindex bogus groups
20995 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20996 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20997 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21000 @cindex activating groups
21001 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21002 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21003 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21007 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21009 @item select method
21010 @cindex select method
21011 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21014 @item virtual server
21015 @cindex virtual server
21016 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21017 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21018 whole is a virtual server.
21022 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21023 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21026 @item ephemeral groups
21027 @cindex ephemeral groups
21028 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21029 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21030 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21033 @cindex solid groups
21034 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21035 group buffer are solid groups.
21037 @item sparse articles
21038 @cindex sparse articles
21039 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21040 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21044 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21045 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21049 @cindex thread root
21050 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21051 articles in the thread.
21055 An article that has responses.
21059 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21063 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21064 specified by RFC1153.
21070 @node Customization
21071 @section Customization
21072 @cindex general customization
21074 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21075 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21076 for some quite common situations.
21079 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21080 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21081 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21082 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21086 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21087 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21089 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21090 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21091 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21095 @item gnus-read-active-file
21096 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21097 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21098 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21099 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21100 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21102 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21103 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21104 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21105 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21109 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21110 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21112 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21113 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21114 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21118 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21119 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21120 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21121 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21122 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21124 @item gnus-visible-headers
21125 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21126 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21127 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21128 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21130 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21132 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21133 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21134 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21137 @item gnus-use-full-window
21138 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21139 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21140 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21141 want to read them anyway.
21143 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21144 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21147 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21148 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21149 lines, which might save some time.
21153 @node Little Disk Space
21154 @subsection Little Disk Space
21157 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21158 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21162 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21163 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21164 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21165 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21168 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21169 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21170 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21171 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21174 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21175 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21176 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21177 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21178 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21184 @subsection Slow Machine
21185 @cindex slow machine
21187 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21188 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21190 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21191 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21193 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21194 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21195 summary buffer faster.
21199 @node Troubleshooting
21200 @section Troubleshooting
21201 @cindex troubleshooting
21203 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21211 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21214 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21215 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21219 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21220 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21221 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21222 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21225 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21229 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21230 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21231 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21232 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21233 something like that.
21236 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21239 @cindex reporting bugs
21241 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21243 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21244 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21245 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21246 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21248 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21249 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21250 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21251 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21254 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21255 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21256 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21257 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21258 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21259 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21261 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21262 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21263 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21266 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21267 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21269 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21270 @cindex ding mailing list
21271 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21272 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21276 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21277 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21279 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21280 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21281 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21282 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21285 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21286 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21287 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21288 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21289 and general methods of operation.
21292 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21293 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21294 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21295 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21296 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21297 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21298 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21299 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21300 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21304 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21305 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21306 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21307 @cindex utility functions
21309 @cindex internal variables
21311 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21312 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21313 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21317 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21318 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21319 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21321 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21322 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21323 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21325 @item gnus-group-real-name
21326 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21327 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21330 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21331 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21332 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21333 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21335 @item gnus-get-info
21336 @findex gnus-get-info
21337 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21339 @item gnus-group-unread
21340 @findex gnus-group-unread
21341 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21345 @findex gnus-active
21346 The active entry for @var{group}.
21348 @item gnus-set-active
21349 @findex gnus-set-active
21350 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21352 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21353 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21354 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21357 @item gnus-continuum-version
21358 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21359 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21360 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21363 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21364 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21365 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21367 @item gnus-news-group-p
21368 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21369 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21371 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21372 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21373 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21375 @item gnus-server-to-method
21376 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21377 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21379 @item gnus-server-equal
21380 @findex gnus-server-equal
21381 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21383 @item gnus-group-native-p
21384 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21385 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21387 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21388 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21389 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21391 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21392 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21393 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21395 @item group-group-find-parameter
21396 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21397 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21398 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21400 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21401 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21402 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21404 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21405 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21406 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21408 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21409 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21410 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21411 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21414 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21418 @item gnus-read-method
21419 @findex gnus-read-method
21420 Prompts the user for a select method.
21425 @node Backend Interface
21426 @subsection Backend Interface
21428 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21429 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21430 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21431 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21432 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21433 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21435 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21436 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21437 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21438 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21439 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21440 been opened, the function should fail.
21442 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21443 name. Take this example:
21447 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21448 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21451 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21452 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21454 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21455 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21456 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21458 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21459 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21460 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21462 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21463 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21464 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21465 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21466 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21467 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21470 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21471 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21472 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21473 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21476 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21479 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21482 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21483 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21484 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21485 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21486 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21487 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21491 @node Required Backend Functions
21492 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21496 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21498 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21499 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21500 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21501 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21503 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21504 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21505 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21506 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21508 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21509 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21510 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21511 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21512 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21513 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21514 number, do maximum fetches.
21516 Here's an example HEAD:
21519 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21520 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21521 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21522 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21523 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21524 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21525 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21527 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21528 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21529 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21533 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21534 these in the data buffer.
21536 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21540 head = error / valid-head
21541 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21542 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21543 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21544 header = <text> eol
21547 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21548 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21552 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21553 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21554 field = <text except TAB>
21557 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21561 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21563 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21564 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21566 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21567 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21568 server. In fact, it should do so.
21570 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21571 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21574 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21576 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21577 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21580 There should be no data returned.
21583 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21585 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21586 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21587 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21588 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21590 There should be no data returned.
21593 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21595 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21596 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21597 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21598 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21600 There should be no data returned.
21603 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21605 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21607 There should be no data returned.
21610 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21612 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21613 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21614 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21615 it would be nice if that were possible.
21617 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21618 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21619 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21620 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21621 into its article buffer.
21623 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21624 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21625 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21626 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21627 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21628 on successful article retrieval.
21631 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21633 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21634 making @var{group} the current group.
21636 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21639 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21642 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21645 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21646 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21647 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21648 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21649 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21650 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21651 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21652 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21655 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21656 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21657 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21661 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21663 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21664 a no-op on most backends.
21666 There should be no data returned.
21669 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21671 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21674 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21677 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21678 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21681 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21682 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21685 active-file = *active-line
21686 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21688 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21691 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21692 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21693 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21696 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21698 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21699 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21700 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21701 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21702 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21703 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21705 There should be no result data from this function.
21710 @node Optional Backend Functions
21711 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21715 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21717 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21718 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21719 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21721 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21722 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21723 former is in the same format as the data from
21724 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21725 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21728 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21732 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21734 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21735 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21736 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21737 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21738 should return the (altered) group info.
21740 There should be no result data from this function.
21743 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21745 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21746 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21747 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21748 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21749 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21750 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21751 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21752 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21754 There should be no result data from this function.
21757 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21759 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21760 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21761 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21762 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21763 propagate the mark information to the server.
21765 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21768 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21771 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
21772 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21773 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21774 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21775 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21776 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21777 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21778 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21779 not limit itself to these.
21781 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21782 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21783 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21784 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21786 An example action list:
21789 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21790 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21791 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21794 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21795 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21797 There should be no result data from this function.
21799 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21801 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21802 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21803 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21804 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21805 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21807 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21808 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21809 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21812 There should be no result data from this function.
21815 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21817 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21818 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21819 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21820 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21821 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21822 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21823 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21825 There should be no result data from this function.
21828 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21830 The result data from this function should be a description of
21834 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21836 description = <text>
21839 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21841 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21842 groups available on the server.
21845 description-buffer = *description-line
21849 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21851 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21852 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21853 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21856 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21858 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21860 There should be no return data.
21863 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21865 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21866 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21867 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21868 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21869 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21872 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21875 There should be no result data returned.
21878 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21881 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21882 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21884 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21885 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21886 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21887 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21888 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21889 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21891 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21892 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21895 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21896 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21898 There should be no data returned.
21901 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21903 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21904 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21905 this function in short order.
21907 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21908 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21910 There should be no data returned.
21913 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21915 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21916 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21918 There should be no data returned.
21921 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21923 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21924 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21925 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21927 There should be no data returned.
21930 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21932 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21933 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21935 There should be no data returned.
21940 @node Error Messaging
21941 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21943 @findex nnheader-report
21944 @findex nnheader-get-report
21945 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21946 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21947 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21948 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21949 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21950 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21953 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21955 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21958 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21959 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21960 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21961 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21963 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21964 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21965 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21968 @node Writing New Backends
21969 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21971 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21972 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21973 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21974 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21975 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21978 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21979 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21980 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21982 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21983 package called @code{nnoo}.
21985 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21986 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21992 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21993 parameters. For instance:
21996 (nnoo-declare nndir
22000 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22001 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22004 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22005 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22006 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22008 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22009 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22010 a function in those backends.
22013 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22014 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22015 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22018 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22019 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22020 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22022 @item nnoo-define-basics
22023 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22027 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22031 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22032 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22033 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22035 @item nnoo-map-functions
22036 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22037 functions from the parent backends.
22040 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22041 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22042 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22045 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22046 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22047 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22048 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22051 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22052 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22053 haven't already been defined.
22059 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22063 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22064 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22065 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22070 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22073 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22074 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22078 (require 'nnheader)
22082 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22084 (nnoo-declare nndir
22087 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22088 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22089 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22091 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22092 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22095 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22096 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22097 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22099 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22100 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22102 ;;; Interface functions.
22104 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22106 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22107 (setq nndir-directory
22108 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22110 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22111 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22112 (push `(nndir-current-group
22113 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22115 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22116 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22118 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22120 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22121 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22122 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22123 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22124 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22128 nnmh-status-message
22130 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22136 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22137 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22139 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22140 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22141 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22142 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22144 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22145 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22150 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22153 The abilities can be:
22157 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22159 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22161 This backend supports both mail and news.
22163 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22166 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22167 articles and groups.
22169 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22170 true for almost all backends.
22171 @item prompt-address
22172 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22173 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22174 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22178 @node Mail-like Backends
22179 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22181 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22182 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22183 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22184 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22187 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22188 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22189 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22192 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22193 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22196 This function takes four parameters.
22200 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22203 @item exit-function
22204 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22206 @item temp-directory
22207 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22210 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22211 performed for one group only.
22214 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22215 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22216 find the article number assigned to this article.
22218 The function also uses the following variables:
22219 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22220 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22221 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22222 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22226 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22227 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22231 @node Score File Syntax
22232 @subsection Score File Syntax
22234 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22235 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22236 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22238 Here's a typical score file:
22242 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22249 BNF definition of a score file:
22252 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22253 element = rule / atom
22254 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22255 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22256 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22257 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22259 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22260 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22261 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22262 date-header = "date"
22263 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22264 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22265 score = "nil" / <integer>
22266 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22267 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22268 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22269 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22270 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22271 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22272 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22273 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22274 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22275 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22276 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22277 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22278 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22279 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22280 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22281 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22282 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22283 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22284 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22285 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22286 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22287 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22288 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22289 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22290 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22291 eval = "eval" space <form>
22292 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22295 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22298 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22299 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22300 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22301 one looong line, then that's ok.
22303 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22304 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22308 @subsection Headers
22310 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22311 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22312 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22313 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22315 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22316 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22317 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22318 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22319 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22320 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22321 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22323 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22324 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22325 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22326 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22327 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22329 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22330 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22336 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22337 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22339 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22340 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22341 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22342 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22344 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22348 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22351 is transformed into
22354 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22357 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22358 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22361 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22364 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22365 is slightly tricky:
22368 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22374 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22377 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22383 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22390 and is equal to the previous range.
22392 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22393 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22394 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22398 range = simple-range / normal-range
22399 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22400 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22401 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22402 number *[ " " contents ]
22405 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22406 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22407 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22408 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22409 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22414 @subsection Group Info
22416 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22417 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22418 describes the group.
22420 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22421 second is a more complex one:
22424 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22426 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22427 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22429 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22432 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22433 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22434 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22435 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22436 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22437 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22438 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22439 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22440 this section is about.
22442 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22443 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22444 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22446 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22449 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22450 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22451 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22452 group = quote <string> quote
22453 ralevel = rank / level
22454 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22455 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22456 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22458 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22459 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22460 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22461 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22464 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22465 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22468 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22469 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22472 @item gnus-info-group
22473 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22474 @findex gnus-info-group
22475 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22476 Get/set the group name.
22478 @item gnus-info-rank
22479 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22480 @findex gnus-info-rank
22481 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22482 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22484 @item gnus-info-level
22485 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22486 @findex gnus-info-level
22487 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22488 Get/set the group level.
22490 @item gnus-info-score
22491 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22492 @findex gnus-info-score
22493 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22494 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22496 @item gnus-info-read
22497 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22498 @findex gnus-info-read
22499 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22500 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22502 @item gnus-info-marks
22503 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22504 @findex gnus-info-marks
22505 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22506 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22508 @item gnus-info-method
22509 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22510 @findex gnus-info-method
22511 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22512 Get/set the group select method.
22514 @item gnus-info-params
22515 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22516 @findex gnus-info-params
22517 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22518 Get/set the group parameters.
22521 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22522 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22524 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22525 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22526 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22527 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22530 @node Extended Interactive
22531 @subsection Extended Interactive
22532 @cindex interactive
22533 @findex gnus-interactive
22535 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22536 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22537 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22540 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22541 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22546 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22547 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22548 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22549 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22550 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22551 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22552 @code{interactive}.
22554 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22559 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22560 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22564 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22565 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22566 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22569 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22573 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22577 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22583 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22584 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22588 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22589 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22590 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22592 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22593 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22594 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22595 Gnus, that's very useful.
22597 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22598 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22599 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22600 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22601 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22602 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22603 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22604 following function:
22607 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22611 (,function ,@@args))
22615 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22616 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22617 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22620 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22621 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22622 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22624 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22625 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22626 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22629 @node Various File Formats
22630 @subsection Various File Formats
22633 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22634 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22638 @node Active File Format
22639 @subsubsection Active File Format
22641 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22642 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22645 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22648 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22649 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22650 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22651 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22652 no.general 1000 900 y
22655 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22658 active = *group-line
22659 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
22660 group = <non-white-space string>
22662 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22663 low-number = <positive integer>
22664 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22667 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22668 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22671 @node Newsgroups File Format
22672 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22674 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22675 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22676 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22679 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22680 Here's the definition:
22684 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22685 group = <non-white-space string>
22687 description = <string>
22692 @node Emacs for Heathens
22693 @section Emacs for Heathens
22695 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22696 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22697 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22698 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22699 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22700 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22701 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22705 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22706 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22711 @subsection Keystrokes
22715 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22718 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22721 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22722 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22723 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22724 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22725 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22726 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22728 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22729 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22730 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22731 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22732 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22733 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22734 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22736 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22737 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22738 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22739 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22740 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22741 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22742 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22744 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22745 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22746 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22747 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22748 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22754 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22756 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22757 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22758 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22759 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22761 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22762 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22763 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22764 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22765 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22766 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22767 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22770 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22771 write the following:
22774 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22777 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22778 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22779 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22782 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22783 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22784 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22785 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22786 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22788 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22789 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22790 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22794 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22798 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22801 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22802 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22805 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22808 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22809 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22812 @include gnus-faq.texi