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325 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
335 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
337 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
345 @top The Gnus Newsreader
349 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
350 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
351 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
354 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
355 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
370 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
371 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
373 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
374 being accused of plagiarism:
376 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
377 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
378 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
379 can even read news with it!
381 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
382 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
383 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
384 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
385 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
388 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
389 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
391 @heading Other related manuals
393 @item Message manual: Composing messages
394 @item Emacs-MIME: Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
395 @item Sieve: Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
396 @item PGG: @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
397 @item SASL: @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
403 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
404 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
405 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
406 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
407 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
408 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
409 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
410 * Various:: General purpose settings.
411 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
412 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
413 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
414 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
415 * Key Index:: Key Index.
417 Other related manuals
419 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
420 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
421 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
422 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
423 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
426 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
430 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
431 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
432 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
433 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
434 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
435 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
438 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
439 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
440 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
444 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
445 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
446 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
450 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
451 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
452 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
453 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
454 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
455 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
456 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
457 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
458 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
459 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
460 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
461 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
462 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
463 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
464 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
465 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
466 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
467 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
471 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
472 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
473 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
477 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
478 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
479 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
480 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
481 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
485 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
486 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
487 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
488 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
489 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
493 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
494 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
495 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
496 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
497 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
498 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
499 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
500 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
501 * Threading:: How threads are made.
502 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
503 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
504 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
505 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
506 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
507 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
508 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
509 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
510 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
511 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
512 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
513 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
514 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
515 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
516 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
517 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
518 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
519 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
520 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
521 or reselecting the current group.
522 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
523 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
524 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
525 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
527 Summary Buffer Format
529 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
530 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
531 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
532 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
536 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
537 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
539 Reply, Followup and Post
541 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
542 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
543 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
544 * Canceling and Superseding::
548 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
549 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
550 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
551 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
552 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
553 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
557 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
558 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
560 Customizing Threading
562 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
563 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
564 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
565 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
569 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
570 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
571 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
572 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
573 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
574 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
578 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
579 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
580 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
584 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
585 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
586 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
587 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
588 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
589 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
590 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
591 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
592 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
593 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
594 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
596 Alternative Approaches
598 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
599 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
601 Various Summary Stuff
603 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
604 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
605 * Summary Generation Commands::
606 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
610 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
611 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
612 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
613 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
614 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
618 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
619 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
620 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
621 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
622 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
623 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
624 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
625 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
626 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
630 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
631 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
632 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
633 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
634 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
635 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
636 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
637 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
638 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
642 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
643 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
644 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
645 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
646 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
647 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
648 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
652 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
653 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
657 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
658 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
659 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
660 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
664 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
665 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
666 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
667 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
668 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
669 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
670 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
671 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
672 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
673 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
674 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
675 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
676 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
680 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
681 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
682 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
684 Choosing a Mail Back End
686 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
687 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
688 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
689 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
690 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
691 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
692 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
697 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
698 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
699 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
703 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
704 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
705 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
706 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
707 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
708 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
712 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
713 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
714 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
715 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
719 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
723 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
727 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
728 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
729 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
733 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
734 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
735 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
737 The Gnus Diary Library
739 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
740 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
741 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
742 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
746 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
747 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
748 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
749 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
750 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
751 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
752 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
753 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
754 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
755 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
756 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
757 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
758 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
759 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
763 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
764 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
765 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
769 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
770 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
771 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
775 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
776 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
777 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
778 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
779 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
780 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
781 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
782 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
783 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
784 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
785 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
786 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
787 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
788 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
789 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
790 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
794 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
795 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
796 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
800 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
801 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
802 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
803 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
804 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
805 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
806 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
807 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
808 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
809 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
810 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
811 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
812 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
813 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
814 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
815 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
816 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
817 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
818 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
819 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
820 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
821 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
825 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
826 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
827 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
828 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
829 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
830 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
831 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
832 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
836 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
837 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
838 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
840 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
841 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
845 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
846 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
847 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
848 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
852 * Spam Package Introduction::
853 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
854 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
855 * Spam and Ham Processors::
856 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
858 * Extending the Spam package::
859 * Spam Statistics Package::
861 Spam Statistics Package
863 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
864 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
865 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
869 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
870 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
871 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
872 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
873 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
874 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
875 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
876 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
877 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
881 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
882 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
883 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
884 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
885 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
886 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
887 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
888 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
889 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
893 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
894 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
895 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
896 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
897 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
898 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
899 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
903 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
904 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
905 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
906 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
910 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
911 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
912 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
913 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
914 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
915 * Group Info:: The group info format.
916 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
917 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
918 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
922 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
923 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
924 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
925 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
926 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
927 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
931 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
932 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
936 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
937 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
943 @chapter Starting Gnus
946 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
951 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
952 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
953 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
954 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
955 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
956 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
958 @findex gnus-other-frame
959 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
960 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
961 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
963 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
964 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
965 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
967 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
968 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
971 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
972 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
973 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
974 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
975 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
976 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
977 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
978 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
979 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
980 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
984 @node Finding the News
985 @section Finding the News
988 First of all, you should know that there is a special buffer called
989 @code{*Server*} that lists all the servers Gnus knows about. You can
990 press @kbd{^} from the Group buffer to see it. In the Server buffer,
991 you can press @kbd{RET} on a defined server to see all the groups it
992 serves (subscribed or not!). You can also add or delete servers, edit
993 a foreign server's definition, agentize or de-agentize a server, and
994 do many other neat things. @xref{Server Buffer}.
995 @xref{Foreign Groups}. @xref{Agent Basics}.
997 @vindex gnus-select-method
999 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
1000 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1001 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1002 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1005 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1006 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1009 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1012 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1015 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1018 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1019 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1020 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1021 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1023 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1025 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1026 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1027 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1028 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1029 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1030 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1031 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1033 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1034 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1035 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1036 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1038 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1039 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1040 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1041 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1042 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1043 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1044 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1045 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1046 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1049 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1051 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1052 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1053 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1054 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1055 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1056 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1058 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1060 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1061 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1062 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1063 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1064 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1065 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1068 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1069 you would typically set this variable to
1072 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1075 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1076 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1077 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1078 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1081 @node The First Time
1082 @section The First Time
1083 @cindex first time usage
1085 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1086 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1088 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1089 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1090 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1091 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1094 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1095 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1096 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1098 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1099 help you with most common problems.
1101 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1102 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1106 @node The Server is Down
1107 @section The Server is Down
1108 @cindex server errors
1110 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1111 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1112 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1114 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1115 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1116 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1117 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1118 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1119 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1120 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1122 @findex gnus-no-server
1123 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1125 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1126 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1127 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1128 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1129 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1130 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1131 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1135 @section Slave Gnusae
1138 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1139 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1140 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1141 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1143 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1144 @file{.newsrc} file.
1146 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1147 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1148 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1149 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1150 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1151 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1152 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1155 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1156 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1157 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1158 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1159 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1160 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1161 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1162 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1164 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1165 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1167 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1168 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1169 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1170 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1171 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1178 @cindex subscription
1180 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1181 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1182 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1183 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1184 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1185 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1186 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1187 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1188 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1191 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1192 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1193 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1197 @node Checking New Groups
1198 @subsection Checking New Groups
1200 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1201 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1202 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1203 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1204 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1205 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1206 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1207 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1208 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1209 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1211 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1212 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1213 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1214 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1215 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1216 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1217 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1218 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1219 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1220 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1221 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1223 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1224 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1225 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1226 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1227 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1228 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1231 @node Subscription Methods
1232 @subsection Subscription Methods
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1235 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1236 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1238 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1239 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1241 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1247 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1248 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1249 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1251 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1252 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1253 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1254 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1258 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1260 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1261 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1262 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1263 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1264 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1265 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1266 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1267 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1268 up. Or something like that.
1270 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1271 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1272 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1273 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1274 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1276 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1277 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1278 Kill all new groups.
1280 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1281 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1282 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1283 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1284 topic parameter that looks like
1290 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1293 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1298 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1299 A closely related variable is
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1301 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1302 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1303 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1306 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1307 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1308 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1309 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1312 @node Filtering New Groups
1313 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1315 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1316 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1317 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1320 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1323 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1324 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1325 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1326 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1327 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1328 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1329 subscribing these groups.
1330 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1331 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1333 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1334 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1335 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1336 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1337 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1338 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1339 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1340 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1342 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1343 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1344 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1345 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1346 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1347 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1348 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1349 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1350 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1351 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1354 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1355 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1358 @node Changing Servers
1359 @section Changing Servers
1360 @cindex changing servers
1362 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1363 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1364 very flaky and you want to use another.
1366 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1367 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1371 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1372 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1373 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1374 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1377 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1378 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1379 You can use the @kbd{M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups}
1380 command to clear out all data that you have on your native groups.
1383 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1384 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1385 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1386 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1388 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1389 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1390 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1391 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1392 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1393 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1394 cache for all groups).
1398 @section Startup Files
1399 @cindex startup files
1404 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1405 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1406 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1409 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1410 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1411 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1412 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1413 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1414 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1415 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1417 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1418 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1419 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1420 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1421 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1422 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1424 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1425 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1426 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1427 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1428 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1429 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1430 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1431 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1432 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1433 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1434 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1437 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1438 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1439 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1440 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1441 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1442 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1443 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1444 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1445 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1446 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1447 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1448 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1450 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1451 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1452 @vindex version-control
1453 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1454 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1455 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1456 If you want version control for this file, set
1457 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1458 @code{version-control} variable.
1460 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1461 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1462 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1463 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1464 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1465 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1466 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1467 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1468 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1469 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1472 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1473 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1475 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1476 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1479 @vindex gnus-init-file
1480 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1481 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1482 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1483 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1484 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1485 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1486 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1487 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1488 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1489 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1490 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1491 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1492 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1497 @cindex dribble file
1500 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1501 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1502 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1503 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1504 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1507 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1508 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1511 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1512 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1513 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1515 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1516 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1517 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1518 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1519 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1520 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1522 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1523 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1524 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1527 @node The Active File
1528 @section The Active File
1530 @cindex ignored groups
1532 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1533 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1534 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1536 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1537 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1538 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1539 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1540 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1541 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1542 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1545 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1546 @c if you set it to anything else.
1548 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1550 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1551 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1552 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1554 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1555 you actually subscribe to.
1557 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1558 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1559 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1560 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1562 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1563 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1564 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1565 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1566 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1567 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1569 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1570 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1571 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1574 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1575 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1576 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1577 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1578 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1579 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1581 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1582 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1584 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1585 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1587 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1588 secondary select methods.
1591 @node Startup Variables
1592 @section Startup Variables
1596 @item gnus-load-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1598 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1599 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1600 times you start Gnus.
1602 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1603 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1604 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is started.
1606 @item gnus-startup-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1608 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1610 @item gnus-started-hook
1611 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1612 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1615 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1616 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1617 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1618 generating the group buffer.
1620 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1621 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1622 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1623 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1624 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1625 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1626 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1627 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1629 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1630 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1631 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1632 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1633 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1634 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1636 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1637 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1638 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1640 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1641 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1642 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1644 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1645 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1646 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1647 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1653 @chapter Group Buffer
1654 @cindex group buffer
1656 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1658 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1659 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1660 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1661 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1662 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1663 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1664 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1665 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1666 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1667 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1668 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1669 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1670 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1671 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1672 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1673 @c human rights at 9...
1676 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1677 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1678 long as Gnus is active.
1682 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1683 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1684 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1685 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1686 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1687 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1688 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1689 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1695 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1696 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1697 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1698 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1699 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1700 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1701 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1702 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1703 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1704 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1705 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1706 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1707 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1708 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1709 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1710 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1711 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
1712 * Searching:: Mail search engines.
1713 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1717 @node Group Buffer Format
1718 @section Group Buffer Format
1721 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1722 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1723 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1726 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1727 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1730 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1731 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1732 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1733 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1736 @node Group Line Specification
1737 @subsection Group Line Specification
1738 @cindex group buffer format
1740 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1741 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1743 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1746 25: news.announce.newusers
1747 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1752 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1753 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1754 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1755 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1757 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1758 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1759 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1760 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1761 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1762 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1764 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1766 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1767 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1768 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1769 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1770 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1772 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1773 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1774 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1776 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1781 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1784 Whether the group is subscribed.
1787 Level of subscribedness.
1790 Number of unread articles.
1793 Number of dormant articles.
1796 Number of ticked articles.
1799 Number of read articles.
1802 Number of unseen articles.
1805 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1806 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1808 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1809 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1810 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1811 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1812 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1813 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1814 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1816 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1817 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1818 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1819 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1820 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1821 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1822 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1825 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1828 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1837 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1838 comment element in the group parameters.
1841 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1842 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1843 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1847 @samp{m} if moderated.
1850 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1856 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1862 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1866 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1869 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1870 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1871 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1872 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1873 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1876 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1878 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1882 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1885 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1889 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1890 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1891 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1892 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1895 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1896 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1897 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1898 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1899 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1900 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1905 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1906 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1907 group, or a bogus native group.
1910 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1911 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1912 @cindex group mode line
1914 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1915 The mode line can be changed by setting
1916 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1917 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1921 The native news server.
1923 The native select method.
1927 @node Group Highlighting
1928 @subsection Group Highlighting
1929 @cindex highlighting
1930 @cindex group highlighting
1932 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1933 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1934 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1935 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1936 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1938 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1942 (cond (window-system
1943 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1944 (defface my-group-face-1
1945 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1946 (defface my-group-face-2
1947 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1948 "Second group face")
1949 (defface my-group-face-3
1950 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1951 (defface my-group-face-4
1952 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1953 (defface my-group-face-5
1954 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1956 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1957 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1958 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1959 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1960 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1961 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1964 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1966 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1973 The number of unread articles in the group.
1977 Whether the group is a mail group.
1979 The level of the group.
1981 The score of the group.
1983 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1985 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1986 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1988 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1989 topic being inserted.
1992 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1993 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1994 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1996 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1997 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1998 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1999 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2000 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2003 @node Group Maneuvering
2004 @section Group Maneuvering
2005 @cindex group movement
2007 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2008 expected, hopefully.
2014 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2015 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2016 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2022 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2023 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2024 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2028 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2029 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2033 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2034 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2038 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2039 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2040 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2044 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2045 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2046 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2049 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2055 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2056 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2057 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2062 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2063 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2064 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2068 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2069 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2070 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2073 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2074 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2075 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2076 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2079 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2080 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2081 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2082 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2085 @node Selecting a Group
2086 @section Selecting a Group
2087 @cindex group selection
2092 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2093 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2094 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2095 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2096 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2097 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2098 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2099 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2100 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2101 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2103 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2104 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2105 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2107 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2108 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2113 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2114 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2115 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2116 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2117 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2121 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2122 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2123 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2124 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2125 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2126 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2127 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2128 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2129 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2130 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2133 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2134 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2135 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2136 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2137 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2140 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2141 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2142 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2143 doing any processing of its contents
2144 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2145 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2146 manner will have no permanent effects.
2150 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2151 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2152 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2153 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2154 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2155 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2156 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2157 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2158 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2159 most recently will be fetched.
2161 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2162 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2163 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2166 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles
2167 In groups in some news servers, there might be a big gap between a few
2168 very old articles that will never be expired and the recent ones. In
2169 such a case, the server will return the data like @code{(1 . 30000000)}
2170 for the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, for example. Even if there
2171 are actually only the articles 1-10 and 29999900-30000000, Gnus doesn't
2172 know it at first and prepares for getting 30000000 articles. However,
2173 it will consume hundreds megabytes of memories and might make Emacs get
2174 stuck as the case may be. If you use such news servers, set the
2175 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} to a positive number.
2176 The value means that Gnus ignores articles other than this number of the
2177 latest ones in every group. For instance, the value 10000 makes Gnus
2178 get only the articles 29990001-30000000 (if the latest article number is
2179 30000000 in a group). Note that setting this variable to a number might
2180 prevent you from reading very old articles. The default value of the
2181 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} is @code{nil}, which
2182 means Gnus never ignores old articles.
2184 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2185 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2186 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2187 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2188 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2189 Which article this is controlled by the
2190 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2196 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2199 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2202 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2204 @item unseen-or-unread
2205 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2206 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2210 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2214 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2215 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2217 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2218 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2219 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2220 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2224 @node Subscription Commands
2225 @section Subscription Commands
2226 @cindex subscription
2234 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2235 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2236 Toggle subscription to the current group
2237 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2243 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2244 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2245 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2246 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2252 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2253 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2254 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2260 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2261 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2264 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2265 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2266 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2267 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2268 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2274 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2275 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2279 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2280 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2283 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2284 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2285 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2286 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2287 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2288 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2289 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2290 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2291 @file{.newsrc} file.
2295 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2305 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2306 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2307 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2308 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2309 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2310 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2315 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2316 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2317 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2321 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2322 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2323 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2325 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2326 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2327 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2328 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2329 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2330 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2337 @section Group Levels
2341 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2342 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2343 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2344 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2345 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2347 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2353 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2354 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2355 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2356 prompted for a level.
2359 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2360 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2361 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2362 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2363 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2364 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2365 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2366 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2367 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2368 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2369 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2370 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2371 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2372 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2373 reasons of efficiency.
2375 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2376 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2378 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2379 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2380 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2381 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2382 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2383 groups are hidden, in a way.
2385 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2386 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2387 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2388 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2389 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2390 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2392 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2393 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2394 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2395 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2396 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2397 list of killed groups.)
2399 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2400 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2401 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2403 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2404 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2405 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2406 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2407 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2408 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2409 relevant valid ranges.
2411 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2412 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2413 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2414 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2415 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2416 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2419 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2420 one with the best level.
2422 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2423 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2424 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2427 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2428 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2429 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2430 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2433 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2434 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2435 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2436 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2438 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2439 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2440 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2441 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2442 to 5. The default is 6.
2446 @section Group Score
2451 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2452 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2453 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2456 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2457 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2458 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2459 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2460 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2461 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2462 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2463 least significant part.))
2465 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2466 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2467 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2468 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2469 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2470 action after each summary exit, you can add
2471 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2472 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2473 slow things down somewhat.
2476 @node Marking Groups
2477 @section Marking Groups
2478 @cindex marking groups
2480 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2481 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2482 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2483 bidding on those groups.
2485 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2486 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2487 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2495 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2496 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2502 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2503 Remove the mark from the current group
2504 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2508 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2509 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2514 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2518 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2519 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2523 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2524 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2525 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2528 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2530 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2531 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2532 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2533 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2534 the command to be executed.
2537 @node Foreign Groups
2538 @section Foreign Groups
2539 @cindex foreign groups
2541 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2542 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2543 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2544 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2547 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2548 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2549 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2556 @cindex making groups
2557 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2558 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2559 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2563 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2564 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2565 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2569 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2570 @cindex renaming groups
2571 Rename the current group to something else
2572 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2573 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2579 @findex gnus-group-customize
2580 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2584 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2585 @cindex renaming groups
2586 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2587 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2591 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2592 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2593 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2597 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2598 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2599 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2603 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2605 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2606 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2611 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2612 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2616 @cindex (ding) archive
2617 @cindex archive group
2618 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2619 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2620 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2621 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2622 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2623 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2624 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2628 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2630 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2631 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2632 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2636 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2637 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2639 Make a group based on some file or other
2640 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2641 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2642 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2643 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2644 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2645 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2646 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2647 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2648 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2652 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2653 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2654 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2655 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2659 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2663 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2664 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2665 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2666 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2667 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2668 @xref{Web Searches}.
2670 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2671 to a particular group by using a match string like
2672 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2676 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2677 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2678 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2682 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2683 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2684 This function will delete the current group
2685 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2686 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2687 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2688 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2689 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2693 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2694 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2695 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2699 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2700 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2701 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2704 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2707 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2708 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2709 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2710 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2711 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2712 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2716 The following commands create ephemeral groups. They can be called not
2717 only from the Group buffer, but in any Gnus buffer.
2720 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2721 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2722 @vindex gnus-gmane-group-download-format
2723 Read an ephemeral group on Gmane.org. The articles are downloaded via
2724 HTTP using the URL specified by @code{gnus-gmane-group-download-format}.
2725 Gnus will prompt you for a group name, the start article number and an
2728 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2729 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2730 This command is similar to @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group}, but
2731 the group name and the article number and range are constructed from a
2732 given @acronym{URL}. Supported @acronym{URL} formats include e.g.
2733 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12300/focus=12399},
2734 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2735 @url{http://article.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2736 @url{http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/}, and
2737 @url{http://news.gmane.org/group/gmane.foo.bar/thread=12345}.
2739 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2740 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2741 Read an Emacs bug report in an ephemeral group. Gnus will prompt for a
2742 bug number. The default is the number at point. The @acronym{URL} is
2743 specified in @code{gnus-bug-group-download-format-alist}.
2745 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2746 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2747 Read a Debian bug report in an ephemeral group. Analog to
2748 @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group}.
2751 Some of these command are also useful for article buttons, @xref{Article
2759 '("#\\([0-9]+\\)\\>" 1
2760 (string-match "\\<emacs\\>" (or gnus-newsgroup-name ""))
2761 gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group 1))
2765 @node Group Parameters
2766 @section Group Parameters
2767 @cindex group parameters
2769 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2771 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2772 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2773 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2774 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2775 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2776 Additionally, you can set group parameters via the
2777 @code{gnus-parameters} variable, see below.
2779 Here's an example group parameter list:
2782 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2786 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2787 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2788 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2789 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2791 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2792 is an alist of regexps and values.
2794 The following group parameters can be used:
2799 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2802 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2805 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2806 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2807 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2808 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2809 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2811 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2812 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2813 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2814 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2815 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2816 list address instead.
2818 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2822 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2825 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2828 It is totally ignored
2829 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2830 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2832 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2833 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2834 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2835 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2836 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2838 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2839 @cindex mail list groups
2840 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2841 entering summary buffer.
2843 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2848 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2849 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2850 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2851 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2852 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2853 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2854 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2855 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2858 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2859 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2862 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2863 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2867 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2868 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2869 of whether it has any unread articles.
2871 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2872 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2874 @item broken-reply-to
2875 @cindex broken-reply-to
2876 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2877 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2878 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2879 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2880 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2881 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2885 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2886 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2890 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2891 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2892 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2897 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2898 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2899 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2900 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2901 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2902 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2903 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2905 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2906 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2907 doesn't accept articles.
2911 @cindex expiring mail
2912 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2913 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2914 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2916 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2919 @cindex total-expire
2920 @cindex expiring mail
2921 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2922 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2923 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2924 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2927 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2931 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2932 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2933 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2934 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2935 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2936 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2937 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2940 @cindex expiry-target
2941 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2942 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2945 @cindex score file group parameter
2946 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2947 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2948 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2951 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2952 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2953 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2954 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2957 @cindex admin-address
2958 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2959 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2960 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2961 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2965 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2966 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2970 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2973 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2974 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2977 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2981 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2983 Here are some examples:
2987 Display only unread articles.
2990 Display everything except expirable articles.
2992 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2993 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2997 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2998 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2999 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
3000 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
3001 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
3005 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
3006 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
3007 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
3011 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
3012 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
3013 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
3017 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
3018 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
3019 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
3021 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
3023 @item ignored-charsets
3024 @cindex ignored-charset
3025 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
3026 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
3027 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
3029 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
3032 @cindex posting-style
3033 You can store additional posting style information for this group
3034 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
3035 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
3036 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
3037 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
3039 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
3040 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
3041 like this in the group parameters:
3046 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
3047 (signature "Funky Signature"))
3050 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
3051 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
3052 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
3053 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
3054 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3055 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3061 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3062 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3066 If it is set, and the setting of @code{mail-sources} includes a
3067 @code{group} mail source (@pxref{Mail Sources}), the value is a
3068 mail source for this group.
3072 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3073 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3074 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3075 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3076 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3080 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3081 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3082 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3083 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3085 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3086 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3087 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3088 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3091 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3092 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3096 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3097 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3098 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3099 like the following is generated:
3102 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3103 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3107 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3108 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3110 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3111 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3113 @item (agent parameters)
3114 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3115 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3116 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3117 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3118 minimize the configuration effort.
3120 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3121 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3122 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3123 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3124 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3125 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3126 @code{eval}ed there.
3128 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer
3129 if and only if @var{variable} has been bound as a variable. Otherwise,
3130 only evaluating the form will take place. So, you may want to bind the
3131 variable in advance using @code{defvar} or other if the result of the
3132 form needs to be set to it.
3134 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3135 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3136 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3137 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3138 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3139 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3140 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3143 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3146 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3147 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3148 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3151 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3154 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3155 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3156 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3157 into the group parameters for the group.
3159 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3160 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3161 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group. If
3162 @code{dummy-variable} has been bound (see above), it will be set to the
3163 (meaningless) result of the @code{(ding)} form.
3165 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3166 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3167 following is added to a group parameter
3170 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3171 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3174 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3179 @vindex gnus-parameters
3180 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3181 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3182 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3186 (setq gnus-parameters
3188 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3189 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3190 (gnus-summary-line-format
3191 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3195 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3199 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3203 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3206 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3207 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3209 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3210 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3211 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3212 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3213 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3214 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3215 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3216 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3217 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3218 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3219 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3220 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3222 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3223 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3224 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3225 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3226 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3227 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3228 weekly news RSS feed
3229 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3235 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3236 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3237 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3238 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3239 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3241 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3242 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3243 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3244 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3245 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3246 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3250 @node Listing Groups
3251 @section Listing Groups
3252 @cindex group listing
3254 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3262 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3263 List all groups that have unread articles
3264 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3265 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3266 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3267 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3274 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3275 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3276 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3277 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3278 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3279 unsubscribed groups).
3283 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3284 List all unread groups on a specific level
3285 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3286 with no unread articles.
3290 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3291 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3292 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3293 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3298 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3299 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3303 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3304 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3305 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3309 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3310 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3314 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3315 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3316 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3317 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3318 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3319 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3320 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3321 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3325 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3326 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3327 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3331 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3332 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3333 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3337 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3338 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3342 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3343 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3347 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3348 List groups limited within the current selection
3349 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3353 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3354 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3358 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3359 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3363 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3364 @cindex visible group parameter
3365 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3366 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3367 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3368 get the same effect.
3370 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3371 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3372 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3373 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3374 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3377 @node Sorting Groups
3378 @section Sorting Groups
3379 @cindex sorting groups
3381 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3382 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3383 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3384 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3385 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3386 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3391 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3392 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3393 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3395 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3396 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3397 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3399 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3400 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3401 Sort by group level.
3403 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3404 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3405 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3407 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3408 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3409 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3410 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3412 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3413 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3414 Sort by number of unread articles.
3416 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3417 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3418 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3420 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3421 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3422 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3427 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3428 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3432 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3433 some sorting criteria:
3437 @kindex G S a (Group)
3438 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3439 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3440 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3443 @kindex G S u (Group)
3444 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3445 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3446 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3449 @kindex G S l (Group)
3450 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3451 Sort the group buffer by group level
3452 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3455 @kindex G S v (Group)
3456 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3457 Sort the group buffer by group score
3458 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3461 @kindex G S r (Group)
3462 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3463 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3464 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3467 @kindex G S m (Group)
3468 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3469 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3470 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3473 @kindex G S n (Group)
3474 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3475 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3476 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3480 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3481 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3483 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3484 commands will sort in reverse order.
3486 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3490 @kindex G P a (Group)
3491 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3492 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3493 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3496 @kindex G P u (Group)
3497 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3498 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3499 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3502 @kindex G P l (Group)
3503 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3504 Sort the groups by group level
3505 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3508 @kindex G P v (Group)
3509 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3510 Sort the groups by group score
3511 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3514 @kindex G P r (Group)
3515 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3516 Sort the groups by group rank
3517 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3520 @kindex G P m (Group)
3521 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3522 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3523 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3526 @kindex G P n (Group)
3527 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3528 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3529 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3532 @kindex G P s (Group)
3533 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3534 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3538 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3542 @node Group Maintenance
3543 @section Group Maintenance
3544 @cindex bogus groups
3549 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3550 Find bogus groups and delete them
3551 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3555 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3556 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3557 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3558 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3559 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3563 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3564 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3565 @cindex expiring mail
3566 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3567 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3568 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3569 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3572 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3573 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3574 @cindex expiring mail
3575 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3576 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3581 @node Browse Foreign Server
3582 @section Browse Foreign Server
3583 @cindex foreign servers
3584 @cindex browsing servers
3589 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3590 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3591 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3592 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3595 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3596 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3597 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3598 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3600 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3605 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3606 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3610 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3611 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3614 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3615 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3616 Enter the current group and display the first article
3617 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3620 @kindex RET (Browse)
3621 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3622 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3626 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3627 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3628 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3634 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3635 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3639 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3640 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3644 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3645 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3646 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3651 @section Exiting Gnus
3652 @cindex exiting Gnus
3654 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3659 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3660 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3661 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3662 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3666 @findex gnus-group-exit
3667 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3668 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3672 @findex gnus-group-quit
3673 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3674 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3677 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3678 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3679 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3680 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3681 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3682 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3688 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3689 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3690 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3696 @section Group Topics
3699 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3700 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3701 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3702 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3703 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3704 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3708 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3709 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3720 2: alt.religion.emacs
3723 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3725 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3726 13: comp.sources.unix
3729 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3731 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3732 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3733 is a toggling command.)
3735 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3736 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3737 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3738 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3741 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3742 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3743 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3746 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3750 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3751 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3752 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3753 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3754 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3758 @node Topic Commands
3759 @subsection Topic Commands
3760 @cindex topic commands
3762 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3763 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3764 definitions slightly.
3766 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3767 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3768 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3769 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3770 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3771 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3773 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3780 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3781 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3782 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3786 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3789 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3790 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3791 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3794 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3795 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3796 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3797 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3801 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3802 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3803 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3804 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3810 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3811 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3812 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3816 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3817 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3818 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3821 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3822 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3823 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3824 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3825 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3827 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3828 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3832 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3833 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3840 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3842 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3843 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3844 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3845 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3846 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3847 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3851 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3857 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3858 Move the current group to some other topic
3859 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3860 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3864 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3865 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3869 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3870 Copy the current group to some other topic
3871 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3872 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3876 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3877 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3878 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3882 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3883 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3884 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3888 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3889 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3890 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3891 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3892 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3893 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3894 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3897 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3898 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3902 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3903 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3904 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3908 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3909 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3910 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3914 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3915 Toggle hiding empty topics
3916 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3920 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3921 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3922 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3923 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3926 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3927 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3928 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3929 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3930 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3933 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3934 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3935 @cindex expiring mail
3936 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3937 expiry process (if any)
3938 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3942 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3943 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3946 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3947 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3948 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3952 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3953 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3954 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3957 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3958 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3959 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3962 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3963 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3964 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3968 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3969 @cindex group parameters
3970 @cindex topic parameters
3972 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3973 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3978 @node Topic Variables
3979 @subsection Topic Variables
3980 @cindex topic variables
3982 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3983 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3985 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3986 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3987 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4000 Number of groups in the topic.
4002 Number of unread articles in the topic.
4004 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
4007 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
4008 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
4009 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
4012 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
4013 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
4015 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
4016 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
4017 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
4021 @subsection Topic Sorting
4022 @cindex topic sorting
4024 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
4030 @kindex T S a (Topic)
4031 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
4032 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
4033 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
4036 @kindex T S u (Topic)
4037 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
4038 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
4039 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
4042 @kindex T S l (Topic)
4043 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
4044 Sort the current topic by group level
4045 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
4048 @kindex T S v (Topic)
4049 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
4050 Sort the current topic by group score
4051 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
4054 @kindex T S r (Topic)
4055 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
4056 Sort the current topic by group rank
4057 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4060 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4061 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4062 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4063 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4066 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4067 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4068 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4069 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4072 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4073 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4074 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4075 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4076 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4080 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4081 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4085 @node Topic Topology
4086 @subsection Topic Topology
4087 @cindex topic topology
4090 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4097 2: alt.religion.emacs
4100 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4102 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4103 13: comp.sources.unix
4107 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4108 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4109 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4114 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4115 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4119 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4120 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4121 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4122 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4123 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4124 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4126 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4127 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4128 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4131 @node Topic Parameters
4132 @subsection Topic Parameters
4133 @cindex topic parameters
4135 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4136 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4137 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4138 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4139 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4141 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4146 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4147 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4148 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4151 @item subscribe-level
4152 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4153 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4154 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4158 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4159 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4160 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4161 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4168 2: alt.religion.emacs
4172 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4174 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4175 13: comp.sources.unix
4180 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4181 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4182 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4183 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4184 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4185 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4187 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4188 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4189 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4190 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4191 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4193 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4194 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4195 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4196 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4197 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4198 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4199 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4200 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4203 @node Non-ASCII Group Names
4204 @section Accessing groups of non-English names
4205 @cindex non-ascii group names
4207 There are some news servers that provide groups of which the names are
4208 expressed with their native languages in the world. For instance, in a
4209 certain news server there are some newsgroups of which the names are
4210 spelled in Chinese, where people are talking in Chinese. You can, of
4211 course, subscribe to such news groups using Gnus. Currently Gnus
4212 supports non-@acronym{ASCII} group names not only with the @code{nntp}
4213 back end but also with the @code{nnml} back end and the @code{nnrss}
4216 Every such group name is encoded by a certain charset in the server
4217 side (in an @acronym{NNTP} server its administrator determines the
4218 charset, but for groups in the other back ends it is determined by you).
4219 Gnus has to display the decoded ones for you in the group buffer and the
4220 article buffer, and needs to use the encoded ones when communicating
4221 with servers. However, Gnus doesn't know what charset is used for each
4222 non-@acronym{ASCII} group name. The following two variables are just
4223 the ones for telling Gnus what charset should be used for each group:
4226 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4227 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4228 An alist of select methods and charsets. The default value is
4229 @code{nil}. The names of groups in the server specified by that select
4230 method are all supposed to use the corresponding charset. For example:
4233 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4234 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4237 Charsets specified for groups with this variable are preferred to the
4238 ones specified for the same groups with the
4239 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} variable (see below).
4241 A select method can be very long, like:
4245 (nntp-address "news.gmane.org")
4246 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
4247 (nntp-open-connection-function
4248 nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
4249 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
4250 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
4251 ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
4252 (nntp-via-address @dots{}))
4255 In that case, you can truncate it into @code{(nntp "gmane")} in this
4256 variable. That is, it is enough to contain only the back end name and
4259 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4260 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4261 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4262 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
4263 @code{((".*" . utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported,
4264 otherwise the default is @code{nil}. For example:
4267 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4268 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)
4272 Note that this variable is ignored if the match is made with
4273 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist}.
4276 Those two variables are used also to determine the charset for encoding
4277 and decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} group names that are in the back ends
4278 other than @code{nntp}. It means that it is you who determine it. If
4279 you do nothing, the charset used for group names in those back ends will
4280 all be @code{utf-8} because of the last element of
4281 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4283 There is one more important variable for non-@acronym{ASCII} group
4287 @item nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4288 @vindex nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4289 The value of this variable should be a coding system or @code{nil}. The
4290 default is @code{nil} in Emacs, or is the aliasee of the coding system
4291 named @code{file-name} (a certain coding system of which an alias is
4292 @code{file-name}) in XEmacs.
4294 The @code{nnml} back end, the @code{nnrss} back end, the @acronym{NNTP}
4295 marks feature (@pxref{NNTP marks}), the agent, and the cache use
4296 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names in those files and directories. This
4297 variable overrides the value of @code{file-name-coding-system} which
4298 specifies the coding system used when encoding and decoding those file
4299 names and directory names.
4301 In XEmacs (with the @code{mule} feature), @code{file-name-coding-system}
4302 is the only means to specify the coding system used to encode and decode
4303 file names. On the other hand, Emacs uses the value of
4304 @code{default-file-name-coding-system} if @code{file-name-coding-system}
4305 is @code{nil} or it is bound to the value of
4306 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} which is @code{nil}.
4308 Normally the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system} in Emacs or
4309 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} in XEmacs is initialized according
4310 to the locale, so you will need to do nothing if the value is suitable
4311 to encode and decode non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4313 The value of this variable (or @code{default-file-name-coding-system})
4314 does not necessarily need to be the same value that is determined by
4315 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} and
4316 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4318 If @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable is
4319 initialized by default to @code{iso-latin-1} for example, although you
4320 want to subscribe to the groups spelled in Chinese, that is the most
4321 typical case where you have to customize
4322 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}. The @code{utf-8} coding system is
4323 a good candidate for it. Otherwise, you may change the locale in your
4324 system so that @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable
4325 may be initialized to an appropriate value.
4328 Note that when you copy or move articles from a non-@acronym{ASCII}
4329 group to another group, the charset used to encode and decode group
4330 names should be the same in both groups. Otherwise the Newsgroups
4331 header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
4338 * nnir:: Searching on IMAP, with swish, namazu, etc.
4339 * nnmairix:: Searching maildir, MH or mbox with Mairix.
4344 FIXME: This node is a stub.
4346 FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
4347 comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
4350 FIXME: Explain difference to @ref{Searching for Articles}, add reference
4356 FIXME: As a first step, convert the commentary of @file{nnir} to texi.
4360 @subsection nnmairix
4364 This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
4365 @code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
4366 Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
4367 bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
4370 * About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
4371 * nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
4372 * What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
4373 * Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
4374 * Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
4375 * nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
4376 * Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
4377 * nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
4378 * nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
4381 @c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
4382 @c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
4383 @c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
4386 @subsubsection About mairix
4388 Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
4389 mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
4390 GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
4391 runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
4393 @uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
4395 Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
4396 swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
4397 has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
4398 can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
4399 thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
4400 necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
4401 done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
4402 therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
4405 For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
4406 @code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
4407 end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
4408 results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
4409 which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
4410 made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
4411 mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
4412 for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
4415 @node nnmairix requirements
4416 @subsubsection nnmairix requirements
4418 Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
4419 direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
4420 server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
4421 access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
4423 Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
4424 ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
4425 one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
4426 @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
4428 If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
4429 you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
4430 @code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
4431 files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
4432 really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
4433 the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
4435 @node What nnmairix does
4436 @subsubsection What nnmairix does
4438 The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
4439 either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
4440 database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
4441 several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
4442 search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
4443 display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
4444 mails are in different folders.
4446 Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
4447 to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
4448 containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
4449 even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
4450 new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
4451 automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
4453 You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
4454 creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
4455 then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
4456 does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
4457 strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
4458 claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
4459 the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
4460 its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
4461 use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
4462 about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
4463 group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
4465 @code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
4466 a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
4467 the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
4468 different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
4469 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
4470 binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
4471 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
4472 present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
4473 You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
4474 but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
4475 groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
4476 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
4477 make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
4478 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
4479 mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
4480 folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
4482 @node Setting up mairix
4483 @subsubsection Setting up mairix
4485 First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
4487 Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
4488 (at least) the following entries:
4491 # Your Maildir/MH base folder
4495 This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
4496 are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
4497 with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
4498 directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
4501 maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
4502 mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
4503 mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
4506 This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
4507 base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
4508 @code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
4509 directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
4510 section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
4516 @vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
4517 This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
4518 search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
4519 variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
4522 mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
4523 database= ... location of database file ...
4526 The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
4527 search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
4528 with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
4530 To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
4534 maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
4535 mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
4536 mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
4539 database=~/.mairixdatabase
4542 In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
4543 folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
4544 colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
4545 because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
4546 @code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
4547 @code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
4548 to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
4549 notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
4550 to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
4551 dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
4552 old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
4553 The other lines should be obvious.
4555 See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
4556 especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
4557 than you are used to.
4559 Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
4560 Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
4561 the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
4563 @node Configuring nnmairix
4564 @subsubsection Configuring nnmairix
4566 In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
4567 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
4568 necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
4569 server. You will have to specify the following:
4574 The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
4578 The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
4579 searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
4580 Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
4581 which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
4582 @code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
4583 mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
4584 However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
4585 server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
4586 (@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
4587 just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
4588 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might loose mail
4589 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
4590 @acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
4591 @code{nnimap} server here.
4594 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
4595 The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
4596 be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
4597 SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
4598 @acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
4599 mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
4600 @code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
4603 The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
4604 where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
4605 are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
4609 If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
4610 asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
4611 folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
4612 @samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
4613 server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
4617 @node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4618 @subsubsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4625 @kindex G b c (Group)
4626 @findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
4627 Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
4628 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
4629 this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
4632 @kindex G b s (Group)
4633 @findex nnmairix-search
4634 Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
4635 results are put into the default search group which is automatically
4636 displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
4639 @kindex G b m (Group)
4640 @findex nnmairix-widget-search
4641 Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
4642 comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
4643 group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
4646 @kindex G b i (Group)
4647 @findex nnmairix-search-interactive
4648 Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
4649 only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
4652 @kindex G b g (Group)
4653 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group
4654 Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
4655 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
4656 automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
4660 @kindex G b q (Group)
4661 @findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
4662 Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
4663 (@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
4666 @kindex G b t (Group)
4667 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
4668 Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
4669 i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
4670 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
4673 @kindex G b u (Group)
4674 @findex nnmairix-update-database
4675 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
4676 Calls mairix binary for updating the database
4677 (@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
4678 and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
4679 @code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
4683 @kindex G b r (Group)
4684 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
4685 Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
4686 marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
4689 @kindex G b d (Group)
4690 @findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
4691 Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
4692 (@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
4693 you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
4696 @kindex G b a (Group)
4697 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
4698 Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
4699 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
4700 behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
4701 update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
4702 mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
4703 upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
4704 lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
4705 entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
4708 @kindex G b p (Group)
4709 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
4710 Toggle marks propagation for this group
4711 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
4715 @kindex G b o (Group)
4716 @findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
4717 Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
4718 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
4727 @kindex $ m (Summary)
4728 @findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
4729 Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
4730 message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
4731 (@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
4734 @kindex $ g (Summary)
4735 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
4736 Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
4737 message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
4738 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
4741 @kindex $ t (Summary)
4742 @findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
4743 Searches thread for the current article
4744 (@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
4745 shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
4746 current article and enabled threads.
4749 @kindex $ f (Summary)
4750 @findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
4751 Searches all messages from sender of the current article
4752 (@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
4753 calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
4756 @kindex $ o (Summary)
4757 @findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
4758 (Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
4759 originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
4760 e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
4761 parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
4762 function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
4763 article file name as a fallback method.
4766 @kindex $ u (Summary)
4767 @findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
4768 Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
4769 (@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
4774 @node Propagating marks
4775 @subsubsection Propagating marks
4777 First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
4778 propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
4779 the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
4781 @uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
4783 You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
4784 is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
4785 marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
4786 fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
4789 With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
4790 alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
4791 example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
4792 into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
4793 @samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
4794 all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
4795 create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
4796 can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
4797 implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
4798 groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
4800 There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
4801 @samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
4802 ``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
4803 search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
4804 enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
4805 marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
4806 mail group it will be still shown as unread.
4808 You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
4809 tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
4810 created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
4811 @code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
4812 shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
4813 even more cumbersome.
4815 Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
4816 automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
4817 @emph{marks propagation} is about.
4819 Marks propagation is deactivated by default. You can activate it for a
4820 certain @code{nnmairix} group with
4821 @code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
4822 p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
4823 search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
4824 temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
4825 this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
4827 With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
4828 group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
4829 you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
4830 magically be set for the original article, too.
4832 A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
4834 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
4835 Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
4836 not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
4837 dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
4838 will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
4839 via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
4842 Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
4843 article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
4844 the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
4845 fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
4846 marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
4847 set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
4848 the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
4850 @vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
4851 If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
4852 original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
4853 search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
4854 way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
4855 marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
4856 setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
4858 Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
4859 tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
4860 article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
4861 reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
4862 immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
4863 @code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
4864 not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
4865 groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
4866 maildir as its file format.
4868 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
4869 If you work with this setup, just set
4870 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
4871 happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
4872 problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
4873 usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
4874 groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
4875 back end using @kbd{G b d}.
4877 @node nnmairix tips and tricks
4878 @subsubsection nnmairix tips and tricks
4884 @findex nnmairix-update-groups
4885 I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
4886 have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
4889 I use the following to check for mails:
4892 (defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
4894 ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
4895 (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
4896 (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
4897 (gnus-group-list-groups))
4899 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
4902 Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
4903 server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
4907 Example: search group for ticked articles
4909 For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
4910 articles always stay unread:
4912 Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
4913 @samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
4915 Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
4916 activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
4918 So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
4919 group? There are two options: You may simply use
4920 @code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
4921 tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
4922 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
4923 comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
4924 also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
4925 e.g. by marking an article as read.
4927 When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
4928 article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
4929 mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
4930 for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
4931 snippet and the doc string for details.
4934 Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
4936 As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
4937 the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
4938 see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
4939 should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
4940 usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
4941 @code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
4942 @samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
4943 simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
4944 auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
4945 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
4946 Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
4947 for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
4950 (setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
4951 "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
4956 @node nnmairix caveats
4957 @subsubsection nnmairix caveats
4961 You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
4962 you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
4963 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
4964 put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
4965 an example server definition:
4968 (nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
4971 (The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variabe
4972 @code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
4973 have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
4977 If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
4978 @code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
4979 @code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}). Be @emph{extra careful} if
4980 you use @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are
4981 split into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as
4982 you check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
4985 Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
4986 groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
4989 If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
4990 @code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
4993 mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
4996 @code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
4997 completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
4998 called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
4999 back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
5000 don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
5001 own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
5005 All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
5006 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
5007 is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
5008 it is gone for good.
5011 @findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
5012 If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
5013 ``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
5014 delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
5015 @code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
5016 save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
5017 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
5018 @code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
5019 @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
5022 The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
5023 for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
5025 A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
5026 comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
5027 @samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
5028 file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
5029 update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
5030 mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
5031 while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
5032 @samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
5033 after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
5034 non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
5035 ``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
5036 to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
5040 @node Misc Group Stuff
5041 @section Misc Group Stuff
5044 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
5045 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
5046 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
5047 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
5048 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
5055 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
5056 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5057 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5060 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
5063 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
5066 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
5067 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
5071 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
5072 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
5073 @xref{Server Buffer}.
5077 @findex gnus-group-post-news
5078 Start composing a message (a news by default)
5079 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
5080 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5081 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
5082 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
5083 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5087 @findex gnus-group-mail
5088 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
5089 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
5090 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5091 @xref{Composing Messages}.
5095 @findex gnus-group-news
5096 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
5097 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
5098 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5100 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5101 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5102 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5103 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5104 for this to work though.
5108 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
5110 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
5111 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
5112 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
5117 Variables for the group buffer:
5121 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
5122 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
5123 is called after the group buffer has been
5126 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
5127 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5128 is called after the group buffer is
5129 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
5132 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
5133 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5134 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
5135 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
5137 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5138 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5139 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
5140 whether they are empty or not.
5144 @node Scanning New Messages
5145 @subsection Scanning New Messages
5146 @cindex new messages
5147 @cindex scanning new news
5153 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
5154 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
5155 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
5156 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
5157 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
5158 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
5163 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
5164 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
5165 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
5166 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
5167 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
5168 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
5169 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
5171 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
5172 @cindex activating groups
5174 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
5175 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
5180 @findex gnus-group-restart
5181 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
5182 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
5183 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
5187 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
5188 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
5190 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
5191 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
5195 @node Group Information
5196 @subsection Group Information
5197 @cindex group information
5198 @cindex information on groups
5205 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
5206 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
5209 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
5210 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
5211 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
5212 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
5213 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
5214 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
5215 used for fetching the file.
5217 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
5218 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
5222 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
5223 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
5225 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
5226 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
5229 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
5230 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
5231 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
5235 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
5236 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
5237 @cindex control message
5238 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
5239 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
5240 group if given a prefix argument.
5242 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
5243 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
5244 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
5245 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
5247 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
5248 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
5249 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
5253 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
5255 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
5256 @cindex describing groups
5257 @cindex group description
5258 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
5259 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
5260 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
5264 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
5265 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
5266 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
5273 @findex gnus-version
5274 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
5278 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
5279 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
5282 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
5285 @findex gnus-info-find-node
5286 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
5290 @node Group Timestamp
5291 @subsection Group Timestamp
5293 @cindex group timestamps
5295 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
5296 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
5297 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
5300 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
5303 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
5305 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
5306 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
5309 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5310 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
5313 This will result in lines looking like:
5316 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
5317 0: custom 19961002T012713
5320 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
5321 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
5325 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5326 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
5329 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
5330 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
5334 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5335 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
5336 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
5337 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
5339 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
5345 @subsection File Commands
5346 @cindex file commands
5352 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
5353 @vindex gnus-init-file
5354 @cindex reading init file
5355 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
5356 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
5360 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
5361 @cindex saving .newsrc
5362 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
5363 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
5364 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
5367 @c @kindex Z (Group)
5368 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
5369 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
5374 @node Sieve Commands
5375 @subsection Sieve Commands
5376 @cindex group sieve commands
5378 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
5379 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
5380 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
5381 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
5382 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
5384 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5385 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
5386 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
5387 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
5388 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
5389 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
5390 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
5391 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
5392 regenerate the Sieve script.
5394 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
5395 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
5396 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
5397 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
5398 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
5399 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
5400 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
5401 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
5402 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
5403 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
5406 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
5407 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
5412 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
5418 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
5419 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5420 @cindex generating sieve script
5421 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
5422 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
5426 @findex gnus-sieve-update
5427 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5428 @cindex updating sieve script
5429 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
5430 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
5431 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
5436 @node Summary Buffer
5437 @chapter Summary Buffer
5438 @cindex summary buffer
5440 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
5441 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
5443 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
5444 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
5446 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
5448 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
5449 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
5453 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
5454 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5455 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5457 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
5461 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
5462 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
5463 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
5464 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
5465 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
5466 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
5467 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
5468 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
5469 * Threading:: How threads are made.
5470 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
5471 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
5472 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
5473 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
5474 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
5475 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
5476 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
5477 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
5478 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
5479 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
5480 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
5481 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
5482 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
5483 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
5484 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
5485 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
5486 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
5487 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
5488 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
5489 or reselecting the current group.
5490 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
5491 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
5492 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
5493 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
5497 @node Summary Buffer Format
5498 @section Summary Buffer Format
5499 @cindex summary buffer format
5503 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
5504 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
5505 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
5511 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
5512 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
5513 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
5514 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
5517 @findex mail-extract-address-components
5518 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
5519 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
5520 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
5521 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
5522 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
5523 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
5524 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
5525 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
5526 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
5527 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
5530 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
5531 'mail-extract-address-components)
5534 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
5535 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
5536 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
5537 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
5540 @node Summary Buffer Lines
5541 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
5543 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5544 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
5545 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
5546 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
5547 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
5549 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
5550 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
5551 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
5552 possible to change this. Just write a new function
5553 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
5554 @xref{Positioning Point}.
5556 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
5558 The following format specification characters and extended format
5559 specification(s) are understood:
5565 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
5566 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
5568 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
5569 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
5570 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
5572 Full @code{From} header.
5574 The name (from the @code{From} header).
5576 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
5579 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
5580 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
5581 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
5582 may be more thorough.
5584 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
5587 Number of lines in the article.
5589 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
5590 in some methods (like nnfolder).
5592 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
5593 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
5595 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5597 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
5598 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
5611 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
5612 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
5613 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
5614 line-drawing glyphs.
5616 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5617 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5618 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
5619 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5621 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5622 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5623 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
5624 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5626 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5627 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5628 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
5629 instead. The default is @samp{}.
5631 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5632 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5633 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
5635 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5636 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5637 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
5639 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5640 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5641 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
5643 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5644 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5645 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
5650 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
5651 pushes everything after it off the screen).
5653 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
5654 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5656 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
5657 for adopted articles.
5659 One space for each thread level.
5661 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
5663 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
5666 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
5667 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
5668 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
5671 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
5673 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
5674 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
5675 default level. If the difference between
5676 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
5677 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
5685 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
5687 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
5693 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
5694 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
5696 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
5697 article has any children.
5703 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
5705 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
5706 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
5708 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
5709 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
5710 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
5711 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
5712 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
5713 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
5716 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
5717 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
5718 There can only be one such area.
5720 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
5721 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
5722 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
5723 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
5724 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
5725 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
5727 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
5728 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
5730 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
5733 @node To From Newsgroups
5734 @subsection To From Newsgroups
5738 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
5739 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
5740 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
5741 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
5742 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
5746 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
5747 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
5748 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
5752 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5753 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
5756 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
5757 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
5760 @findex gnus-extra-header
5761 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
5762 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
5763 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
5766 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
5770 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5771 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
5772 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
5773 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
5774 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
5775 headers are used instead.
5777 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
5778 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
5779 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
5780 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
5781 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
5782 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
5786 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
5787 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
5788 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
5789 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
5790 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
5791 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
5794 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5795 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
5796 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
5797 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
5799 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
5803 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5805 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
5806 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
5807 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
5808 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5812 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
5815 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
5816 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
5819 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
5820 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
5821 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
5827 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
5828 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
5831 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
5832 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
5834 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
5835 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
5836 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
5837 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
5839 Here are the elements you can play with:
5845 Unprefixed group name.
5847 Current article number.
5849 Current article score.
5853 Number of unread articles in this group.
5855 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
5858 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
5859 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
5860 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
5861 and no unselected ones.
5863 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
5864 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
5866 Subject of the current article.
5868 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
5870 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5872 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5874 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5876 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5878 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5882 @node Summary Highlighting
5883 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5887 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5888 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5889 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5890 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5891 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5893 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5894 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5895 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5896 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5898 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5899 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5900 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5901 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5903 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5904 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5905 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5906 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5907 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5908 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5911 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5912 ((> score default) . bold))
5914 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5915 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5919 @node Summary Maneuvering
5920 @section Summary Maneuvering
5921 @cindex summary movement
5923 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5924 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5926 None of these commands select articles.
5931 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5932 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5933 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5934 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5935 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5939 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5940 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5942 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5943 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5946 @kindex G g (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5948 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5949 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5952 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5953 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5954 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5955 to the group buffer.
5957 Variables related to summary movement:
5961 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5962 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5963 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5964 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5965 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5966 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5967 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5968 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5969 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5970 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5971 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5972 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5973 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5974 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5976 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5977 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5978 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5979 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5980 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5981 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5982 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5984 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5986 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5987 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5988 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5989 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5990 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5992 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5993 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5994 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5995 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5996 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5997 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5998 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5999 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
6002 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
6003 the given number of lines from the top.
6005 @item gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
6006 @vindex gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
6007 If non-@code{nil}, don't go to the next article when hitting
6008 @kbd{SPC}, and you're at the end of the article.
6013 @node Choosing Articles
6014 @section Choosing Articles
6015 @cindex selecting articles
6018 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
6019 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
6023 @node Choosing Commands
6024 @subsection Choosing Commands
6026 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
6027 and they all select and display an article.
6029 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
6030 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
6034 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6036 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
6037 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6039 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
6040 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
6041 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
6046 @kindex G n (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
6048 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
6049 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
6054 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
6055 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
6056 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
6061 @kindex G N (Summary)
6062 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
6063 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
6068 @kindex G P (Summary)
6069 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
6070 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
6073 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
6074 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
6075 Go to the next article with the same subject
6076 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
6079 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
6080 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
6081 Go to the previous article with the same subject
6082 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
6086 @kindex G f (Summary)
6088 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
6089 Go to the first unread article
6090 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
6094 @kindex G b (Summary)
6096 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
6097 Go to the unread article with the highest score
6098 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
6099 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
6104 @kindex G l (Summary)
6105 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
6106 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
6109 @kindex G o (Summary)
6110 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
6112 @cindex article history
6113 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
6114 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
6115 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
6116 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
6117 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
6118 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
6123 @kindex G j (Summary)
6124 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
6125 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
6126 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
6131 @node Choosing Variables
6132 @subsection Choosing Variables
6134 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
6137 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6138 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6139 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
6140 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
6141 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
6142 the server and display it in the article buffer.
6144 @item gnus-select-article-hook
6145 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
6146 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
6147 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
6148 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
6151 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
6152 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
6153 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
6154 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
6155 @findex gnus-unread-mark
6156 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
6157 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
6158 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
6159 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
6160 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
6161 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
6162 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
6163 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
6164 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
6169 @node Paging the Article
6170 @section Scrolling the Article
6171 @cindex article scrolling
6176 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6177 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6178 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
6179 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
6180 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6182 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
6183 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
6184 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
6185 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
6186 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
6187 what is considered uninteresting with
6188 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
6189 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
6192 @kindex DEL (Summary)
6193 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
6194 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
6197 @kindex RET (Summary)
6198 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
6199 Scroll the current article one line forward
6200 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
6203 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
6204 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
6205 Scroll the current article one line backward
6206 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
6210 @kindex A g (Summary)
6212 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
6213 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6214 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
6215 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
6216 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
6217 the way it came from the server.
6219 @cindex charset, view article with different charset
6220 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
6221 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
6222 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
6225 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6230 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
6235 @kindex A < (Summary)
6236 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
6237 Scroll to the beginning of the article
6238 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
6243 @kindex A > (Summary)
6244 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
6245 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
6249 @kindex A s (Summary)
6251 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
6252 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
6253 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
6257 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
6258 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
6263 @node Reply Followup and Post
6264 @section Reply, Followup and Post
6267 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
6268 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
6269 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
6270 * Canceling and Superseding::
6274 @node Summary Mail Commands
6275 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
6277 @cindex composing mail
6279 Commands for composing a mail message:
6285 @kindex S r (Summary)
6287 @findex gnus-summary-reply
6288 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
6289 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
6290 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
6291 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
6296 @kindex S R (Summary)
6297 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
6298 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
6299 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6300 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
6301 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6304 @kindex S w (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
6306 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
6308 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6309 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
6310 present, that's used instead.
6313 @kindex S W (Summary)
6314 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
6315 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
6316 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
6317 the process/prefix convention, but only uses the headers from the
6318 first article to determine the recipients.
6321 @kindex S v (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
6323 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
6324 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
6325 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6326 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
6327 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
6330 @kindex S V (Summary)
6331 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
6332 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
6333 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
6334 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6337 @kindex S B r (Summary)
6338 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
6339 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
6340 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
6341 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
6342 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
6343 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
6344 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
6347 @kindex S B R (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
6349 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6350 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
6351 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
6355 @kindex S o m (Summary)
6356 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
6358 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
6359 Forward the current article to some other person
6360 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
6361 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
6362 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6363 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6364 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6365 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6366 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6367 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6368 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
6374 @kindex S m (Summary)
6375 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
6376 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
6377 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
6378 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6379 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
6382 @kindex S i (Summary)
6383 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
6384 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
6385 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
6386 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
6388 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
6389 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
6390 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
6391 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
6392 for this to work though.
6395 @kindex S D b (Summary)
6396 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
6397 @cindex bouncing mail
6398 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
6399 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
6400 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
6401 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
6402 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
6403 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
6404 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
6405 very well fail, though.
6408 @kindex S D r (Summary)
6409 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
6410 Not to be confused with the previous command,
6411 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
6412 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
6413 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
6414 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
6415 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
6416 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
6417 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
6419 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
6420 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
6421 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
6422 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
6423 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
6425 This command understands the process/prefix convention
6426 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6429 @kindex S D e (Summary)
6430 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
6432 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
6433 if it were a new message before resending.
6436 @kindex S O m (Summary)
6437 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
6438 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
6439 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
6440 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6443 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
6444 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
6445 @cindex crossposting
6446 @cindex excessive crossposting
6447 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
6448 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
6450 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
6451 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
6452 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
6453 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
6454 command understands the process/prefix convention
6455 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
6459 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6460 Manual}, for more information.
6463 @node Summary Post Commands
6464 @subsection Summary Post Commands
6466 @cindex composing news
6468 Commands for posting a news article:
6474 @kindex S p (Summary)
6475 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
6476 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
6477 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
6478 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6479 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
6484 @kindex S f (Summary)
6485 @findex gnus-summary-followup
6486 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
6487 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
6491 @kindex S F (Summary)
6493 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
6494 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
6495 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
6496 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
6497 process/prefix convention.
6500 @kindex S n (Summary)
6501 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
6502 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6503 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
6506 @kindex S N (Summary)
6507 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
6508 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6509 message through mail and include the original message
6510 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
6511 the process/prefix convention.
6514 @kindex S o p (Summary)
6515 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
6516 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
6517 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
6518 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
6519 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
6520 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6521 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6522 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6523 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6524 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6525 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6526 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
6529 @kindex S O p (Summary)
6530 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
6532 @cindex making digests
6533 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
6534 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
6535 process/prefix convention.
6538 @kindex S u (Summary)
6539 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
6540 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
6541 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
6542 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
6545 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6546 Manual}, for more information.
6549 @node Summary Message Commands
6550 @subsection Summary Message Commands
6554 @kindex S y (Summary)
6555 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
6556 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
6557 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
6558 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
6559 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6564 @node Canceling and Superseding
6565 @subsection Canceling Articles
6566 @cindex canceling articles
6567 @cindex superseding articles
6569 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
6570 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
6572 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
6574 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
6576 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
6577 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
6578 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
6579 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
6580 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
6581 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6583 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
6584 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
6587 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
6588 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
6589 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
6591 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
6592 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
6593 message, Message Manual}).
6595 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
6596 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
6597 your original article.
6599 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
6601 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
6602 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
6603 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
6606 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
6607 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
6608 have posted almost the same article twice.
6610 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
6611 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
6612 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
6613 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
6614 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
6615 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
6616 header by substituting one of those words for the word
6617 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
6618 you would do normally. The previous article will be
6619 canceled/superseded.
6621 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
6623 @node Delayed Articles
6624 @section Delayed Articles
6625 @cindex delayed sending
6626 @cindex send delayed
6628 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
6629 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
6630 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
6631 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
6634 (gnus-delay-initialize)
6637 @findex gnus-delay-article
6638 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
6639 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
6640 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
6641 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
6645 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
6646 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
6647 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
6648 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
6651 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
6652 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
6653 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
6656 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
6657 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
6658 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
6659 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
6660 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
6661 that means a time tomorrow.
6664 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
6665 couple of variables:
6668 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
6669 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
6670 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
6671 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
6673 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
6674 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
6675 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
6676 formats described above.
6678 @item gnus-delay-group
6679 @vindex gnus-delay-group
6680 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
6681 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
6682 value is @code{"delayed"}.
6684 @item gnus-delay-header
6685 @vindex gnus-delay-header
6686 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
6687 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
6688 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
6691 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
6692 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
6693 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
6694 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
6695 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
6697 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
6698 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
6699 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
6700 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
6701 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
6702 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
6703 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
6706 @item gnus-delay-initialize
6707 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
6708 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
6709 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
6710 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
6711 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
6712 argument is ignored.
6714 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
6715 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
6716 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
6719 When delaying an article with @kbd{C-c C-j}, Message mode will
6720 automatically add a @code{"Date"} header with the current time. In
6721 many cases you probably want the @code{"Date"} header to reflect the
6722 time the message is sent instead. To do this, you have to delete
6723 @code{Date} from @code{message-draft-headers}.
6726 @node Marking Articles
6727 @section Marking Articles
6728 @cindex article marking
6729 @cindex article ticking
6732 There are several marks you can set on an article.
6734 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
6735 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
6736 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
6738 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
6741 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
6745 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
6746 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
6747 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
6748 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
6749 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
6750 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
6754 @node Unread Articles
6755 @subsection Unread Articles
6757 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
6762 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
6763 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
6765 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
6766 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
6767 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
6768 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
6769 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
6770 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
6771 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
6774 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
6775 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
6777 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
6778 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
6779 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
6780 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
6784 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
6785 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
6787 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
6792 @subsection Read Articles
6793 @cindex expirable mark
6795 All the following marks mark articles as read.
6800 @vindex gnus-del-mark
6801 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
6802 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
6805 @vindex gnus-read-mark
6806 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
6809 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
6810 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
6811 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
6814 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
6815 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
6818 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
6819 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
6822 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
6823 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
6826 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
6827 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
6830 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
6831 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
6834 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
6835 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
6839 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
6840 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
6841 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6845 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
6846 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
6848 One more special mark, though:
6852 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
6853 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
6855 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
6856 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
6857 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
6858 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
6864 @subsection Other Marks
6865 @cindex process mark
6868 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
6874 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
6875 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
6876 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
6877 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
6878 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6881 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6882 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6883 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6884 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6887 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6888 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6889 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6892 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6893 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6894 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6897 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6898 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6899 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6900 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6903 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
6904 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
6905 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
6906 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
6907 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
6908 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
6911 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6912 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6913 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6914 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
6917 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6918 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6919 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6920 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6921 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6925 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6926 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6927 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6928 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6929 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6930 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6933 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6934 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6935 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6936 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6937 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6938 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6942 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6943 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6944 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6945 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6946 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6949 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6950 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6951 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6952 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6953 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6954 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6958 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6959 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6960 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6962 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6963 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6964 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6968 @subsection Setting Marks
6969 @cindex setting marks
6971 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6976 @kindex M c (Summary)
6977 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6978 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6979 @cindex mark as unread
6980 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6981 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6987 @kindex M t (Summary)
6988 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6989 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6990 @xref{Article Caching}.
6995 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6996 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6997 Mark the current article as dormant
6998 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
7002 @kindex M d (Summary)
7004 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
7005 Mark the current article as read
7006 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
7010 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
7011 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
7012 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
7017 @kindex M k (Summary)
7018 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
7019 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
7020 and then select the next unread article
7021 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
7025 @kindex M K (Summary)
7026 @kindex C-k (Summary)
7027 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
7028 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
7029 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
7032 @kindex M C (Summary)
7033 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
7034 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
7035 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
7038 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
7039 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
7040 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
7041 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
7044 @kindex M H (Summary)
7045 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
7046 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
7047 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
7050 @kindex M h (Summary)
7051 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
7052 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
7053 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
7056 @kindex C-w (Summary)
7057 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
7058 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
7059 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
7062 @kindex M V k (Summary)
7063 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
7064 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
7065 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
7069 @kindex M e (Summary)
7071 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
7072 Mark the current article as expirable
7073 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
7076 @kindex M b (Summary)
7077 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
7078 Set a bookmark in the current article
7079 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
7082 @kindex M B (Summary)
7083 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
7084 Remove the bookmark from the current article
7085 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
7088 @kindex M V c (Summary)
7089 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
7090 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
7091 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7094 @kindex M V u (Summary)
7095 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
7096 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
7097 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
7100 @kindex M V m (Summary)
7101 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
7102 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
7103 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
7104 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7107 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
7108 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
7109 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
7110 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
7111 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
7112 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
7113 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
7114 The default is @code{t}.
7117 @node Generic Marking Commands
7118 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
7120 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
7121 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
7122 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
7123 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
7124 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
7127 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
7128 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
7131 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
7132 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
7133 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
7134 to list in this manual.
7136 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
7137 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
7138 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
7139 article, you could say something like:
7143 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
7144 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7145 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
7153 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7154 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
7158 @node Setting Process Marks
7159 @subsection Setting Process Marks
7160 @cindex setting process marks
7162 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
7163 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
7164 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
7165 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
7166 articles into the cache. For more information,
7167 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
7174 @kindex M P p (Summary)
7175 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
7176 Mark the current article with the process mark
7177 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
7178 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
7182 @kindex M P u (Summary)
7183 @kindex M-# (Summary)
7184 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
7185 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
7188 @kindex M P U (Summary)
7189 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
7190 Remove the process mark from all articles
7191 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
7194 @kindex M P i (Summary)
7195 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
7196 Invert the list of process marked articles
7197 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
7200 @kindex M P R (Summary)
7201 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
7202 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7203 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
7206 @kindex M P G (Summary)
7207 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
7208 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7209 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
7212 @kindex M P r (Summary)
7213 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
7214 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
7217 @kindex M P g (Summary)
7218 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
7219 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
7222 @kindex M P t (Summary)
7223 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7224 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7225 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7228 @kindex M P T (Summary)
7229 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7230 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7231 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7234 @kindex M P v (Summary)
7235 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
7236 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
7237 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
7240 @kindex M P s (Summary)
7241 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
7242 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
7245 @kindex M P S (Summary)
7246 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
7247 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
7248 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
7251 @kindex M P a (Summary)
7252 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
7253 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
7256 @kindex M P b (Summary)
7257 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
7258 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
7259 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
7262 @kindex M P k (Summary)
7263 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
7264 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
7265 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
7268 @kindex M P y (Summary)
7269 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
7270 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
7271 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
7274 @kindex M P w (Summary)
7275 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
7276 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
7277 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
7281 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
7282 set process marks based on article body contents.
7289 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
7290 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
7291 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
7294 Limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched from
7295 the servers. These commands don't query the server for additional
7302 @kindex / / (Summary)
7303 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
7304 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
7305 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
7309 @kindex / a (Summary)
7310 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
7311 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
7312 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
7316 @kindex / R (Summary)
7317 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
7318 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
7319 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
7323 @kindex / A (Summary)
7324 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
7325 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
7326 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
7327 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
7330 @kindex / S (Summary)
7331 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
7332 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
7333 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
7334 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
7337 @kindex / x (Summary)
7338 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
7339 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
7340 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
7341 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
7346 @kindex / u (Summary)
7348 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
7349 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
7350 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
7351 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
7352 dormant articles will also be excluded.
7355 @kindex / m (Summary)
7356 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
7357 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
7358 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
7361 @kindex / t (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
7363 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
7364 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
7365 articles younger than that number of days.
7368 @kindex / n (Summary)
7369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
7370 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
7371 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
7372 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
7375 @kindex / w (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
7377 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
7378 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
7382 @kindex / . (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
7384 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
7385 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
7388 @kindex / v (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
7390 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
7391 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
7394 @kindex / p (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
7396 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
7397 group parameter predicate
7398 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
7399 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
7402 @kindex / r (Summary)
7403 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
7404 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
7405 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
7410 @kindex M S (Summary)
7411 @kindex / E (Summary)
7412 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
7413 Include all expunged articles in the limit
7414 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
7417 @kindex / D (Summary)
7418 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
7419 Include all dormant articles in the limit
7420 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
7423 @kindex / * (Summary)
7424 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
7425 Include all cached articles in the limit
7426 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
7429 @kindex / d (Summary)
7430 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
7431 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
7432 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
7435 @kindex / M (Summary)
7436 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
7437 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
7440 @kindex / T (Summary)
7441 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
7442 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
7445 @kindex / c (Summary)
7446 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
7447 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
7448 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
7451 @kindex / C (Summary)
7452 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
7453 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
7454 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
7455 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
7458 @kindex / b (Summary)
7459 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
7460 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
7461 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
7462 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
7463 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
7466 @kindex / h (Summary)
7467 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
7468 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
7469 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
7474 The following commands aren't limiting commands, but use the @kbd{/}
7479 @kindex / N (Summary)
7480 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
7481 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
7482 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
7485 @kindex / o (Summary)
7486 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
7487 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
7488 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
7496 @cindex article threading
7498 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
7499 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
7500 hierarchical fashion.
7502 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
7503 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
7504 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
7505 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
7506 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
7507 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
7508 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
7510 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
7514 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
7517 A tree-like article structure.
7520 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
7523 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
7524 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
7525 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
7526 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
7527 called loose threads.
7529 @item thread gathering
7530 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
7532 @item sparse threads
7533 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
7534 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
7540 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
7541 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
7545 @node Customizing Threading
7546 @subsection Customizing Threading
7547 @cindex customizing threading
7550 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
7551 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
7552 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
7553 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
7558 @subsubsection Loose Threads
7561 @cindex loose threads
7564 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
7565 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
7566 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
7567 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
7568 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
7569 read or killed the root in a previous session.
7571 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
7572 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
7573 There are four possible values:
7577 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
7578 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
7579 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
7580 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
7581 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
7586 @cindex adopting articles
7591 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
7592 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
7593 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
7594 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
7597 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
7598 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
7599 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
7600 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
7601 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
7602 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
7603 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
7604 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7605 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
7606 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
7609 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
7610 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
7611 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
7615 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
7616 display them after one another.
7619 Don't gather loose threads.
7622 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7623 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7624 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
7625 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
7626 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
7627 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
7628 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
7629 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
7630 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
7631 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
7632 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
7634 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
7635 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
7636 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
7639 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7640 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7641 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
7642 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
7643 simplification is used.
7645 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7646 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7647 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
7648 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
7650 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
7652 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7658 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
7659 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
7660 "answer" "reference" "announce"
7661 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
7666 (mapconcat 'identity
7667 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
7669 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
7672 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
7675 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7676 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7677 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
7678 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
7679 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
7680 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
7682 Useful functions to put in this list include:
7685 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
7686 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
7687 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
7689 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7690 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7693 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
7694 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
7695 Remove excessive whitespace.
7697 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7698 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7699 Remove all whitespace.
7702 You may also write your own functions, of course.
7705 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7706 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7707 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
7708 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
7709 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
7710 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
7711 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
7712 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
7714 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7715 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7716 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
7717 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
7718 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
7719 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
7720 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
7721 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
7722 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
7726 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7727 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7728 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
7729 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
7731 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7732 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7733 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
7736 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
7740 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7741 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
7747 @node Filling In Threads
7748 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
7751 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
7752 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
7753 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
7754 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
7755 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
7756 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
7757 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
7758 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
7759 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
7760 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
7761 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
7762 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
7765 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
7766 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
7767 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
7769 The server has to support @acronym{NOV} for any of this to work.
7771 @cindex Gmane, gnus-fetch-old-headers
7772 This feature can seriously impact performance it ignores all locally
7773 cached header entries. Setting it to @code{t} for groups for a server
7774 that doesn't expire articles (such as news.gmane.org), leads to very
7775 slow summary generation.
7777 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7778 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7779 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
7782 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
7783 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
7784 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
7785 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
7786 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
7787 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
7788 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
7789 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
7790 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
7791 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
7792 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
7793 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
7794 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
7795 @code{nil} by default.
7797 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
7798 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
7799 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
7800 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
7801 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
7802 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
7805 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
7806 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
7807 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
7812 @node More Threading
7813 @subsubsection More Threading
7816 @item gnus-show-threads
7817 @vindex gnus-show-threads
7818 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
7819 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
7820 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
7821 slower and more awkward.
7823 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7824 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7825 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
7828 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
7829 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
7830 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
7835 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7836 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
7837 gnus-article-unseen-p))
7840 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
7841 unread, but you get my drift.)
7844 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
7845 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
7846 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
7847 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
7848 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
7849 threads are expunged.
7851 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
7852 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
7853 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
7856 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7857 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7858 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
7859 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
7860 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
7861 result in a new thread.
7863 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
7864 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
7865 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
7868 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7869 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7870 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
7871 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
7872 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
7873 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
7874 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
7875 Setting this variable to an alternate value
7876 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
7877 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
7878 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
7883 @node Low-Level Threading
7884 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
7888 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
7889 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
7890 Hook run before parsing any headers.
7892 @item gnus-alter-header-function
7893 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7894 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7895 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7896 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7897 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7898 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7899 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7900 meaningful. Here's one example:
7903 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7905 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7906 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7908 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7910 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7917 @node Thread Commands
7918 @subsection Thread Commands
7919 @cindex thread commands
7925 @kindex T k (Summary)
7926 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7927 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7928 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7929 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7930 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7935 @kindex T l (Summary)
7936 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7937 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7938 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7939 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7942 @kindex T i (Summary)
7943 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7944 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7945 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7948 @kindex T # (Summary)
7949 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7950 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7951 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7954 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7955 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7956 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7957 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7960 @kindex T T (Summary)
7961 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7962 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7965 @kindex T s (Summary)
7966 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7967 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7968 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7971 @kindex T h (Summary)
7972 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7973 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7976 @kindex T S (Summary)
7977 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7978 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7981 @kindex T H (Summary)
7982 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7983 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7986 @kindex T t (Summary)
7987 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7988 Re-thread the current article's thread
7989 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7990 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7993 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7994 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7995 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7996 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7999 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
8000 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
8001 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
8002 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
8006 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
8007 understand the numeric prefix.
8012 @kindex T n (Summary)
8014 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
8016 @kindex M-down (Summary)
8017 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
8018 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
8021 @kindex T p (Summary)
8023 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
8025 @kindex M-up (Summary)
8026 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
8027 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
8030 @kindex T d (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
8032 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
8035 @kindex T u (Summary)
8036 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
8037 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
8040 @kindex T o (Summary)
8041 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
8042 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
8045 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
8046 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
8047 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
8048 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
8049 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
8050 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
8051 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
8052 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
8053 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
8054 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
8055 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
8056 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
8060 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
8061 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
8063 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
8064 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
8065 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
8066 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8067 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
8068 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
8069 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8070 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
8071 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
8072 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
8073 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
8074 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
8075 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
8076 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
8077 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
8079 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
8080 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
8081 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
8082 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
8083 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
8084 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
8085 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
8086 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
8087 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
8088 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
8090 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
8091 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
8092 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
8094 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
8095 last function in the list. You should probably always include
8096 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
8097 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
8098 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
8099 ascending article order.
8101 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
8102 by number, you could do something like:
8105 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8106 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8107 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8108 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
8111 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
8112 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
8113 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
8114 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
8115 which the articles arrived.
8117 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
8121 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8122 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
8123 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
8126 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
8127 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
8128 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
8129 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
8132 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
8133 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
8134 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-date
8135 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
8136 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
8137 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
8138 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
8139 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
8140 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-number
8141 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
8142 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
8143 variable. It is very similar to the
8144 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
8145 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
8146 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
8147 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
8148 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
8149 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
8150 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
8152 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
8156 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
8157 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
8158 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
8161 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
8162 @xref{Group Parameters}.
8165 @node Asynchronous Fetching
8166 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
8167 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
8168 @cindex article pre-fetch
8171 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
8172 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
8173 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
8174 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
8175 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
8177 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
8178 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
8180 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
8181 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
8182 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
8183 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
8184 connection is blocked.
8186 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
8187 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
8188 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
8189 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
8191 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
8192 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
8193 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
8194 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
8197 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
8200 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
8201 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
8202 happen automatically.
8204 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
8205 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
8206 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
8207 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
8208 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
8209 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
8210 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
8212 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
8213 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
8214 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
8215 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
8216 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
8217 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
8218 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
8219 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
8220 article data structure as the only parameter.
8222 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
8223 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
8226 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
8227 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
8228 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
8229 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
8232 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
8235 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
8236 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
8237 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
8239 @vindex gnus-async-post-fetch-function
8240 @findex gnus-html-prefetch-images
8241 After an article has been prefetched, this
8242 @code{gnus-async-post-fetch-function} will be called. The buffer will
8243 be narrowed to the region of the article that was fetched. A useful
8244 value would be @code{gnus-html-prefetch-images}, which will prefetch
8245 and store images referenced in the article, so that you don't have to
8246 wait for them to be fetched when you read the article. This is useful
8247 for @acronym{HTML} messages that have external images.
8249 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
8250 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
8251 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
8252 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
8256 Remove articles when they are read.
8259 Remove articles when exiting the group.
8262 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
8264 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
8265 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
8266 @c from the next group.
8269 @node Article Caching
8270 @section Article Caching
8271 @cindex article caching
8274 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
8275 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
8276 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
8277 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
8278 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
8280 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
8282 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8283 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
8284 @vindex gnus-use-cache
8285 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
8286 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
8287 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
8288 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
8289 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
8291 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
8292 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
8293 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
8294 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
8295 as dormant, and don't worry.
8297 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
8299 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
8300 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
8301 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
8302 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
8303 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
8304 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
8305 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
8306 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
8307 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
8308 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
8310 @findex gnus-jog-cache
8311 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
8312 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
8313 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
8314 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
8315 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
8316 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
8317 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
8318 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
8319 not then be downloaded by this command.
8321 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
8322 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
8323 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
8324 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
8325 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
8326 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
8328 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
8329 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
8330 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
8331 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
8332 variables, the group is not cached.
8334 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
8335 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
8336 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
8337 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
8338 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
8339 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
8340 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
8341 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
8342 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
8345 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
8346 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
8347 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
8348 where, isn't that cool?
8350 @node Persistent Articles
8351 @section Persistent Articles
8352 @cindex persistent articles
8354 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
8355 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
8356 useful in my opinion.
8358 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
8359 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
8360 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
8361 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
8362 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
8363 the expiry going on at the news server.
8365 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
8366 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
8367 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
8373 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
8374 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
8377 @kindex M-* (Summary)
8378 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
8379 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
8380 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
8384 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
8386 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
8387 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
8388 interested in persistent articles:
8391 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
8394 @node Sticky Articles
8395 @section Sticky Articles
8396 @cindex sticky articles
8398 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
8399 according to the value of the variable
8400 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
8401 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
8402 has its own article buffer.
8404 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
8405 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
8406 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
8407 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next christmas party.
8409 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
8410 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
8411 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
8415 @kindex A S (Summary)
8416 @findex gnus-sticky-article
8417 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
8418 name for this sticky article buffer.
8421 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
8427 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
8431 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
8432 Kills this sticky article buffer.
8435 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
8437 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
8438 Kill all sticky article buffers.
8439 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
8442 @node Article Backlog
8443 @section Article Backlog
8445 @cindex article backlog
8447 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
8448 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
8449 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
8450 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
8451 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
8452 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
8453 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
8454 increase memory usage some.
8456 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
8457 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
8458 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
8459 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
8460 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
8461 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
8462 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
8464 The default value is 20.
8467 @node Saving Articles
8468 @section Saving Articles
8469 @cindex saving articles
8471 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
8472 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
8473 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
8474 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
8475 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
8477 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
8478 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
8479 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8481 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
8482 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
8483 unwanted headers before saving the article.
8485 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
8486 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
8487 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
8488 deleted before saving.
8494 @kindex O o (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
8497 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
8498 Save the current article using the default article saver
8499 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
8502 @kindex O m (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
8504 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
8505 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
8508 @kindex O r (Summary)
8509 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
8510 Save the current article in Rmail format
8511 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}). This is mbox since Emacs 23,
8512 Babyl in older versions.
8515 @kindex O f (Summary)
8516 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
8517 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
8518 Save the current article in plain file format
8519 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
8522 @kindex O F (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
8524 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
8525 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
8528 @kindex O b (Summary)
8529 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
8530 Save the current article body in plain file format
8531 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
8534 @kindex O h (Summary)
8535 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
8536 Save the current article in mh folder format
8537 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
8540 @kindex O v (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
8542 Save the current article in a VM folder
8543 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
8547 @kindex O p (Summary)
8549 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
8550 @vindex gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command
8551 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
8552 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
8553 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
8554 complete headers in the piped output. The symbolic prefix @code{r} is
8555 special; it lets this command pipe a raw article including all headers.
8556 The @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} variable can be set
8557 to a string containing the default command and options (default
8561 @kindex O P (Summary)
8562 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
8563 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
8564 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
8565 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
8566 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
8567 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
8568 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
8572 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
8573 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
8574 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
8575 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
8576 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
8577 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
8578 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
8579 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
8580 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
8581 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
8582 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
8583 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
8587 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
8588 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
8589 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
8590 functions below, or you can create your own.
8594 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8595 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8596 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
8597 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8598 This is the default format, that used by the Rmail package. Since Emacs
8599 23, Rmail uses standard mbox format. Before this, it used the
8600 @dfn{Babyl} format. Accordingly, this command writes mbox format since
8601 Emacs 23, unless appending to an existing Babyl file. In older versions
8602 of Emacs, it always uses Babyl format. Uses the function in the
8603 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8604 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8606 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8607 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8608 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
8609 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
8610 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8611 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8613 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
8614 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
8615 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
8616 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8617 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
8618 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8619 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8621 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
8622 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
8623 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8624 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8625 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8626 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8628 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8629 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8630 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
8631 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8632 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8634 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8635 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8636 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8637 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8638 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8639 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8641 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8642 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8643 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
8644 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
8645 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
8648 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
8649 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
8650 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
8651 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
8652 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
8654 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8655 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8656 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
8657 reader to use this setting.
8659 @item gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8660 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8661 Pipe the article to a shell command. This function takes optional two
8662 arguments COMMAND and RAW. Valid values for COMMAND include:
8666 The executable command name and possibly arguments.
8668 You will be prompted for the command in the minibuffer.
8669 @item the symbol @code{default}@*
8670 It will be replaced with the command which the variable
8671 @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} holds or the command
8672 last used for saving.
8675 Non-@code{nil} value for RAW overrides @code{:decode} and
8676 @code{:headers} properties (see below) and the raw article including all
8677 headers will be piped.
8680 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
8684 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
8685 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
8686 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
8687 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file},
8688 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}, and
8689 @code{gnus-summary-save-in-pipe}.
8692 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
8693 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
8694 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
8695 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
8696 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
8697 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
8700 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
8701 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
8702 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
8703 headers should be saved.
8706 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
8707 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
8708 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
8709 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
8712 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
8713 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
8714 available functions that generate names:
8718 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
8719 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
8720 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8722 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
8723 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8724 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8726 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
8727 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
8728 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8730 @item gnus-plain-save-name
8731 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8732 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8734 @item gnus-sender-save-name
8735 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
8736 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
8739 @vindex gnus-split-methods
8740 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
8741 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
8742 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
8743 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
8747 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
8748 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
8749 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
8750 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
8753 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
8754 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
8755 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
8756 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
8757 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
8758 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
8759 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
8760 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
8761 called returns a string or a list of strings.
8763 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
8764 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
8765 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
8766 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
8768 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
8769 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
8770 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
8773 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
8774 lots of mail groups called things like
8775 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
8776 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
8777 following will do just that:
8780 (defun my-save-name (group)
8781 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
8782 (substring group (match-end 0))))
8784 (setq gnus-split-methods
8785 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
8790 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8791 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
8792 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
8793 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
8794 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
8795 all the files in the top level directory
8796 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
8797 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
8798 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
8799 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
8801 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
8802 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
8803 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
8804 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
8805 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
8808 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
8812 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
8813 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
8814 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
8817 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
8818 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
8819 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
8820 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
8823 @node Decoding Articles
8824 @section Decoding Articles
8825 @cindex decoding articles
8827 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
8828 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
8831 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
8832 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
8833 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
8834 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
8835 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
8836 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
8840 @cindex article series
8841 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
8842 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
8843 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
8844 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
8845 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
8847 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
8848 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
8849 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
8851 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
8852 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
8853 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
8855 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
8856 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
8857 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
8860 @node Uuencoded Articles
8861 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
8863 @cindex uuencoded articles
8868 @kindex X u (Summary)
8869 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
8870 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
8871 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
8874 @kindex X U (Summary)
8875 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
8876 Uudecodes and saves the current series
8877 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8880 @kindex X v u (Summary)
8881 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
8882 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
8885 @kindex X v U (Summary)
8886 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
8887 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
8888 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
8892 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
8893 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
8894 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
8895 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
8896 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8898 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
8899 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
8900 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
8901 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
8904 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
8905 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
8906 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
8907 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
8908 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
8909 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
8913 @node Shell Archives
8914 @subsection Shell Archives
8916 @cindex shell archives
8917 @cindex shared articles
8919 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
8920 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
8921 some commands to deal with these:
8926 @kindex X s (Summary)
8927 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
8928 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
8931 @kindex X S (Summary)
8932 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
8933 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8936 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8937 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8938 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8941 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8942 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8943 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8944 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8948 @node PostScript Files
8949 @subsection PostScript Files
8955 @kindex X p (Summary)
8956 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8957 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8960 @kindex X P (Summary)
8961 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8962 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8963 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8966 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8967 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8968 View the current PostScript series
8969 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8972 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8973 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8974 View and save the current PostScript series
8975 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8980 @subsection Other Files
8984 @kindex X o (Summary)
8985 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8986 Save the current series
8987 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8990 @kindex X b (Summary)
8991 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8992 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8993 doesn't really work yet.
8996 @kindex X Y (Summary)
8997 @findex gnus-uu-decode-yenc
8998 yEnc-decode the current series and save it (@code{gnus-uu-decode-yenc}).
9002 @node Decoding Variables
9003 @subsection Decoding Variables
9005 Adjective, not verb.
9008 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
9009 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
9010 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
9014 @node Rule Variables
9015 @subsubsection Rule Variables
9016 @cindex rule variables
9018 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
9019 variables are of the form
9022 (list '(regexp1 command2)
9029 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9030 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9032 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
9033 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
9036 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9037 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
9040 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9041 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9042 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
9043 user and default view rules.
9045 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9046 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9047 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
9052 @node Other Decode Variables
9053 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
9056 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9058 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9059 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
9060 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
9061 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
9062 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
9066 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
9067 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
9070 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
9071 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
9072 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
9075 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9076 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9077 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
9078 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
9079 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
9082 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9083 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9084 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
9086 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9087 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9088 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
9089 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
9090 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
9093 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9094 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9095 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
9097 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9098 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9099 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
9100 looking for files to display.
9102 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
9103 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
9104 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
9107 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9108 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9109 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
9112 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9113 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9114 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
9117 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9118 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9119 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
9122 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9123 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9124 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
9125 decoded articles as unread.
9127 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9128 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9129 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
9130 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
9132 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9133 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9134 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
9136 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9137 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9139 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
9140 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
9141 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
9142 @code{metamail} for viewing.
9144 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9145 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9146 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
9147 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
9148 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
9149 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
9150 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
9151 simply dropped them.
9156 @node Uuencoding and Posting
9157 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
9161 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9162 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9163 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
9164 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
9165 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
9166 for you when you post the article.
9168 @item gnus-uu-post-length
9169 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
9170 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
9171 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
9173 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
9174 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
9175 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
9176 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
9177 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
9178 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
9179 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
9181 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9182 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9183 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
9184 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
9185 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
9186 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
9187 Default is @code{t}.
9193 @subsection Viewing Files
9194 @cindex viewing files
9195 @cindex pseudo-articles
9197 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
9198 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
9199 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
9200 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
9201 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
9202 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
9203 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
9205 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
9206 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
9207 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
9208 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
9210 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
9211 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
9212 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
9214 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
9215 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
9216 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
9217 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
9218 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
9220 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
9221 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
9222 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
9223 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
9224 a list of parameters to that command.
9226 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
9227 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
9228 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
9230 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
9231 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
9232 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
9235 @node Article Treatment
9236 @section Article Treatment
9238 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
9239 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
9240 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
9241 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
9242 these articles easier.
9245 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
9246 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
9247 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
9248 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
9249 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
9250 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
9251 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
9252 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
9253 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
9254 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
9255 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
9259 @node Article Highlighting
9260 @subsection Article Highlighting
9261 @cindex highlighting
9263 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
9264 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
9269 @kindex W H a (Summary)
9270 @findex gnus-article-highlight
9271 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
9272 Do much highlighting of the current article
9273 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
9274 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
9277 @kindex W H h (Summary)
9278 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
9279 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
9280 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
9281 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
9282 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
9283 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
9284 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
9285 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
9286 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
9287 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
9288 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
9291 @kindex W H c (Summary)
9292 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
9293 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
9295 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
9298 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9300 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9301 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
9302 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
9304 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
9305 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
9306 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
9308 @item gnus-cite-face-list
9309 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
9310 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
9311 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
9312 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
9313 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
9315 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
9316 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
9317 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
9319 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9320 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9321 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
9323 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9324 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9325 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
9326 that it's a citation.
9328 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9329 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9330 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
9332 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9333 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9334 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
9336 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
9337 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
9338 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
9339 cited text belonging to the attribution.
9341 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9342 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9343 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
9344 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
9345 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
9352 @kindex W H s (Summary)
9353 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9354 @vindex gnus-signature-face
9355 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
9356 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
9357 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
9358 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
9359 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
9364 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
9367 @node Article Fontisizing
9368 @subsection Article Fontisizing
9370 @cindex article emphasis
9372 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
9373 @kindex W e (Summary)
9374 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
9375 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
9376 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
9377 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
9379 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
9380 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
9381 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
9382 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
9383 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
9384 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
9385 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
9386 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
9390 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
9391 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
9392 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
9401 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
9402 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
9403 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
9404 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
9405 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
9406 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
9407 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
9408 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
9409 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
9410 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
9411 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
9412 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
9413 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
9415 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
9416 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
9417 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
9421 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
9424 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
9426 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
9427 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
9428 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
9429 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
9431 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
9434 @node Article Hiding
9435 @subsection Article Hiding
9436 @cindex article hiding
9438 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
9439 too much cruft in most articles.
9444 @kindex W W a (Summary)
9445 @findex gnus-article-hide
9446 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
9447 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
9448 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
9451 @kindex W W h (Summary)
9452 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
9453 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
9457 @kindex W W b (Summary)
9458 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9459 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
9460 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
9463 @kindex W W s (Summary)
9464 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
9465 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
9469 @kindex W W l (Summary)
9470 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
9471 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9472 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
9473 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
9474 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
9475 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
9476 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
9480 @item gnus-list-identifiers
9481 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9482 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
9483 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
9488 @kindex W W P (Summary)
9489 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
9490 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
9491 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
9494 @kindex W W B (Summary)
9495 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
9496 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
9497 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9500 @cindex stripping advertisements
9501 @cindex advertisements
9502 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
9503 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
9504 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
9505 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
9506 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
9507 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
9508 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
9509 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
9510 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
9511 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
9514 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
9515 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
9516 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
9520 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9521 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9522 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
9523 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
9524 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
9525 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
9526 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
9527 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
9528 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
9529 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
9530 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
9533 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
9534 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
9540 @kindex W W c (Summary)
9541 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
9542 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
9543 customizing the hiding:
9547 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9548 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9549 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9550 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9551 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
9552 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
9553 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
9558 Starting point of the hidden text.
9560 Ending point of the hidden text.
9562 Number of characters in the hidden region.
9564 Number of lines of hidden text.
9567 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
9568 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
9569 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
9570 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
9571 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
9576 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
9577 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
9579 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
9580 following two variables:
9583 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9584 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9585 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
9586 50), hide the cited text.
9588 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9589 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9590 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
9595 @kindex W W C (Summary)
9596 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
9597 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
9598 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
9599 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
9600 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9604 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
9605 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
9606 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
9608 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
9609 citation customization.
9611 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
9615 @node Article Washing
9616 @subsection Article Washing
9618 @cindex article washing
9620 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
9621 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
9623 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
9624 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
9627 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
9628 articles by default.
9633 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
9634 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
9638 Force redisplaying of the current article
9639 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
9640 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
9641 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
9642 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9645 @kindex W l (Summary)
9646 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
9647 Remove page breaks from the current article
9648 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
9652 @kindex W r (Summary)
9653 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
9654 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
9655 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
9656 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
9657 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
9658 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
9660 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
9661 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
9662 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
9663 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
9666 @kindex W m (Summary)
9667 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
9668 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
9671 @kindex W i (Summary)
9672 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
9673 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
9674 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
9675 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
9676 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
9677 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
9682 @kindex W t (Summary)
9684 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
9685 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
9686 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
9689 @kindex W v (Summary)
9690 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
9691 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
9692 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
9695 @kindex W o (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
9697 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
9700 @kindex W d (Summary)
9701 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
9702 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
9704 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
9706 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
9707 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
9708 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
9709 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
9712 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
9713 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
9714 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
9715 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
9718 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
9719 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
9720 @cindex Outlook Express
9721 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
9722 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
9723 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
9726 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
9727 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
9728 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
9729 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
9730 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
9731 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
9732 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
9733 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
9734 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
9735 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
9738 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
9739 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
9740 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
9741 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
9744 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
9745 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
9746 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
9747 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
9750 @kindex W w (Summary)
9751 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
9752 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
9754 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
9758 @kindex W Q (Summary)
9759 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
9760 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
9763 @kindex W C (Summary)
9764 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
9765 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
9766 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
9769 @kindex W c (Summary)
9770 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
9771 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
9772 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
9773 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
9774 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
9777 @kindex W q (Summary)
9778 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
9779 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
9780 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
9781 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
9782 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
9783 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
9784 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9785 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9786 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9789 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
9790 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
9791 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
9792 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
9793 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
9794 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9795 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9796 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9799 @kindex W Z (Summary)
9800 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
9801 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
9802 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
9803 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
9806 @kindex W A (Summary)
9807 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
9808 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
9809 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
9810 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
9811 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
9814 @kindex W u (Summary)
9815 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
9816 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
9817 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
9818 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
9819 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
9822 @kindex W h (Summary)
9823 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
9824 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
9825 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9826 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
9828 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
9829 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
9830 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
9832 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
9833 The default is to use the function specified by
9834 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
9835 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
9836 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
9837 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
9845 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
9847 @item w3m-standalone
9848 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
9851 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
9854 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
9857 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
9862 @kindex W b (Summary)
9863 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
9864 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
9865 @xref{Article Buttons}.
9868 @kindex W B (Summary)
9869 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
9870 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
9871 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
9874 @kindex W p (Summary)
9875 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
9876 Verify a signed control message
9877 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
9878 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
9879 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
9880 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
9881 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
9882 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
9885 @kindex W s (Summary)
9886 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
9887 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
9888 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
9889 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
9892 @kindex W a (Summary)
9893 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
9894 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
9895 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
9898 @kindex W E l (Summary)
9899 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
9900 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
9901 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
9904 @kindex W E m (Summary)
9905 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
9906 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
9907 lines with a single empty line.
9908 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
9911 @kindex W E t (Summary)
9912 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
9913 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
9914 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
9917 @kindex W E a (Summary)
9918 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
9919 Do all the three commands above
9920 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
9923 @kindex W E A (Summary)
9924 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
9925 Remove all blank lines
9926 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
9929 @kindex W E s (Summary)
9930 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
9931 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
9932 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
9935 @kindex W E e (Summary)
9936 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
9937 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
9938 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9942 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9945 @node Article Header
9946 @subsection Article Header
9948 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9953 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9954 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9955 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9958 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9959 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9960 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9961 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9964 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9965 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9966 Fold all the message headers
9967 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9970 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9971 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9972 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9973 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9978 @node Article Buttons
9979 @subsection Article Buttons
9982 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9983 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9984 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9985 button on these references.
9987 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9988 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9989 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9990 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9991 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9995 @item gnus-button-alist
9996 @vindex gnus-button-alist
9997 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
10000 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
10006 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
10007 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
10008 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
10009 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
10010 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
10013 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
10014 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
10015 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
10018 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
10019 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
10020 avoid false matches. Often variables named
10021 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
10022 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
10024 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
10027 This function will be called when you click on this button.
10030 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
10031 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
10035 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
10038 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
10041 @item gnus-header-button-alist
10042 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
10043 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
10044 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
10045 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
10048 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
10051 @var{header} is a regular expression.
10054 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
10057 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
10058 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
10060 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
10062 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
10063 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
10064 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
10065 default values of the variables above.
10067 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
10069 @item gnus-button-man-handler
10070 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
10071 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
10072 argument with a string naming the man page.
10074 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
10076 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10077 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10078 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
10080 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10081 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10082 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
10083 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
10084 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
10085 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
10086 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
10087 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
10088 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
10089 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
10090 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
10091 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10093 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10094 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10095 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
10096 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
10097 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
10100 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10101 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10102 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
10103 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10105 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
10107 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
10108 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
10109 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
10110 argument, the string naming the URL.
10112 @item gnus-ctan-url
10113 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
10114 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
10115 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
10119 @item gnus-article-button-face
10120 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
10121 Face used on buttons.
10123 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
10124 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
10125 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
10129 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
10132 @node Article Button Levels
10133 @subsection Article button levels
10134 @cindex button levels
10135 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
10136 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
10137 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
10138 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
10139 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
10140 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
10141 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
10142 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
10145 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
10146 (setq gnus-parameters
10147 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
10148 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
10149 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
10154 @item gnus-button-browse-level
10155 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
10156 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
10157 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
10158 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
10159 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
10161 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
10162 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
10163 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
10164 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
10165 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
10166 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
10167 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
10168 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
10169 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
10170 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
10171 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
10172 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
10173 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
10175 @item gnus-button-man-level
10176 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
10177 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
10178 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
10180 @item gnus-button-message-level
10181 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
10182 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
10183 Related variables and functions include
10184 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
10185 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
10186 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
10187 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
10189 @item gnus-button-tex-level
10190 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
10191 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
10192 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
10193 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
10194 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
10195 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
10201 @subsection Article Date
10203 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
10204 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
10205 when the article was sent.
10210 @kindex W T u (Summary)
10211 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
10212 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
10213 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
10216 @kindex W T i (Summary)
10217 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
10219 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
10220 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
10223 @kindex W T l (Summary)
10224 @findex gnus-article-date-local
10225 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
10228 @kindex W T p (Summary)
10229 @findex gnus-article-date-english
10230 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
10231 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
10234 @kindex W T s (Summary)
10235 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
10236 @findex gnus-article-date-user
10237 @findex format-time-string
10238 Display the date using a user-defined format
10239 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
10240 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
10241 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
10242 for a list of possible format specs.
10245 @kindex W T e (Summary)
10246 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
10247 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
10248 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
10249 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
10250 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
10253 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
10256 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
10257 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
10258 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
10261 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
10262 into wonderful absurdities.
10264 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
10267 (gnus-start-date-timer)
10270 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
10271 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
10275 @kindex W T o (Summary)
10276 @findex gnus-article-date-original
10277 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
10278 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
10279 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
10280 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
10281 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
10285 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
10286 preferred format automatically.
10289 @node Article Display
10290 @subsection Article Display
10295 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
10296 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
10298 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
10299 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
10301 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
10302 headers (@pxref{Face}).
10304 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
10305 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
10307 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
10308 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
10310 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
10311 they'll be removed.
10315 @kindex W D x (Summary)
10316 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
10317 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
10318 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
10321 @kindex W D d (Summary)
10322 @findex gnus-article-display-face
10323 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
10324 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
10327 @kindex W D s (Summary)
10328 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
10329 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
10332 @kindex W D f (Summary)
10333 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
10334 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
10337 @kindex W D m (Summary)
10338 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
10339 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
10340 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
10343 @kindex W D n (Summary)
10344 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
10345 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
10346 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
10349 @kindex W D D (Summary)
10350 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
10351 Remove all images from the article buffer
10352 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
10355 @kindex W D W (Summary)
10356 @findex gnus-html-show-images
10357 If you're reading an @acronym{HTML} article rendered with
10358 @code{gnus-article-html}, then you can insert any blocked images in
10359 the buffer with this command.
10360 (@code{gnus-html-show-images}).
10366 @node Article Signature
10367 @subsection Article Signature
10369 @cindex article signature
10371 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
10372 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
10373 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
10374 that says what is to be considered a signature is
10375 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
10376 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
10377 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
10378 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
10379 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
10382 (setq gnus-signature-separator
10383 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
10384 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
10385 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
10386 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
10387 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
10388 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
10389 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
10392 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
10395 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
10396 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
10397 signature when displaying articles.
10401 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
10404 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
10407 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
10408 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
10410 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
10411 in question is not a signature.
10414 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
10415 listed above. Here's an example:
10418 (setq gnus-signature-limit
10419 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
10422 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
10423 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
10424 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
10425 signature after all.
10428 @node Article Miscellanea
10429 @subsection Article Miscellanea
10433 @kindex A t (Summary)
10434 @findex gnus-article-babel
10435 Translate the article from one language to another
10436 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
10441 @node MIME Commands
10442 @section MIME Commands
10443 @cindex MIME decoding
10444 @cindex attachments
10445 @cindex viewing attachments
10447 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
10448 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
10453 @kindex b (Summary)
10454 @kindex K v (Summary)
10455 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
10458 @kindex K o (Summary)
10459 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
10462 @kindex K O (Summary)
10463 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
10464 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
10465 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10468 @kindex K r (Summary)
10469 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
10472 @kindex K d (Summary)
10473 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
10477 @kindex K c (Summary)
10478 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
10481 @kindex K e (Summary)
10482 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
10485 @kindex K i (Summary)
10486 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
10489 @kindex K | (Summary)
10490 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
10493 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
10498 @kindex K H (Summary)
10499 @findex gnus-article-browse-html-article
10500 View @samp{text/html} parts of the current article with a WWW browser.
10501 Inline images embedded in a message using the @code{cid} scheme, as they
10502 are generally considered to be safe, will be processed properly. The
10503 message header is added to the beginning of every @acronym{HTML} part
10504 unless the prefix argument is given.
10506 Warning: Spammers use links to images (using the @code{http} scheme) in
10507 @acronym{HTML} articles to verify whether you have read the message. As
10508 this command passes the @acronym{HTML} content to the browser without
10509 eliminating these ``web bugs'' you should only use it for mails from
10512 If you always want to display @acronym{HTML} parts in the browser, set
10513 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to @code{nil}.
10515 This command creates temporary files to pass @acronym{HTML} contents
10516 including images if any to the browser, and deletes them when exiting
10517 the group (if you want).
10520 @kindex K b (Summary)
10521 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
10522 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
10526 @kindex K m (Summary)
10527 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
10528 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
10529 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
10530 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
10531 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
10534 @kindex X m (Summary)
10535 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
10536 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
10537 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
10538 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10541 @kindex M-t (Summary)
10542 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
10543 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
10544 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
10547 @kindex W M w (Summary)
10548 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
10549 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
10550 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
10553 @kindex W M c (Summary)
10554 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
10555 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
10556 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
10558 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
10559 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
10560 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
10561 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
10562 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
10563 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10566 @kindex W M v (Summary)
10567 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
10568 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
10569 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
10573 Relevant variables:
10576 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
10577 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
10578 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10579 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
10582 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
10585 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
10589 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
10590 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
10591 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
10592 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
10593 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
10594 default is @code{t}.
10596 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
10597 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
10600 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
10601 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
10602 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
10603 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
10604 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
10605 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
10606 for encoding in Gnus.
10608 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10609 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10610 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10611 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10612 displayed or this variable is overridden by
10613 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
10614 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
10615 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
10617 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10618 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10619 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10620 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10621 displayed. This variable overrides
10622 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
10623 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
10626 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
10627 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
10628 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
10630 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
10631 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
10632 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
10633 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
10634 Emacs MIME Manual}).
10636 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10637 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10638 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
10639 default value is @code{nil}.
10641 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
10642 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
10643 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
10644 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
10645 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
10646 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
10647 save all jpegs into some directory).
10649 Here's an example function the does the latter:
10652 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
10653 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
10655 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
10656 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
10657 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
10658 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
10659 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
10662 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10663 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10664 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
10666 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10667 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10668 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10670 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10671 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10672 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10674 If displaying @samp{text/html} is discouraged, see
10675 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
10676 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
10677 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
10678 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
10680 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10681 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10682 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
10683 overrides @code{nil} values of
10684 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
10685 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
10687 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10688 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10689 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
10690 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
10692 Ready-made functions include@*
10693 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
10694 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
10695 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
10696 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
10697 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
10698 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
10699 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
10700 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
10701 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10702 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10703 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10704 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10706 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
10707 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
10709 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
10710 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
10711 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
10714 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10715 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10716 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10717 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
10721 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
10730 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
10731 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
10732 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
10733 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
10734 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
10735 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
10736 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
10738 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
10739 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
10740 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
10741 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
10743 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
10744 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
10745 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
10746 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
10747 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
10748 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
10749 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
10750 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
10751 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
10753 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
10754 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
10755 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
10756 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
10757 quoted-printable header encoding.
10759 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
10760 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
10761 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
10765 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
10768 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
10769 means encode all charsets),
10771 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
10772 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
10773 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
10780 @cindex coding system aliases
10781 @cindex preferred charset
10783 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
10784 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
10785 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
10787 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
10789 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
10790 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
10793 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
10794 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
10797 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
10798 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
10800 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
10803 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
10806 This will almost do the right thing.
10808 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
10812 (codepage-setup 1251)
10813 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
10817 @node Article Commands
10818 @section Article Commands
10825 @kindex A P (Summary)
10826 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
10827 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
10828 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
10829 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
10830 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
10831 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
10836 @node Summary Sorting
10837 @section Summary Sorting
10838 @cindex summary sorting
10840 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
10841 can't really see why you'd want that.
10846 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10847 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
10848 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
10850 @item C-c C-s C-m C-n
10851 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10852 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number
10853 Sort by most recent article number
10854 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number}).
10857 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
10858 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
10859 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
10862 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
10863 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
10864 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
10867 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
10868 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
10869 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
10872 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
10873 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
10874 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
10876 @item C-c C-s C-m C-d
10877 @kindex C-c C-s C-m C-d (Summary)
10878 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date
10879 Sort by most recent date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date}).
10882 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
10883 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
10884 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
10887 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
10888 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
10889 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
10892 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
10893 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
10894 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
10897 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
10898 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
10899 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
10902 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
10903 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
10904 Sort using the default sorting method
10905 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
10908 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
10909 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
10910 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
10911 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
10912 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
10915 If a prefix argument if given, the sort order is reversed.
10918 @node Finding the Parent
10919 @section Finding the Parent
10920 @cindex parent articles
10921 @cindex referring articles
10925 @kindex ^ (Summary)
10926 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
10927 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
10928 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
10929 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
10930 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
10931 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
10932 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
10933 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
10934 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
10936 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
10937 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
10938 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
10939 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
10940 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
10943 @item A R (Summary)
10944 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
10945 @kindex A R (Summary)
10946 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
10947 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
10949 @item A T (Summary)
10950 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
10951 @kindex A T (Summary)
10952 Display the full thread where the current article appears
10953 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
10954 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
10955 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
10956 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
10957 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
10958 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
10960 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
10961 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
10962 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
10963 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
10964 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
10965 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
10967 @item M-^ (Summary)
10968 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
10969 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
10971 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
10972 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
10973 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
10974 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
10975 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
10976 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
10978 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
10979 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
10980 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
10983 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10984 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10985 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10986 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10987 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10988 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
10991 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
10992 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
10993 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
10996 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
10997 then ask Google if that fails:
11000 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
11002 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
11005 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
11006 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
11007 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
11008 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
11009 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
11010 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
11011 not support this at all.
11014 @node Alternative Approaches
11015 @section Alternative Approaches
11017 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
11018 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
11021 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
11022 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
11026 @node Pick and Read
11027 @subsection Pick and Read
11028 @cindex pick and read
11030 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
11031 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
11032 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
11033 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
11035 @findex gnus-pick-mode
11036 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
11037 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
11038 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
11039 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
11040 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
11042 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
11047 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
11048 Pick the article or thread on the current line
11049 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11050 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
11051 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
11052 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
11053 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
11054 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
11057 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
11058 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
11059 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
11060 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
11064 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
11065 Unpick the thread or article
11066 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11067 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
11068 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
11069 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
11070 the thread or article at that line.
11074 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
11075 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
11076 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
11077 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
11078 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
11079 will still be visible when you are reading.
11083 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
11084 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
11085 which is mapped to the same function
11086 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
11088 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
11091 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
11094 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
11095 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
11097 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
11098 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
11099 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
11101 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
11102 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
11103 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
11104 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
11105 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
11106 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
11107 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
11110 @node Binary Groups
11111 @subsection Binary Groups
11112 @cindex binary groups
11114 @findex gnus-binary-mode
11115 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
11116 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
11117 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
11118 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
11119 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
11120 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
11123 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
11124 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
11125 command, when you have turned on this mode
11126 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
11128 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
11129 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
11133 @section Tree Display
11136 @vindex gnus-use-trees
11137 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
11138 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
11139 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
11140 in the tree buffer.
11142 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
11145 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
11146 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
11147 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
11149 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11150 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11151 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
11152 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
11153 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
11155 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
11156 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
11157 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
11158 default is @code{modeline}.
11160 @item gnus-tree-line-format
11161 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
11162 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
11163 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
11164 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
11165 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
11166 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
11172 The name of the poster.
11174 The @code{From} header.
11176 The number of the article.
11178 The opening bracket.
11180 The closing bracket.
11185 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
11187 Variables related to the display are:
11190 @item gnus-tree-brackets
11191 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
11192 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
11193 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
11195 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
11196 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
11197 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
11199 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
11201 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11202 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11203 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
11204 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
11208 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
11209 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
11210 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
11211 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
11212 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
11213 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
11214 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
11215 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
11216 other windows displayed next to it.
11218 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
11222 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
11223 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
11226 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
11227 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
11228 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11229 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
11230 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
11231 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
11232 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
11236 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
11239 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
11249 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
11254 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
11255 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
11257 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
11259 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
11265 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
11266 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
11267 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11270 (setq gnus-use-trees t
11271 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11272 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
11273 (gnus-add-configuration
11277 (summary 0.75 point)
11282 @xref{Window Layout}.
11285 @node Mail Group Commands
11286 @section Mail Group Commands
11287 @cindex mail group commands
11289 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
11290 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
11292 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
11293 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11298 @kindex B e (Summary)
11299 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
11300 @cindex expiring mail
11301 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
11302 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
11303 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
11304 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
11307 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
11308 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
11309 @cindex expiring mail
11310 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
11311 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
11312 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
11313 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
11316 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
11317 @cindex deleting mail
11318 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
11319 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
11320 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
11321 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
11322 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
11325 @kindex B m (Summary)
11327 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
11328 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
11329 Move the article from one mail group to another
11330 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11331 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11334 @kindex B c (Summary)
11336 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
11337 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
11338 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
11339 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11340 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11343 @kindex B B (Summary)
11344 @cindex crosspost mail
11345 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
11346 Crosspost the current article to some other group
11347 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
11348 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
11349 be properly updated.
11352 @kindex B i (Summary)
11353 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
11354 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
11355 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
11356 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11359 @kindex B I (Summary)
11360 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
11361 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
11362 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
11363 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11366 @kindex B r (Summary)
11367 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
11368 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
11369 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
11370 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
11371 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
11372 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
11373 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
11374 (which is the default).
11378 @kindex B w (Summary)
11379 @kindex e (Summary)
11380 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
11381 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
11382 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
11383 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
11384 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
11385 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
11386 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
11389 @kindex B q (Summary)
11390 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
11391 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
11392 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
11393 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
11396 @kindex B t (Summary)
11397 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
11398 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
11399 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
11402 @kindex B p (Summary)
11403 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
11404 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
11405 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
11406 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
11407 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
11408 article from your news server (or rather, from
11409 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
11410 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
11411 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
11412 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
11413 just not have arrived yet.
11416 @kindex K E (Summary)
11417 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
11418 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
11419 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
11420 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
11421 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
11425 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
11426 @cindex moving articles
11427 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
11428 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
11429 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
11430 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
11431 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
11432 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
11433 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
11436 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
11437 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
11438 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
11439 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
11443 @node Various Summary Stuff
11444 @section Various Summary Stuff
11447 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
11448 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
11449 * Summary Generation Commands::
11450 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
11454 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
11455 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
11456 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
11457 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
11458 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
11459 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
11461 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
11462 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
11463 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
11466 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
11467 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
11468 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
11470 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
11471 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
11472 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
11473 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
11474 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
11475 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
11478 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11479 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11480 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
11481 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
11482 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
11484 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11485 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11486 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
11489 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11490 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11491 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
11492 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
11493 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
11494 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
11495 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
11496 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
11497 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
11498 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
11500 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11501 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11502 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
11503 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
11504 list of articles to be selected.
11506 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
11507 the list in one particular group:
11510 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
11511 (if (string= group "some.group")
11512 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
11516 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
11517 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
11518 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
11519 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
11520 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
11523 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
11524 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
11525 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
11526 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
11527 variable will be used instead.
11529 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
11530 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
11531 buffers. For example:
11534 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
11535 '(message-use-followup-to
11536 (gnus-visible-headers .
11537 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
11540 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
11542 @vindex gnus-propagate-marks
11543 @item gnus-propagate-marks
11544 If non-@code{nil}, propagate marks to the backends for possible
11545 storing. @xref{NNTP marks}, and friends, for a more fine-grained
11551 @node Summary Group Information
11552 @subsection Summary Group Information
11557 @kindex H f (Summary)
11558 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
11559 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
11560 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
11561 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
11562 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
11563 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
11564 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
11565 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
11566 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
11569 @kindex H d (Summary)
11570 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
11571 Give a brief description of the current group
11572 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
11573 rereading the description from the server.
11576 @kindex H h (Summary)
11577 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
11578 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
11579 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
11582 @kindex H i (Summary)
11583 @findex gnus-info-find-node
11584 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
11588 @node Searching for Articles
11589 @subsection Searching for Articles
11594 @kindex M-s (Summary)
11595 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
11596 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
11597 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
11600 @kindex M-r (Summary)
11601 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
11602 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
11603 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
11606 @kindex M-S (Summary)
11607 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
11608 Repeat the previous search forwards
11609 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
11612 @kindex M-R (Summary)
11613 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
11614 Repeat the previous search backwards
11615 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
11618 @kindex & (Summary)
11619 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
11620 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
11621 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
11622 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
11623 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
11624 search backward instead.
11626 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
11627 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
11630 @kindex M-& (Summary)
11631 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
11632 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
11633 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
11636 @node Summary Generation Commands
11637 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
11642 @kindex Y g (Summary)
11643 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
11644 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
11647 @kindex Y c (Summary)
11648 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
11649 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11650 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
11653 @kindex Y d (Summary)
11654 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
11655 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11656 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
11659 @kindex Y t (Summary)
11660 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
11661 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11662 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
11667 @node Really Various Summary Commands
11668 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
11674 @kindex C-d (Summary)
11675 @kindex A D (Summary)
11676 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
11677 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
11678 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
11679 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
11680 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
11681 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
11682 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
11683 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
11686 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
11687 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
11688 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
11693 Select the next article.
11696 Select the next unread article.
11698 @item next-noselect
11699 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
11701 @item next-unread-noselect
11702 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
11705 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
11706 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
11709 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
11710 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
11711 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
11712 several documents into one biiig group
11713 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
11714 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
11715 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
11716 command understands the process/prefix convention
11717 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11720 @kindex C-t (Summary)
11721 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
11722 Toggle truncation of summary lines
11723 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
11724 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
11725 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
11728 @kindex = (Summary)
11729 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
11730 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
11731 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
11734 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
11735 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
11736 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11737 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
11740 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
11741 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
11742 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11743 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
11748 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
11749 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
11750 @cindex summary exit
11751 @cindex exiting groups
11753 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
11754 group and return you to the group buffer.
11761 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
11762 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
11763 @kindex q (Summary)
11764 @findex gnus-summary-exit
11765 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
11766 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
11767 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
11768 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
11769 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
11770 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
11771 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
11772 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
11773 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
11774 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
11775 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
11779 @kindex Z E (Summary)
11780 @kindex Q (Summary)
11781 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
11782 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
11783 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
11787 @kindex Z c (Summary)
11788 @kindex c (Summary)
11789 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
11790 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
11791 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
11792 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
11795 @kindex Z C (Summary)
11796 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
11797 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
11798 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
11801 @kindex Z n (Summary)
11802 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
11803 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
11804 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
11807 @kindex Z p (Summary)
11808 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
11809 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
11810 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
11814 @kindex Z R (Summary)
11815 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
11816 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
11817 Exit this group, and then enter it again
11818 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
11819 all articles, both read and unread.
11823 @kindex Z G (Summary)
11824 @kindex M-g (Summary)
11825 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
11826 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
11827 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
11828 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
11829 articles, both read and unread.
11832 @kindex Z N (Summary)
11833 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
11834 Exit the group and go to the next group
11835 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
11838 @kindex Z P (Summary)
11839 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
11840 Exit the group and go to the previous group
11841 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
11844 @kindex Z s (Summary)
11845 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
11846 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
11847 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
11848 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
11849 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
11852 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
11853 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
11854 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
11855 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
11857 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
11858 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
11859 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
11860 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
11861 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
11862 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
11863 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
11864 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
11865 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
11866 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
11867 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
11868 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
11870 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
11872 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
11873 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
11874 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
11875 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
11876 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
11877 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
11878 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
11879 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
11880 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
11883 @node Crosspost Handling
11884 @section Crosspost Handling
11888 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
11889 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
11890 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
11891 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
11892 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
11893 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
11896 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
11897 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
11898 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
11899 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
11900 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
11902 @cindex cross-posting
11904 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
11905 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
11906 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
11907 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
11908 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
11909 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
11910 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
11911 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
11912 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
11913 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
11914 the cross reference mechanism.
11916 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
11917 @cindex overview.fmt
11918 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
11919 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
11920 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
11921 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
11922 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
11923 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
11926 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
11927 set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
11928 considerably. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
11932 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
11935 @node Duplicate Suppression
11936 @section Duplicate Suppression
11938 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
11939 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
11940 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
11941 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
11946 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
11947 is evil and not very common.
11950 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
11951 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
11954 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
11955 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
11958 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
11961 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
11962 well, but these four are the most common situations.
11964 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
11965 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
11966 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
11967 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
11968 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
11969 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
11970 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
11973 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
11974 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
11975 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
11976 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
11977 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
11978 saw the article in.
11981 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
11982 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
11983 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
11985 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
11986 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
11987 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
11988 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
11989 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
11990 session are suppressed.
11992 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11993 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11994 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11995 suppression list. The default is 10000.
11997 @item gnus-duplicate-file
11998 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
11999 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
12000 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
12003 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
12004 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
12005 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
12006 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
12007 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
12008 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
12009 to you to figure out, I think.
12014 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
12015 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
12016 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
12021 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
12022 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
12023 to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
12024 epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
12025 PGG Manual}), Mailcrypt, and gpg.el are also supported.
12028 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
12029 or newer is recommended.
12033 The variables that control security functionality on reading/composing
12037 @item mm-verify-option
12038 @vindex mm-verify-option
12039 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
12040 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
12041 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12043 @item mm-decrypt-option
12044 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
12045 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
12046 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
12047 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12049 @item mm-sign-option
12050 @vindex mm-sign-option
12051 Option of creating signed parts. @code{nil}, use default signing
12052 keys; @code{guided}, ask user to select signing keys from the menu.
12054 @item mm-encrypt-option
12055 @vindex mm-encrypt-option
12056 Option of creating encrypted parts. @code{nil}, use the first
12057 public-key matching the @samp{From:} header as the recipient;
12058 @code{guided}, ask user to select recipient keys from the menu.
12061 @vindex mml1991-use
12062 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12063 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
12064 @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported although
12065 deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
12069 @vindex mml2015-use
12070 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12071 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
12072 @code{pgg}, @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported
12073 although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
12074 interface in this order.
12078 By default the buttons that display security information are not
12079 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
12080 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
12081 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
12082 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
12083 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
12084 how to customize these variables to always display security
12087 @cindex snarfing keys
12088 @cindex importing PGP keys
12089 @cindex PGP key ring import
12090 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
12091 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
12092 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
12093 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
12094 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
12095 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
12096 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
12097 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
12098 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
12101 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
12104 This happens to also be the default action defined in
12105 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
12107 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
12108 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
12109 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
12112 @section Mailing List
12113 @cindex mailing list
12116 @kindex A M (summary)
12117 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
12118 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
12119 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
12120 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
12123 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
12128 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
12129 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
12130 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
12133 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
12134 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
12135 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
12138 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
12139 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
12140 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
12144 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
12145 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
12146 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
12149 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
12150 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
12151 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
12154 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
12155 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
12156 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
12161 @node Article Buffer
12162 @chapter Article Buffer
12163 @cindex article buffer
12165 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
12166 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
12167 tell Gnus otherwise.
12170 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
12171 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
12172 * HTML:: Reading @acronym{HTML} messages.
12173 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
12174 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
12175 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
12179 @node Hiding Headers
12180 @section Hiding Headers
12181 @cindex hiding headers
12182 @cindex deleting headers
12184 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
12185 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
12187 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
12188 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
12189 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
12190 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
12191 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
12192 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
12193 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
12194 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
12195 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
12197 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
12201 @item gnus-visible-headers
12202 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
12203 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
12204 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
12205 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
12207 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
12208 the article and the subject, you'd say:
12211 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
12214 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12217 @item gnus-ignored-headers
12218 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
12219 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
12220 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
12221 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
12222 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
12224 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
12225 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
12228 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
12231 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12234 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
12235 variable will have no effect.
12239 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
12240 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
12241 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
12242 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
12243 the headers are to be displayed.
12245 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
12246 and then the subject, you might say something like:
12249 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
12252 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
12253 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
12255 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
12256 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
12257 You can hide further boring headers by setting
12258 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
12259 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
12260 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
12261 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
12264 These conditions are:
12267 Remove all empty headers.
12269 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
12270 @code{Newsgroups} header.
12272 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
12273 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
12276 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
12279 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12280 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
12282 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12283 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12285 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
12286 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12288 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
12291 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
12293 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
12296 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
12299 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
12300 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
12303 This is also the default value for this variable.
12307 @section Using MIME
12308 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12310 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
12311 while people stand around yawning.
12313 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
12314 while all newsreaders die of fear.
12316 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
12317 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
12318 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
12320 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
12321 @findex gnus-display-mime
12322 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
12323 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
12324 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
12325 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
12327 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
12328 @acronym{MIME} button:
12331 @findex gnus-article-press-button
12332 @item RET (Article)
12333 @kindex RET (Article)
12334 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
12335 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
12336 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
12337 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
12338 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
12339 object is displayed inline.
12341 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
12342 @item M-RET (Article)
12343 @kindex M-RET (Article)
12345 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12346 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
12348 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
12350 @kindex t (Article)
12351 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
12352 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
12354 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
12356 @kindex C (Article)
12357 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12358 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
12360 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
12362 @kindex o (Article)
12363 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
12364 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
12366 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
12367 @item C-o (Article)
12368 @kindex C-o (Article)
12369 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
12370 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
12371 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
12372 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
12373 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
12374 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
12376 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
12378 @kindex r (Article)
12379 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
12380 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
12381 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
12383 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
12385 @kindex d (Article)
12386 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
12387 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
12388 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
12390 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
12392 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
12394 @kindex c (Article)
12395 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
12396 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
12397 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
12398 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
12399 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
12400 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
12401 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
12402 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12404 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
12406 @kindex p (Article)
12407 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
12408 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
12409 @file{.mailcap} file.
12411 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
12413 @kindex i (Article)
12414 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
12415 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as @samp{text/plain}. If given a prefix, insert
12416 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
12417 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
12418 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
12419 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
12420 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
12421 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
12422 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12424 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
12426 @kindex E (Article)
12427 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
12428 viewer is available, use an external viewer
12429 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
12431 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
12433 @kindex e (Article)
12434 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
12435 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
12437 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
12439 @kindex | (Article)
12440 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
12442 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
12444 @kindex . (Article)
12445 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
12446 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
12450 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
12451 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
12452 @acronym{MIME} manual.
12454 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
12455 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
12456 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
12457 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
12458 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
12459 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
12460 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
12461 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
12462 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
12464 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
12466 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
12470 @section @acronym{HTML}
12471 @cindex @acronym{HTML}
12473 If you have @code{w3m} installed on your system, Gnus can display
12474 @acronym{HTML} articles in the article buffer. There are many Gnus
12475 add-ons for doing this, using various approaches, but there's one
12476 (sort of) built-in method that's used by default.
12478 For a complete overview, consult @xref{Display Customization,
12479 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. This
12480 section only describes the default method.
12483 @item mm-text-html-renderer
12484 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
12485 If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
12486 that's based on @code{curl} and @code{w3m}.
12488 @item gnus-blocked-images
12489 @vindex gnus-blocked-images
12490 Images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't be
12491 fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s that
12492 have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
12495 (setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
12498 The default is to block all external images.
12500 @item gnus-html-cache-directory
12501 @vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
12502 Gnus will download and cache images according to how
12503 @code{gnus-blocked-images} is set. These images will be stored in
12506 @item gnus-html-cache-size
12507 @vindex gnus-html-cache-size
12508 When @code{gnus-html-cache-size} bytes have been used in that
12509 directory, the oldest files will be deleted. The default is 500MB.
12511 @item gnus-html-frame-width
12512 @vindex gnus-html-frame-width
12513 The width to use when rendering HTML. The default is 70.
12515 @item gnus-max-image-proportion
12516 @vindex gnus-max-image-proportion
12517 How big pictures displayed are in relation to the window they're in.
12518 A value of 0.7 (the default) means that they are allowed to take up
12519 70% of the width and height of the window. If they are larger than
12520 this, and Emacs supports it, then the images will be rescaled down to
12521 fit these criteria.
12525 To use this, make sure that you have @code{w3m} and @code{curl}
12526 installed. If you have, then Gnus should display @acronym{HTML}
12531 @node Customizing Articles
12532 @section Customizing Articles
12533 @cindex article customization
12535 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
12536 exist. You can call these functions interactively
12537 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
12538 called automatically when you select the articles.
12540 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
12541 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
12542 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
12543 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
12545 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
12546 for sensible values.
12550 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
12553 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
12556 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
12559 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
12562 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
12565 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
12569 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
12570 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
12571 regexps in the list.
12574 A list where the first element is not a string:
12576 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
12577 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
12578 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
12582 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
12587 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
12588 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
12589 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
12590 considered to contain just a single part.
12592 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
12593 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
12594 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
12595 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
12596 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
12597 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
12598 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
12601 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
12602 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
12604 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
12605 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
12606 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
12607 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
12608 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
12609 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
12610 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
12611 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
12612 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
12613 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
12614 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
12615 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
12616 @vindex gnus-treat-date-english
12617 @vindex gnus-treat-date-iso8601
12618 @vindex gnus-treat-date-lapsed
12619 @vindex gnus-treat-date-local
12620 @vindex gnus-treat-date-original
12621 @vindex gnus-treat-date-user-defined
12622 @vindex gnus-treat-date-ut
12623 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
12624 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
12625 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
12626 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
12627 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
12628 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12629 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12630 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12631 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12632 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12633 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12634 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12635 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12636 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12637 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12638 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12639 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12640 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12641 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12642 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12643 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12644 @vindex gnus-treat-translate
12645 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12646 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12647 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12648 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12649 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12652 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
12653 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
12654 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
12655 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
12658 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
12659 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
12661 @xref{Article Buttons}.
12663 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
12664 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
12665 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
12666 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
12667 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
12668 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
12669 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
12670 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
12671 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
12672 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
12674 @xref{Article Washing}.
12676 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
12677 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
12678 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
12679 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
12680 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
12681 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
12682 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
12684 @xref{Article Date}.
12686 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
12687 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
12688 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
12692 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
12694 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
12696 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
12697 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
12698 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
12702 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12703 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
12707 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12708 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
12712 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12713 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
12714 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12715 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
12716 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12717 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
12718 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12719 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
12720 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12721 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
12722 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12723 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
12724 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12725 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
12726 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12727 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
12728 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12729 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
12730 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12731 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
12733 @xref{Article Hiding}.
12735 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12736 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
12737 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12738 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
12739 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12740 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
12742 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
12744 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12745 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
12746 @vindex gnus-treat-translate
12747 @item gnus-treat-translate
12748 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
12749 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12750 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
12752 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12753 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
12754 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12755 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
12756 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12757 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
12758 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12759 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
12761 @xref{Article Header}.
12766 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
12767 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
12768 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
12769 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
12770 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
12774 @node Article Keymap
12775 @section Article Keymap
12777 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
12778 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
12779 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
12780 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
12783 @kindex v (Article)
12784 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
12785 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12786 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12788 A few additional keystrokes are available:
12793 @kindex SPACE (Article)
12794 @findex gnus-article-next-page
12795 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
12796 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
12799 @kindex DEL (Article)
12800 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
12801 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
12802 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
12805 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
12806 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
12807 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
12808 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
12809 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
12812 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
12813 @findex gnus-article-mail
12814 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
12815 given a prefix, include the mail.
12818 @kindex s (Article)
12819 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
12820 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
12821 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
12824 @kindex ? (Article)
12825 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
12826 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
12827 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
12830 @kindex TAB (Article)
12831 @findex gnus-article-next-button
12832 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
12833 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
12836 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
12837 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
12838 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
12841 @kindex R (Article)
12842 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
12843 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
12844 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If the region is active,
12845 only yank the text in the region.
12848 @kindex S W (Article)
12849 @findex gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original
12850 Send a wide reply to the current article and yank the current article
12851 (@code{gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original}). If the region is
12852 active, only yank the text in the region.
12855 @kindex F (Article)
12856 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
12857 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
12858 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If the region is active,
12859 only yank the text in the region.
12866 @section Misc Article
12870 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
12871 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
12872 @cindex article buffers, several
12873 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
12874 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
12877 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
12878 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
12879 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12880 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
12881 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
12883 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
12884 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
12885 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
12886 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
12887 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
12888 the contents of the article buffer.
12890 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
12891 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
12892 Hook called in article mode buffers.
12894 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12895 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12896 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
12897 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
12899 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
12900 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
12901 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
12902 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
12904 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
12905 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
12906 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
12907 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
12908 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
12909 with two extensions:
12914 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
12915 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
12916 performed. The characters and their meaning:
12921 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
12924 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
12927 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
12928 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
12929 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
12932 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
12935 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
12938 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasized strings in the article buffer.
12943 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
12947 @vindex gnus-break-pages
12949 @item gnus-break-pages
12950 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
12951 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
12952 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
12953 paging will not be done.
12955 @item gnus-page-delimiter
12956 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
12957 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
12961 @cindex internationalized domain names
12962 @vindex gnus-use-idna
12963 @item gnus-use-idna
12964 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
12965 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
12966 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
12967 for how to compose such messages. This requires
12968 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
12969 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
12974 @node Composing Messages
12975 @chapter Composing Messages
12976 @cindex composing messages
12979 @cindex sending mail
12984 @cindex using s/mime
12985 @cindex using smime
12987 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
12988 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
12989 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
12990 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
12991 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
12992 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
12995 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
12996 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
12997 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
12998 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
12999 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
13000 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
13001 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
13002 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
13003 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
13006 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
13007 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
13013 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
13016 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
13017 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
13018 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
13019 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
13020 @code{nil} include all headers.
13022 @item gnus-add-to-list
13023 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
13024 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
13025 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
13027 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
13028 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
13029 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
13030 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
13031 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
13032 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
13033 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
13034 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
13036 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
13037 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
13039 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13040 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13041 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
13042 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
13043 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
13048 @node Posting Server
13049 @section Posting Server
13051 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
13052 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
13054 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
13056 It can be quite complicated.
13058 @vindex gnus-post-method
13059 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
13060 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
13061 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
13062 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
13063 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
13064 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
13065 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
13066 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
13067 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
13070 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
13073 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
13074 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
13075 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
13076 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
13078 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
13079 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
13081 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
13082 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
13085 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
13086 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
13088 @vindex message-send-mail-function
13089 When sending mail, Message invokes the function specified by the
13090 variable @code{message-send-mail-function}. Gnus tries to set it to a
13091 value suitable for your system.
13092 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Mail Variables,message,Message manual}, for more
13095 @node POP before SMTP
13096 @section POP before SMTP
13097 @cindex pop before smtp
13098 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
13099 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
13101 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
13102 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
13103 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
13104 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
13105 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13108 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
13109 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
13113 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
13114 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
13115 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
13116 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
13117 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
13118 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
13119 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
13120 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
13122 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
13123 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
13124 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
13125 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
13126 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
13127 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
13130 (setq mail-source-primary-source
13131 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13132 :password "secret"))
13136 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
13137 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
13140 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
13142 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
13143 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13144 :password "secret")))
13145 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
13148 @node Mail and Post
13149 @section Mail and Post
13151 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
13155 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
13156 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
13157 @cindex mailing lists
13159 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
13160 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
13161 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
13162 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
13163 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
13164 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
13165 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
13166 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
13167 still a pain, though.
13169 @item gnus-user-agent
13170 @vindex gnus-user-agent
13173 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
13174 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
13175 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
13176 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
13177 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
13178 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
13179 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
13183 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
13184 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
13185 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
13188 @findex ispell-message
13190 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
13193 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
13194 you're in, you could say something like the following:
13197 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
13201 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
13202 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
13204 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
13207 Modify to suit your needs.
13209 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
13210 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
13211 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
13214 @node Archived Messages
13215 @section Archived Messages
13216 @cindex archived messages
13217 @cindex sent messages
13219 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
13220 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
13221 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
13222 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
13225 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
13226 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
13229 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
13230 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
13231 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
13232 actually being used it is expanded into:
13235 (nnfolder "archive"
13236 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
13237 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
13238 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
13239 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
13243 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
13244 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
13245 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
13246 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
13247 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
13248 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
13249 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13250 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
13251 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
13252 saved method to reflect always the value of
13253 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
13254 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
13255 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
13258 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
13259 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
13260 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
13261 directory chosen, you could say something like:
13264 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
13265 '(nnfolder "archive"
13266 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
13267 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
13268 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
13271 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
13273 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
13274 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
13275 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
13277 This variable can be used to do the following:
13281 Messages will be saved in that group.
13283 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
13284 message will not be stored in the select method given by
13285 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
13286 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13287 has the default value shown above. Then setting
13288 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
13289 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
13290 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
13293 @item a list of strings
13294 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
13296 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
13297 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
13300 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
13305 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
13307 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
13310 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
13312 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
13315 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
13317 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13318 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
13319 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
13320 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
13323 More complex stuff:
13325 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13326 '((if (message-news-p)
13331 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
13332 messages in one file per month:
13335 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13336 '((if (message-news-p)
13338 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
13341 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
13342 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
13344 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
13345 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
13346 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
13347 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
13348 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
13349 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
13350 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
13351 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
13352 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
13353 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
13355 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
13356 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
13357 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
13358 this will disable archiving.
13361 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
13362 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
13363 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
13364 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
13365 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
13368 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
13369 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
13370 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
13373 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
13374 but the latter is the preferred method.
13376 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13377 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13378 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
13380 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13381 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13382 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
13383 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
13384 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
13385 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
13386 changed in the future.
13391 @node Posting Styles
13392 @section Posting Styles
13393 @cindex posting styles
13396 All them variables, they make my head swim.
13398 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
13399 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
13400 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
13403 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
13404 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
13405 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
13406 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
13407 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
13412 (signature "Peace and happiness")
13413 (organization "What me?"))
13415 (signature "Death to everybody"))
13416 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
13417 (organization "Emacs is it")))
13420 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
13421 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
13422 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
13423 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
13424 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
13425 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
13426 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
13427 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
13429 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
13430 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
13431 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
13432 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
13433 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
13434 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
13435 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
13436 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
13437 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
13438 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
13439 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
13440 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
13441 said to @dfn{match}.
13443 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
13444 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
13445 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
13446 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
13447 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
13448 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
13449 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
13450 name can be one of:
13453 @item @code{signature}
13454 @item @code{signature-file}
13455 @item @code{x-face-file}
13456 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
13457 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
13461 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
13462 @code{message-signature-directory}.
13464 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
13465 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
13466 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
13467 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
13468 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
13470 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
13471 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
13472 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
13473 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
13474 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
13475 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
13476 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
13477 references chars lines xref extra.
13479 @vindex message-reply-headers
13481 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
13482 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
13483 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
13485 @findex message-mail-p
13486 @findex message-news-p
13488 So here's a new example:
13491 (setq gnus-posting-styles
13493 (signature-file "~/.signature")
13495 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
13496 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
13497 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
13499 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
13500 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
13501 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
13502 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
13503 (signature my-news-signature))
13504 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
13505 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
13506 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
13507 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
13508 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
13509 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
13510 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
13511 (address "user@@bar.foo")
13512 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
13513 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
13515 (From (with-current-buffer gnus-article-buffer
13516 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
13518 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
13521 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
13522 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
13523 if you fill many roles.
13524 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
13525 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
13531 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
13532 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
13533 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
13534 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
13535 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
13537 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
13538 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
13539 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
13540 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
13541 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
13545 @vindex nndraft-directory
13546 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
13547 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
13548 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
13549 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
13550 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
13551 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
13553 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
13554 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
13555 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
13556 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
13557 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
13558 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
13559 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
13560 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
13561 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
13563 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
13564 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
13565 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
13566 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
13567 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
13568 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
13569 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
13570 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
13571 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
13572 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
13573 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
13574 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
13575 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
13576 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
13578 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
13579 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
13580 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
13582 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
13583 @kindex D e (Draft)
13584 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
13585 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
13586 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
13588 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
13591 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
13592 @kindex D s (Draft)
13593 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
13594 @kindex D S (Draft)
13595 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
13596 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
13597 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
13598 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
13599 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
13602 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
13603 @kindex D t (Draft)
13604 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
13605 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
13606 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
13608 Finally, if you want to delete a draft, use the normal @kbd{B DEL}
13609 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13612 @node Rejected Articles
13613 @section Rejected Articles
13614 @cindex rejected articles
13616 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
13617 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
13618 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
13619 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
13621 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
13622 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
13623 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
13624 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
13625 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
13627 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
13628 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
13629 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
13631 @node Signing and encrypting
13632 @section Signing and encrypting
13634 @cindex using s/mime
13635 @cindex using smime
13637 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
13638 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
13639 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
13640 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
13642 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
13643 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
13644 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
13645 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
13646 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
13647 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
13648 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
13649 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
13650 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
13651 automatically encrypted messages.
13653 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
13654 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
13655 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
13660 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
13661 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
13663 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13666 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
13667 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13669 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13672 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
13673 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13675 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13678 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
13679 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
13681 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13684 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
13685 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
13687 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13690 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
13691 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
13693 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13696 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
13697 @findex mml-unsecure-message
13698 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
13702 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
13704 @node Select Methods
13705 @chapter Select Methods
13706 @cindex foreign groups
13707 @cindex select methods
13709 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
13710 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
13711 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
13712 personal mail group.
13714 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
13715 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
13716 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
13717 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
13718 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
13719 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
13721 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
13722 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
13724 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
13727 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
13728 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
13729 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
13730 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
13731 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
13733 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
13736 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
13737 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
13738 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
13739 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
13740 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
13741 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
13742 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
13743 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
13744 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
13748 @node Server Buffer
13749 @section Server Buffer
13751 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
13752 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
13753 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
13754 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
13755 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
13756 back end represents a virtual server.
13758 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
13759 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
13760 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
13761 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
13763 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
13764 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
13765 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
13766 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
13767 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
13768 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
13769 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
13771 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
13772 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
13775 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
13776 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
13777 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
13778 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
13779 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
13780 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
13781 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
13784 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
13785 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
13788 @node Server Buffer Format
13789 @subsection Server Buffer Format
13790 @cindex server buffer format
13792 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
13793 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
13794 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
13795 variable, with some simple extensions:
13800 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
13803 The name of this server.
13806 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
13809 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
13812 Whether this server is agentized.
13815 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
13816 The mode line can also be customized by using the
13817 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
13818 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
13828 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
13831 @node Server Commands
13832 @subsection Server Commands
13833 @cindex server commands
13839 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
13840 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
13841 command or better use it as a prefix key.
13845 @findex gnus-server-add-server
13846 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
13850 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
13851 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
13854 @kindex SPACE (Server)
13855 @findex gnus-server-read-server
13856 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
13860 @findex gnus-server-exit
13861 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
13865 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
13866 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
13870 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
13871 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
13875 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13876 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
13880 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
13881 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
13885 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
13886 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
13887 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
13892 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
13893 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
13894 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
13895 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
13899 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
13901 Compact all groups in the server under point
13902 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
13903 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
13904 hence getting a correct total article count.
13909 @node Example Methods
13910 @subsection Example Methods
13912 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
13915 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
13918 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
13924 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
13925 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
13928 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
13929 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
13931 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
13932 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
13936 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
13939 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
13940 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
13942 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
13943 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
13944 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
13948 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
13951 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
13954 Here's the method for a public spool:
13958 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
13959 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
13965 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
13966 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
13967 on the firewall machine and connect with
13968 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} from there to the
13969 @acronym{NNTP} server.
13970 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
13971 should probably look something like this:
13975 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)
13976 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
13977 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host"))
13980 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
13981 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
13982 configuration to the example above:
13985 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13988 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
13989 an indirect connection:
13992 (setq gnus-select-method
13994 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
13995 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
13996 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
13997 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13998 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C"))
13999 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)))
14002 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
14003 provide automatic authorization, of course.
14005 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
14006 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
14007 netcat connection to the news server as follows:
14011 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14012 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
14013 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
14017 @node Creating a Virtual Server
14018 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
14020 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
14021 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
14023 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
14024 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
14025 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
14027 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
14029 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
14030 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
14031 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
14032 will contain the following:
14042 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
14043 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
14046 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
14047 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
14048 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
14051 @node Server Variables
14052 @subsection Server Variables
14053 @cindex server variables
14054 @cindex server parameters
14056 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
14057 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
14058 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
14059 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
14060 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
14062 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
14063 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
14064 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
14065 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
14066 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
14067 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
14068 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
14069 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
14070 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
14074 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
14075 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
14076 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
14079 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
14081 @node Servers and Methods
14082 @subsection Servers and Methods
14084 Wherever you would normally use a select method
14085 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
14086 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
14087 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
14091 @node Unavailable Servers
14092 @subsection Unavailable Servers
14094 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
14095 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
14096 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
14097 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
14098 actually the case or not.
14100 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
14101 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
14102 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
14103 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
14104 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
14105 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
14106 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
14107 it will regard that server as ``down''.
14109 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
14110 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
14112 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
14113 with the following commands:
14119 @findex gnus-server-open-server
14120 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
14121 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
14125 @findex gnus-server-close-server
14126 Close the connection (if any) to the server
14127 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
14131 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
14132 Mark the current server as unreachable
14133 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
14136 @kindex M-o (Server)
14137 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
14138 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
14139 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
14142 @kindex M-c (Server)
14143 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
14144 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
14145 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
14149 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
14150 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
14151 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
14155 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
14156 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
14162 @section Getting News
14163 @cindex reading news
14164 @cindex news back ends
14166 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
14167 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
14168 or it can read from a local spool.
14171 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14172 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
14180 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
14181 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
14182 server as the, uhm, address.
14184 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
14185 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
14186 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
14187 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14189 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
14190 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
14191 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
14193 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
14198 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
14199 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
14200 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
14202 @cindex authentication
14203 @cindex nntp authentication
14204 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14205 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
14206 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
14207 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
14208 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
14209 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
14210 present in this hook.
14212 @item nntp-authinfo-function
14213 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
14214 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14215 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
14216 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
14217 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
14218 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
14219 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
14220 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
14221 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
14222 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
14223 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
14227 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
14230 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
14232 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
14233 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
14234 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
14235 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
14236 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
14237 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
14238 @samp{force} is explained below.
14242 Here's an example file:
14245 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
14246 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
14249 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
14250 have to be first, for instance.
14252 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
14253 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
14254 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
14255 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
14256 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
14257 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
14258 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
14260 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
14261 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
14267 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
14268 previously mentioned.
14270 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
14272 @item nntp-server-action-alist
14273 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
14274 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
14275 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
14276 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
14279 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
14280 '(("innd" (ding))))
14283 You probably don't want to do that, though.
14285 The default value is
14288 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
14289 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
14290 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
14293 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
14294 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
14296 @item nntp-maximum-request
14297 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
14298 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
14299 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
14300 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
14301 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
14302 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
14303 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
14305 @item nntp-connection-timeout
14306 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
14307 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
14308 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
14309 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
14310 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
14311 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
14312 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
14313 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
14314 no timeouts are done.
14316 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
14317 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
14318 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
14319 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
14322 @item nntp-xover-commands
14323 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
14324 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
14326 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
14327 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
14331 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
14332 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
14333 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
14334 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
14335 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
14336 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
14337 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
14338 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
14339 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
14340 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
14341 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
14343 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14344 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14345 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
14346 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
14347 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
14348 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
14349 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
14350 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
14351 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
14352 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
14353 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
14354 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
14355 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
14356 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
14357 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
14358 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
14359 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
14362 (setq gnus-select-method
14364 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
14365 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
14369 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
14371 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
14372 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
14373 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14375 @item nntp-record-commands
14376 @vindex nntp-record-commands
14377 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
14378 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
14379 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
14380 that doesn't seem to work.
14382 @item nntp-open-connection-function
14383 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
14384 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
14385 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
14386 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
14387 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
14388 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
14389 indirect ones (three pre-made).
14391 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
14392 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
14393 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
14394 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
14395 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
14396 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
14397 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
14398 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
14399 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
14401 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14402 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14403 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
14404 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
14405 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
14406 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
14407 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
14409 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
14410 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
14411 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
14412 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
14413 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
14414 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
14415 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
14418 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
14421 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
14422 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
14427 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
14428 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
14429 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
14430 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
14434 @node Direct Functions
14435 @subsubsection Direct Functions
14436 @cindex direct connection functions
14438 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
14439 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
14440 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
14441 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14444 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
14445 @item nntp-open-network-stream
14446 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
14449 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
14450 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
14451 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14452 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
14453 installed. You then define a server as follows:
14456 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14457 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
14459 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14460 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
14461 (nntp-port-number 563)
14462 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14465 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
14466 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
14467 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14468 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
14469 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
14470 then define a server as follows:
14473 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14474 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
14476 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14477 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
14478 (nntp-port-number 563)
14479 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14482 @findex nntp-open-netcat-stream
14483 @item nntp-open-netcat-stream
14484 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server using the @code{netcat}
14485 program. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have
14486 the default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
14487 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
14488 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
14489 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
14493 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14494 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
14495 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
14498 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
14499 session, which is not a good idea.
14501 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
14502 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
14503 Like @code{nntp-open-netcat-stream}, but uses @code{telnet} rather than
14504 @code{netcat}. @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things
14505 like line-end-conversion, but sometimes netcat is simply
14506 not available. The previous example would turn into:
14510 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14511 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
14512 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
14513 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
14518 @node Indirect Functions
14519 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
14520 @cindex indirect connection functions
14522 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
14523 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14524 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
14525 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
14526 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
14527 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14530 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14531 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14532 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then uses @code{netcat} to connect
14533 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
14534 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
14536 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
14539 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14540 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14541 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14542 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14544 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14545 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14546 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14547 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
14548 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
14549 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections.
14552 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14553 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14554 Does essentially the same, but uses @code{telnet} instead of @samp{netcat}
14555 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
14556 @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things like
14557 line-end-conversion, but sometimes @code{netcat} is simply not available.
14559 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14562 @item nntp-telnet-command
14563 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
14564 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
14565 intermediate host. The default is @samp{telnet}.
14567 @item nntp-telnet-switches
14568 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
14569 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14570 @code{nntp-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{("-8")}.
14572 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14573 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14574 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14575 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14577 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14578 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14579 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14580 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. If you use @samp{ssh}, you may need to set
14581 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
14582 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
14583 host. The default is @code{nil}.
14586 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14587 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14589 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14590 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14591 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
14592 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
14594 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14597 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
14598 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
14599 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
14602 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
14603 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
14604 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14605 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
14607 @item nntp-via-user-password
14608 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
14609 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
14611 @item nntp-via-envuser
14612 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
14613 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
14614 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
14615 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
14617 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
14618 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
14619 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
14620 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
14624 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14625 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14629 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
14634 @item nntp-via-user-name
14635 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
14636 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
14638 @item nntp-via-address
14639 @vindex nntp-via-address
14640 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
14645 @node Common Variables
14646 @subsubsection Common Variables
14648 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
14649 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
14650 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
14651 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
14652 variables individually).
14656 @item nntp-pre-command
14657 @vindex nntp-pre-command
14658 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
14659 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
14660 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
14661 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
14664 @vindex nntp-address
14665 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14667 @item nntp-port-number
14668 @vindex nntp-port-number
14669 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14670 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
14671 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
14672 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
14673 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
14674 not work with named ports.
14676 @item nntp-end-of-line
14677 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
14678 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
14679 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
14680 using a non native telnet connection function.
14682 @item nntp-netcat-command
14683 @vindex nntp-netcat-command
14684 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
14685 @samp{netcat}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
14686 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14689 @item nntp-netcat-switches
14690 @vindex nntp-netcat-switches
14691 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-netcat-command}. The default
14697 @subsubsection NNTP marks
14698 @cindex storing NNTP marks
14700 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
14701 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
14702 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
14703 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
14704 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
14705 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
14706 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
14707 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
14709 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
14710 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
14711 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
14712 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
14713 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14715 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
14716 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
14717 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
14718 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
14719 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
14720 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
14721 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
14723 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
14724 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
14725 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14731 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
14732 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
14733 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
14734 default is @code{nil}.
14736 @item nntp-marks-directory
14737 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
14738 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
14744 @subsection News Spool
14748 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
14749 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
14750 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
14753 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
14754 anything else) as the address.
14756 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
14757 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
14758 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
14759 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
14763 @item nnspool-inews-program
14764 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
14765 Program used to post an article.
14767 @item nnspool-inews-switches
14768 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
14769 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
14771 @item nnspool-spool-directory
14772 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
14773 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
14774 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
14776 @item nnspool-nov-directory
14777 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
14778 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
14779 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
14781 @item nnspool-lib-dir
14782 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
14783 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
14785 @item nnspool-active-file
14786 @vindex nnspool-active-file
14787 The name of the active file.
14789 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
14790 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
14791 The name of the group descriptions file.
14793 @item nnspool-history-file
14794 @vindex nnspool-history-file
14795 The name of the news history file.
14797 @item nnspool-active-times-file
14798 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
14799 The name of the active date file.
14801 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
14802 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
14803 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
14806 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14807 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14809 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
14810 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
14811 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
14818 @section Getting Mail
14819 @cindex reading mail
14822 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
14826 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
14827 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
14828 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
14829 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
14830 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
14831 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
14832 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
14833 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
14834 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
14835 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
14836 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
14837 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
14838 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
14842 @node Mail in a Newsreader
14843 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
14845 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
14846 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
14847 of a culture shock.
14849 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
14850 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
14852 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
14853 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
14854 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
14855 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
14857 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
14859 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
14860 deleted? How awful!
14862 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
14863 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
14864 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
14865 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
14868 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
14869 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
14870 they want to treat a message.
14872 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
14873 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
14874 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
14875 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
14876 archived somewhere else.
14878 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
14879 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
14880 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
14881 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
14882 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
14884 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
14885 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
14886 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
14888 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
14889 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
14892 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
14893 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
14894 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
14895 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
14896 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
14898 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
14899 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
14900 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
14901 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
14902 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
14903 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
14907 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
14908 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
14910 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
14911 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
14912 and things will happen automatically.
14914 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
14915 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14918 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14921 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
14922 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
14923 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
14924 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
14925 like any other group.
14927 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
14930 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14931 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14932 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14936 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
14937 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
14938 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
14941 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
14942 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
14943 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
14946 @node Splitting Mail
14947 @subsection Splitting Mail
14948 @cindex splitting mail
14949 @cindex mail splitting
14950 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
14952 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
14953 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
14954 to be split into groups.
14957 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14958 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14959 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14960 ("mail.other" "")))
14963 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
14964 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
14965 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
14966 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
14967 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
14968 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
14969 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
14972 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
14976 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
14977 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14979 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14980 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
14981 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
14982 mail belongs in that group.
14984 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
14985 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
14986 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
14987 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
14988 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
14989 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
14990 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
14991 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
14992 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
14993 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
14995 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
14996 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
14997 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
14998 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
14999 thinks should carry this mail message.
15001 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
15002 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
15003 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
15004 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
15006 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
15007 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
15008 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
15009 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
15010 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
15012 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
15015 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
15016 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
15017 links. If that's the case for you, set
15018 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
15019 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
15021 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
15022 @findex nnmail-split-history
15023 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
15024 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
15025 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
15026 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
15029 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
15030 Header lines longer than the value of
15031 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
15034 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
15035 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
15036 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
15037 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
15038 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
15039 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
15040 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
15041 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
15042 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
15043 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
15044 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
15045 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
15047 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15048 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
15049 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
15050 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
15051 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
15052 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
15053 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
15054 other kinds of entries.)
15056 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
15057 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
15058 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
15059 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
15060 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
15061 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
15062 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
15063 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
15064 month's rent money.
15068 @subsection Mail Sources
15070 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
15071 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
15072 maildir, for instance.
15075 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
15076 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
15077 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
15081 @node Mail Source Specifiers
15082 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
15084 @cindex mail server
15087 @cindex mail source
15089 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
15090 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
15095 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
15098 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
15099 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
15100 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
15103 The @code{mail-sources} is global for all mail groups. You can specify
15104 an additional mail source for a particular group by including the
15105 @code{group} mail specifier in @code{mail-sources}, and setting a
15106 @code{mail-source} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) specifying
15107 a single mail source. When this is used, @code{mail-sources} is
15108 typically just @code{(group)}; the @code{mail-source} parameter for a
15109 group might look like this:
15112 (mail-source . (file :path "home/user/spools/foo.spool"))
15115 This means that the group's (and only this group's) messages will be
15116 fetched from the spool file @samp{/user/spools/foo.spool}.
15118 The following mail source types are available:
15122 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
15128 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
15129 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
15130 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
15134 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15137 An example file mail source:
15140 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
15143 Or using the default file name:
15149 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
15150 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
15151 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
15152 mail spool while moving the mail.
15154 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
15158 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
15161 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
15165 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
15168 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
15170 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
15173 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
15174 file you want to use.
15178 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
15179 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
15180 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
15181 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
15182 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
15183 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
15184 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
15185 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
15186 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
15187 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
15189 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15190 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
15191 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
15192 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
15198 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
15202 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
15206 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
15207 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
15208 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
15209 predicate are considered.
15213 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15217 An example directory mail source:
15220 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
15225 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15231 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
15232 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15235 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
15236 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
15237 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
15238 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
15239 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
15242 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
15246 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
15247 the user is prompted.
15250 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
15251 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
15254 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
15257 The valid format specifier characters are:
15261 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
15262 included in this string.
15265 The name of the server.
15268 The port number of the server.
15271 The user name to use.
15274 The password to use.
15277 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15278 corresponding keywords.
15281 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15282 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15285 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15286 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15289 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
15290 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
15291 mail should be moved to.
15293 @item :authentication
15294 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
15295 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
15300 @vindex pop3-movemail
15301 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
15302 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
15303 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
15304 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
15305 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
15306 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
15307 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
15308 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
15309 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
15311 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15312 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
15313 name, and default fetcher:
15319 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
15322 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
15323 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
15326 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
15329 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
15333 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
15334 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
15335 contains exactly one mail.
15341 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
15342 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
15345 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
15346 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
15348 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
15349 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
15350 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
15353 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
15354 from locking problems).
15358 Two example maildir mail sources:
15361 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
15362 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
15366 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
15371 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
15372 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
15373 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
15374 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
15375 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
15377 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
15378 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
15384 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
15385 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15388 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
15389 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
15392 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
15396 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
15400 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
15401 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
15402 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
15403 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
15405 @item :authentication
15406 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
15407 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
15408 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
15409 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
15412 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
15413 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
15414 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
15420 Make sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g.,
15421 don't forget to redirect the error output to the void. The valid format
15422 specifier characters are:
15426 The name of the server.
15429 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
15432 The port number of the server.
15435 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15436 corresponding keywords.
15439 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
15440 which normally is the mailbox which receives incoming mail.
15443 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
15444 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
15445 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
15446 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
15447 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
15448 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
15451 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
15452 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
15453 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
15454 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
15457 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
15458 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
15462 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
15465 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
15467 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
15471 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
15472 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
15473 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
15475 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
15476 required for url "4.0pre.46".
15478 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
15484 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
15485 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
15488 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
15492 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
15496 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
15497 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
15501 An example webmail source:
15504 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
15506 :password "secret")
15510 Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
15511 @xref{Group Parameters}.
15516 @item Common Keywords
15517 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
15523 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
15524 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
15529 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
15534 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
15535 useful when you use local mail and news.
15540 @subsubsection Function Interface
15542 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
15543 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
15544 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
15545 consider the following mail-source setting:
15548 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
15549 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
15552 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
15553 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
15554 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
15555 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
15556 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
15558 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
15561 @node Mail Source Customization
15562 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
15564 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
15565 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
15569 @item mail-source-crash-box
15570 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
15571 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
15572 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
15575 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
15576 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
15577 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
15578 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
15579 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
15580 (the deletion will only happen when receiving new mail). You may also
15581 set @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
15582 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
15583 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{10} in alpha Gnusae
15584 and @code{2} in released Gnusae. @xref{Gnus Development}.
15586 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15587 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15588 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
15589 files. This variable only applies when
15590 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
15592 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
15593 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
15594 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
15596 @item mail-source-directory
15597 @vindex mail-source-directory
15598 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
15599 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
15600 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
15601 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
15603 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15604 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15605 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
15606 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
15607 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
15608 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
15611 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
15612 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
15613 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
15615 @item mail-source-movemail-program
15616 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
15617 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
15618 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
15623 @node Fetching Mail
15624 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
15626 @vindex mail-sources
15627 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
15628 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
15629 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
15631 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to
15632 fetch mail by themselves.
15634 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
15635 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
15640 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15641 :password "secret")))
15644 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
15648 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
15649 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15652 :password "secret")))
15656 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
15657 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
15658 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
15659 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
15660 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
15661 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
15665 @node Mail Back End Variables
15666 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
15668 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
15672 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15673 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15674 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
15675 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
15677 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
15678 @item nnmail-split-hook
15679 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
15680 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
15681 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
15682 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
15683 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
15684 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
15685 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
15686 in the buffer will show up in any files.
15687 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
15690 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15691 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15692 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15693 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15694 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
15695 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
15696 starting to handle the new mail) and
15697 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
15698 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
15699 default file modes the new mail files get:
15702 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15703 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
15705 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15706 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
15709 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
15710 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
15711 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
15712 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
15713 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
15714 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
15715 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
15717 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
15718 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
15719 @findex delete-file
15720 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
15722 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15723 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15724 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
15725 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
15726 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
15728 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15729 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15730 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
15731 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
15732 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
15734 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
15735 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
15736 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
15741 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
15742 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
15743 @cindex mail splitting
15744 @cindex fancy mail splitting
15746 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
15747 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
15748 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
15749 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
15750 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
15751 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
15753 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
15756 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
15757 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
15758 ;; @r{from real errors.}
15759 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
15761 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
15762 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
15763 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
15764 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
15765 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
15766 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
15767 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
15768 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
15769 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
15770 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
15771 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
15772 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
15773 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
15774 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
15775 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
15776 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
15777 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
15781 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
15782 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
15783 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
15788 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
15789 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
15791 @c Don't fold this line.
15792 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
15793 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
15794 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
15795 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
15798 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
15799 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
15800 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
15801 @var{split} is processed.
15803 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
15804 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
15805 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
15806 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15808 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
15809 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
15810 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
15811 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
15812 stored in one or more groups.
15814 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
15815 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
15816 process all @var{split}s in the list.
15819 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
15820 this message. Use with extreme caution.
15822 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
15823 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
15824 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
15825 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
15828 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
15829 body of the messages:
15832 (defun split-on-body ()
15836 (goto-char (point-min))
15837 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
15841 The buffer is narrowed to the header of the message in question when
15842 @var{function} is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called
15843 after @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
15844 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
15845 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
15846 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
15847 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
15849 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
15850 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
15851 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
15852 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
15853 should return a split.
15856 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
15860 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
15862 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
15863 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
15864 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
15865 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
15869 (any "joe" "joemail")
15873 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
15874 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
15875 of the following three ways:
15879 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
15880 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
15881 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
15882 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
15883 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
15886 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
15889 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
15890 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
15891 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
15892 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
15893 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
15896 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
15897 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
15898 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
15899 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15900 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
15901 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15902 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15905 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
15906 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
15907 they are expanded as specified by the variable
15908 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
15909 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
15910 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
15911 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
15915 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
15917 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
15918 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
15920 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
15923 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
15924 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
15925 when all this splitting is performed.
15927 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
15928 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
15929 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
15932 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
15935 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
15936 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
15938 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
15939 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
15940 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
15941 groupings 1 through 9.
15943 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
15944 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
15945 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
15946 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
15947 groups when users send to an address using different case
15948 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
15951 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
15952 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
15953 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
15954 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
15955 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
15956 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
15957 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
15958 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
15959 it once per thread.
15961 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
15962 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
15963 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
15964 using the colon feature, like so:
15966 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
15967 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
15969 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
15970 ;; @r{other splits go here}
15974 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
15975 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
15976 in the file specified by the variable
15977 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
15978 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
15979 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
15980 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
15981 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
15982 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
15983 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
15984 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
15985 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
15986 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
15987 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
15988 300 kBytes in size.)
15989 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15990 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
15991 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
15992 messages goes into the new group.
15994 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
15995 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
15996 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
15997 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
15998 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
15999 ``outgoing'' group.
16002 @node Group Mail Splitting
16003 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
16004 @cindex mail splitting
16005 @cindex group mail splitting
16007 @findex gnus-group-split
16008 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
16009 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
16010 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
16011 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
16012 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
16013 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
16014 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
16015 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
16017 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
16018 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
16019 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
16020 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
16022 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
16023 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
16024 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
16025 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
16026 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
16027 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
16028 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
16030 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
16031 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
16032 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
16033 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
16034 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
16035 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
16036 @code{gnus-group-split}.
16038 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
16039 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
16040 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
16041 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
16042 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
16043 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
16044 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
16045 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
16046 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
16047 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
16048 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
16049 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
16050 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
16052 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
16057 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
16058 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
16060 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
16061 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
16062 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
16063 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
16065 ((split-spec . catch-all))
16068 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
16069 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
16070 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
16073 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
16074 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
16075 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
16079 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
16080 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
16081 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
16085 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
16088 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
16089 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
16090 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
16091 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
16092 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
16093 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
16094 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
16095 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
16096 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
16098 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
16099 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
16100 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
16101 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
16102 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
16103 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
16104 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
16105 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
16106 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
16108 @findex gnus-group-split-update
16109 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
16110 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
16111 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
16112 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
16113 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
16116 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
16119 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
16120 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
16121 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
16122 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
16123 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
16126 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
16127 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
16128 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
16129 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
16131 @node Incorporating Old Mail
16132 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
16133 @cindex incorporating old mail
16134 @cindex import old mail
16136 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
16137 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
16138 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
16141 Doing so can be quite easy.
16143 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
16144 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
16145 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
16146 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
16147 your @code{nnml} groups.
16153 Go to the group buffer.
16156 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
16157 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16160 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
16163 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
16164 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16167 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
16168 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
16171 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
16172 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
16173 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
16174 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
16175 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
16177 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
16178 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
16179 using the new mail back end.
16182 @node Expiring Mail
16183 @subsection Expiring Mail
16184 @cindex article expiry
16185 @cindex expiring mail
16187 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
16188 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
16189 different approach to mail reading.
16191 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
16192 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
16193 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
16194 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
16195 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
16196 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
16199 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
16200 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
16201 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
16202 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
16203 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
16204 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
16205 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
16206 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
16207 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
16209 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
16210 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
16211 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
16212 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
16213 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
16214 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
16215 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
16218 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
16219 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
16220 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
16221 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
16222 into its own group.)
16224 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
16225 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
16226 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
16227 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
16228 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
16229 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
16230 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
16231 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
16234 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16235 Groups that match the regular expression
16236 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
16237 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
16238 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
16240 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
16241 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
16242 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
16243 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
16244 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
16246 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
16248 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
16249 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
16250 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
16253 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
16254 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
16255 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
16256 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
16257 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
16259 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
16260 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
16263 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16264 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
16267 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
16268 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
16270 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
16271 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
16272 don't really mix very well.
16274 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
16275 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
16276 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
16277 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
16280 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
16281 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
16282 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
16283 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
16286 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16288 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16290 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
16292 ((string= group "mail.junk")
16294 ((string= group "important")
16300 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
16301 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
16303 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
16304 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
16305 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
16308 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
16309 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16311 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
16312 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
16313 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
16314 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
16315 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
16316 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
16317 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
16318 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
16319 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
16320 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
16321 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
16322 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
16323 name or @code{delete}.
16325 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
16327 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
16330 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16331 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16332 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
16333 expire mail to groups according to the variable
16334 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
16337 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16338 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16339 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
16340 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
16341 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
16344 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
16345 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
16346 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
16347 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
16348 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
16349 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
16351 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
16352 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
16353 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
16354 easier for procmail users.
16356 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
16357 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
16358 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
16359 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
16360 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
16361 caution. Even more dangerous is the
16362 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
16363 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
16364 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
16365 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
16366 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
16367 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
16368 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
16371 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
16373 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
16374 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
16375 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
16376 auto-expire turned on.
16378 @vindex gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable
16379 The expirable marks of articles will be removed when copying or moving
16380 them to a group in which auto-expire is not turned on. This is for
16381 preventing articles from being expired unintentionally. On the other
16382 hand, to a group that has turned auto-expire on, the expirable marks of
16383 articles that are copied or moved will not be changed by default. I.e.,
16384 when copying or moving to such a group, articles that were expirable
16385 will be left expirable and ones that were not expirable will not be
16386 marked as expirable. So, even though in auto-expire groups, some
16387 articles will never get expired (unless you read them again). If you
16388 don't side with that behavior that unexpirable articles may be mixed
16389 into auto-expire groups, you can set
16390 @code{gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable} to a
16391 non-@code{nil} value. In that case, articles that have been read will
16392 be marked as expirable automatically when being copied or moved to a
16393 group that has auto-expire turned on. The default value is @code{nil}.
16397 @subsection Washing Mail
16398 @cindex mail washing
16399 @cindex list server brain damage
16400 @cindex incoming mail treatment
16402 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
16403 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
16404 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
16405 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
16406 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
16407 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
16409 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
16410 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
16411 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
16414 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
16415 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
16416 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
16417 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
16420 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16421 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16422 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
16423 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
16424 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
16427 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16428 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16429 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
16430 Emacs running on MS machines.
16434 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16435 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16436 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
16437 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
16440 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16441 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16442 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
16443 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
16445 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
16446 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
16447 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
16448 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
16449 into a feature by documenting it.)
16451 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16452 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16453 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
16454 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
16455 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
16456 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
16457 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
16460 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
16461 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
16464 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
16465 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
16468 This can also be done non-destructively with
16469 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
16471 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
16472 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
16473 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
16475 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16476 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16477 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
16480 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
16481 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
16482 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
16483 contain a line matching the regular expression
16484 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
16488 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16489 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16490 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
16494 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
16495 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
16496 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
16503 @subsection Duplicates
16505 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
16506 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
16507 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
16508 @cindex duplicate mails
16509 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
16510 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
16511 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
16512 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
16513 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
16514 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
16515 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
16516 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
16517 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
16518 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
16519 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
16520 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
16521 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
16523 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
16524 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
16525 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
16526 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
16528 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
16531 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
16532 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
16536 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
16537 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
16538 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
16539 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
16540 (any mail "mail.misc")
16541 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16547 (setq nnmail-split-methods
16548 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
16549 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16553 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
16554 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
16555 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
16556 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
16557 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
16560 @node Not Reading Mail
16561 @subsection Not Reading Mail
16563 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
16564 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
16565 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
16567 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
16568 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
16569 mail, which should help.
16571 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16572 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16573 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16574 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16575 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16576 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
16577 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old (pre-Emacs
16578 23) Rmail file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
16579 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
16580 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
16581 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
16583 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
16584 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
16588 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
16589 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
16591 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
16592 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
16593 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
16595 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
16596 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
16597 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
16601 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
16602 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
16603 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
16604 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
16605 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
16606 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
16607 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
16611 @node Unix Mail Box
16612 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
16614 @cindex unix mail box
16616 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16617 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16618 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
16619 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
16620 which group it belongs in.
16622 Virtual server settings:
16625 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
16626 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16627 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
16630 @item nnmbox-active-file
16631 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16632 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
16633 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
16635 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
16636 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16637 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
16638 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
16643 @subsubsection Babyl
16646 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16647 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16648 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box to store mail.
16649 @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail article to say which
16650 group it belongs in.
16652 Virtual server settings:
16655 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
16656 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16657 The name of the Babyl file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
16659 @item nnbabyl-active-file
16660 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16661 The name of the active file for the Babyl file. The default is
16662 @file{~/.rmail-active}
16664 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16665 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16666 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
16672 @subsubsection Mail Spool
16674 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
16676 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
16677 format. It should be used with some caution.
16679 @vindex nnml-directory
16680 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
16681 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
16682 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
16683 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
16685 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
16688 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
16689 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
16690 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
16691 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
16692 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
16693 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
16694 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
16695 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
16697 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
16698 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
16699 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
16700 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
16702 @cindex self contained nnml servers
16704 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
16705 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16706 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16707 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
16708 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
16709 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
16710 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
16711 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
16714 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
16715 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
16716 them next time it starts.
16718 Virtual server settings:
16721 @item nnml-directory
16722 @vindex nnml-directory
16723 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
16724 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
16727 @item nnml-active-file
16728 @vindex nnml-active-file
16729 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
16730 @file{~/Mail/active}.
16732 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
16733 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
16734 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16735 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
16737 @item nnml-get-new-mail
16738 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16739 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
16742 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
16743 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
16744 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16745 default is @code{nil}.
16747 @item nnml-nov-file-name
16748 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
16749 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
16751 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16752 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16753 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
16755 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
16756 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
16757 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16758 default is @code{nil}.
16760 @item nnml-marks-file-name
16761 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
16762 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
16764 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
16765 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
16766 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
16767 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
16768 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
16769 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
16770 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
16771 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
16772 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
16774 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16775 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16776 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
16777 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
16778 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
16782 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
16783 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
16784 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
16785 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
16786 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
16787 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
16788 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
16793 @subsubsection MH Spool
16795 @cindex mh-e mail spool
16797 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
16798 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
16799 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
16800 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
16803 Virtual server settings:
16806 @item nnmh-directory
16807 @vindex nnmh-directory
16808 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
16809 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
16812 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
16813 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16814 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
16818 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
16819 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
16820 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
16821 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
16822 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
16823 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
16824 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
16829 @subsubsection Maildir
16833 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
16834 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
16835 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
16836 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
16837 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
16840 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
16841 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
16842 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
16843 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
16844 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
16845 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
16846 that appear as group in Gnus.
16848 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
16849 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
16850 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
16852 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
16853 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
16854 another, and you will keep your marks.
16856 Virtual server settings:
16860 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
16861 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
16862 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
16863 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
16864 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
16865 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
16866 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
16867 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
16868 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
16869 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
16871 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
16872 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
16873 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
16874 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
16875 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
16876 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
16877 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
16878 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
16879 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
16880 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
16883 @item target-prefix
16884 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
16885 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
16886 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
16889 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
16890 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
16891 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
16892 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
16893 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
16894 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
16895 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
16896 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
16897 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
16899 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
16900 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
16901 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
16902 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
16903 symlinks pointing to them will be).
16905 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
16906 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
16907 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
16908 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
16909 @code{force} argument.
16911 @item directory-files
16912 This should be a function with the same interface as
16913 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
16914 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
16915 parameter is optional; the default is
16916 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
16917 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
16918 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
16919 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
16920 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
16921 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
16924 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
16925 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
16926 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
16927 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
16928 value is @code{nil}.
16930 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
16931 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
16932 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
16933 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
16934 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
16937 @subsubsection Group parameters
16939 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
16940 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
16941 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
16942 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
16943 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
16944 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
16947 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
16948 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
16949 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
16950 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
16951 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
16952 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
16953 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
16954 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
16955 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
16959 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
16960 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
16961 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
16962 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
16963 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
16964 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
16965 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
16966 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
16967 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
16968 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
16969 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
16970 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
16971 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
16974 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
16976 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
16978 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
16979 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
16980 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
16981 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
16982 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
16983 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
16984 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
16985 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
16986 article. So that form can refer to
16987 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
16988 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
16989 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
16990 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
16993 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
16994 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
16995 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
16996 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
16997 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
16998 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
16999 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
17000 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
17001 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
17002 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
17003 contain extra copies of the articles.
17005 @item directory-files
17006 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
17007 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
17008 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
17009 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
17011 @item distrust-Lines:
17012 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
17013 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
17014 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
17017 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
17018 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17019 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
17020 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
17021 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
17022 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17025 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
17026 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17027 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
17028 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
17029 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
17030 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
17031 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17033 @item nov-cache-size
17034 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
17035 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
17036 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
17037 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
17038 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
17039 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
17040 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
17041 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
17042 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
17043 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
17044 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
17047 @subsubsection Article identification
17048 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
17049 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
17050 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
17051 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
17052 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
17053 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
17054 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
17055 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
17056 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
17057 request the article in the summary buffer.
17059 @subsubsection NOV data
17060 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
17061 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
17062 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
17063 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
17064 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
17065 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
17066 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
17067 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
17068 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
17069 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
17070 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
17072 @subsubsection Article marks
17073 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
17074 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
17075 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17076 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
17077 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17078 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
17079 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
17080 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
17082 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
17083 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
17084 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
17085 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
17086 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
17087 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
17088 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
17089 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
17090 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
17094 @subsubsection Mail Folders
17096 @cindex mbox folders
17097 @cindex mail folders
17099 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
17100 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
17101 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
17102 numbers and arrival dates.
17104 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
17106 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
17107 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
17108 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
17109 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
17110 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
17111 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
17112 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
17113 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
17114 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
17115 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
17117 Virtual server settings:
17120 @item nnfolder-directory
17121 @vindex nnfolder-directory
17122 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
17123 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
17124 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
17126 @item nnfolder-active-file
17127 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
17128 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
17130 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17131 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17132 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
17133 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
17135 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
17136 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
17137 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
17138 default is @code{t}
17140 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17141 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17142 @cindex backup files
17143 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
17144 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
17145 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
17146 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
17149 (defun turn-off-backup ()
17150 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
17152 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
17155 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17156 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17157 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
17158 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
17159 extract some information from it before removing it.
17161 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17162 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17163 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
17164 default is @code{nil}.
17166 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17167 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17168 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
17170 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
17171 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
17172 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
17173 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17175 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17176 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17177 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
17178 default is @code{nil}.
17180 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17181 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17182 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
17184 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
17185 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
17186 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
17187 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17192 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
17193 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
17194 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
17195 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
17196 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
17197 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
17200 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
17201 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
17203 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
17204 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
17205 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
17206 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
17207 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
17209 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
17210 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
17211 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
17212 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
17213 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
17214 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
17215 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
17216 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
17219 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
17220 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
17221 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
17222 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
17227 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
17228 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
17229 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
17230 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
17231 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
17232 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
17233 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
17234 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
17235 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
17236 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
17237 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
17238 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
17239 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
17244 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
17245 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
17246 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
17247 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
17248 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
17249 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
17250 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
17251 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
17252 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
17253 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
17254 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
17255 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
17256 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
17257 course, and is still maintained within Emacs. Since Emacs 23, it
17258 uses standard mbox format rather than Babyl.
17260 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
17261 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
17266 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
17267 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
17268 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
17269 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
17270 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
17271 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
17272 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
17273 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
17274 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
17275 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
17276 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
17277 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
17278 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
17279 provided by the active file and overviews.
17281 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
17282 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
17283 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
17284 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
17285 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
17288 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
17289 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
17294 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
17295 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
17296 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
17297 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
17298 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
17299 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
17300 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
17304 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
17305 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
17306 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
17307 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
17308 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
17309 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
17310 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
17311 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
17312 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
17314 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
17315 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
17316 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
17317 friendly mail back end all over.
17321 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
17322 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
17325 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
17326 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
17327 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
17328 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
17329 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
17330 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
17331 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
17332 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
17335 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
17336 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
17337 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
17338 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
17339 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
17340 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
17341 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
17342 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
17343 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
17344 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
17345 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
17347 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
17348 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
17349 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
17350 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
17351 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
17354 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
17355 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
17356 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
17357 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
17358 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
17359 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
17360 removed in the future.
17362 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
17363 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
17364 on your file system.
17366 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
17367 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
17372 @node Browsing the Web
17373 @section Browsing the Web
17375 @cindex browsing the web
17379 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
17380 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
17381 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
17382 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
17383 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
17384 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
17385 even know what a news group is.
17387 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
17388 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
17389 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
17390 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
17391 you mad in the end.
17393 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
17396 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
17397 interfaces to these sources.
17401 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
17402 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
17403 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
17406 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
17407 alternatives to work.
17409 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
17410 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
17411 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
17412 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
17413 though, you should be ok.
17415 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
17416 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
17417 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
17418 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
17419 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
17421 @node Archiving Mail
17422 @subsection Archiving Mail
17423 @cindex archiving mail
17424 @cindex backup of mail
17426 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
17427 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
17428 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
17429 marks is fairly simple.
17431 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
17432 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
17435 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
17436 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
17437 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
17438 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
17439 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
17440 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
17441 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
17442 before you restore the data.
17444 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
17445 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
17446 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
17447 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
17448 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
17449 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
17450 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
17451 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
17452 is unnecessary in that case.
17455 @subsection Web Searches
17460 @cindex Usenet searches
17461 @cindex searching the Usenet
17463 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
17464 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
17465 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
17466 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
17467 searches without having to use a browser.
17469 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
17470 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
17471 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
17472 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
17473 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
17475 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
17476 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
17477 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
17478 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
17479 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
17480 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
17481 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
17482 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
17483 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
17484 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
17487 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
17488 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
17489 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
17490 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
17491 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
17492 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
17494 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
17495 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
17496 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
17498 Virtual server variables:
17503 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
17504 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
17505 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
17508 @vindex nnweb-search
17509 The search string to feed to the search engine.
17511 @item nnweb-max-hits
17512 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
17513 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
17516 @item nnweb-type-definition
17517 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
17518 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
17519 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
17524 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
17528 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
17531 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
17534 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
17538 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
17549 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
17550 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
17551 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
17552 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
17553 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
17555 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
17556 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
17558 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
17559 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
17560 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
17563 @kindex G R (Group)
17564 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
17565 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
17566 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
17567 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
17569 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
17570 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
17571 subscribe to groups.
17573 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
17574 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
17575 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
17576 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
17577 variable or other. Also @xref{Non-ASCII Group Names}, for more
17580 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
17581 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
17582 and a @samp{text/html} part.
17585 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
17586 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
17589 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
17590 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
17594 @defun nnrss-opml-export
17595 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
17596 @acronym{OPML} format.
17599 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
17602 @item nnrss-directory
17603 @vindex nnrss-directory
17604 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
17605 @file{~/News/rss/}.
17607 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
17608 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
17609 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
17610 data files. The default is the value of
17611 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
17612 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
17614 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17615 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17616 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
17617 e.g. to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
17618 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
17619 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
17620 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
17621 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
17623 @item nnrss-use-local
17624 @vindex nnrss-use-local
17625 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
17626 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
17627 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
17628 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
17629 download script using @command{wget}.
17631 @item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
17632 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
17633 parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
17634 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
17635 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
17636 to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
17637 simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
17638 @samp{text/html} parts.
17641 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
17642 the summary buffer.
17645 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
17646 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
17648 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
17650 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
17651 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
17654 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
17658 (require 'browse-url)
17660 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
17662 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
17665 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
17666 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
17669 (browse-url (cdr url))
17670 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
17671 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
17673 (eval-after-load "gnus"
17674 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
17675 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
17676 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
17679 Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
17680 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
17681 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
17682 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
17683 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
17684 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
17685 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
17686 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
17687 @code{nnrss} groups:
17690 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
17691 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
17693 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
17694 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
17695 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
17697 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
17700 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
17704 @node Customizing W3
17705 @subsection Customizing W3
17711 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
17712 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
17713 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
17716 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
17717 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
17718 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
17721 (eval-after-load "w3"
17723 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
17724 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
17725 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
17726 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
17728 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
17731 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
17732 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
17739 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
17741 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
17742 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
17743 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
17744 specify the network address of the server.
17746 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
17747 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
17748 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
17749 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
17750 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
17751 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
17753 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
17754 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
17755 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
17756 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
17758 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
17759 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
17760 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
17761 usage explained in this section.
17763 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
17764 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
17765 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
17769 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
17770 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
17771 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
17773 (nnimap-address "localhost")
17774 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
17775 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
17777 (nnimap-server-port 143)
17778 (nnimap-address "localhost")
17779 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
17780 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
17781 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
17782 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
17783 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
17784 (nnimap-stream network))
17785 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
17787 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
17788 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
17789 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
17792 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
17793 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
17794 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
17795 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
17797 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
17802 @item nnimap-address
17803 @vindex nnimap-address
17805 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
17806 server name if not specified.
17808 @item nnimap-server-port
17809 @vindex nnimap-server-port
17810 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
17812 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
17815 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17816 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
17819 @item nnimap-list-pattern
17820 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
17821 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
17822 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
17823 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
17824 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
17825 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
17827 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
17828 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
17829 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
17832 Example server specification:
17835 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17836 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
17837 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
17840 @item nnimap-stream
17841 @vindex nnimap-stream
17842 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
17843 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
17844 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
17845 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
17846 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
17848 Example server specification:
17851 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17852 (nnimap-stream ssl))
17855 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
17859 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
17860 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
17862 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
17864 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
17865 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
17868 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
17869 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
17871 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
17872 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
17874 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
17876 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
17879 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
17880 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
17881 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
17882 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
17883 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
17884 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
17885 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
17886 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
17887 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
17890 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
17891 needed. It is available from
17892 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
17894 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
17895 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
17896 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
17897 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
17898 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
17899 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
17900 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
17903 @vindex imap-ssl-program
17904 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
17905 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
17906 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
17907 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
17908 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
17909 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
17912 @vindex imap-shell-program
17913 @vindex imap-shell-host
17914 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the
17915 variable @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call. Make
17916 sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g., don't
17917 forget to redirect the error output to the void.
17919 @item nnimap-authenticator
17920 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
17922 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
17923 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
17925 Example server specification:
17928 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17929 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
17932 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
17936 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
17937 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
17939 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
17942 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
17943 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
17945 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
17947 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
17949 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
17952 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
17954 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
17955 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
17956 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
17957 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
17958 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
17959 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
17962 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
17963 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
17964 running in circles yet?
17966 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
17967 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
17970 The possible options are:
17975 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
17978 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
17979 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
17980 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
17981 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
17983 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
17988 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
17989 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
17991 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
17992 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
17993 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
17994 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
17995 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
17998 Probably the only reason for frobbing this would be if you're trying
17999 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
18002 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
18003 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
18004 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
18005 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
18008 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
18009 as ticked for other users.
18011 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
18013 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
18014 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18016 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
18017 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
18018 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
18019 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
18021 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
18022 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
18023 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
18024 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
18026 However, if @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}
18027 is true, this variable has no effect since the search logic
18028 is reversed, as described below.
18030 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
18031 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
18033 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
18034 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
18035 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
18036 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
18039 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
18042 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
18043 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
18044 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
18045 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
18048 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
18049 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
18051 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
18052 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
18055 @item nnimap-nov-is-evil
18056 @vindex nnimap-nov-is-evil
18057 @cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
18058 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
18060 Never generate or use a local @acronym{NOV} database. Defaults to the
18061 value of @code{gnus-agent}.
18063 Using a @acronym{NOV} database usually makes header fetching much
18064 faster, but it uses the @code{UID SEARCH UID} command, which is very
18065 slow on some servers (notably some versions of Courier). Since the Gnus
18066 Agent caches the information in the @acronym{NOV} database without using
18067 the slow command, this variable defaults to true if the Agent is in use,
18068 and false otherwise.
18070 @item nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
18071 @vindex nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
18072 @cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
18073 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18075 Avoid the @code{UID SEARCH UID @var{message numbers} NOT SINCE
18076 @var{date}} command, which is slow on some @acronym{IMAP} servers
18077 (notably, some versions of Courier). Instead, use @code{UID SEARCH SINCE
18078 @var{date}} and prune the list of expirable articles within Gnus.
18080 When Gnus expires your mail (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), it starts with a
18081 list of expirable articles and asks the IMAP server questions like ``Of
18082 these articles, which ones are older than a week?'' While this seems
18083 like a perfectly reasonable question, some IMAP servers take a long time
18084 to answer it, since they seemingly go looking into every old article to
18085 see if it is one of the expirable ones. Curiously, the question ``Of
18086 @emph{all} articles, which ones are newer than a week?'' seems to be
18087 much faster to answer, so setting this variable causes Gnus to ask this
18088 question and figure out the answer to the real question itself.
18090 This problem can really sneak up on you: when you first configure Gnus,
18091 everything works fine, but once you accumulate a couple thousand
18092 messages, you start cursing Gnus for being so slow. On the other hand,
18093 if you get a lot of email within a week, setting this variable will
18094 cause a lot of network traffic between Gnus and the IMAP server.
18096 @item nnimap-logout-timeout
18097 @vindex nnimap-logout-timeout
18099 There is a case where a connection to a @acronym{IMAP} server is unable
18100 to close, when connecting to the server via a certain kind of network,
18101 e.g. @acronym{VPN}. In that case, it will be observed that a connection
18102 between Emacs and the local network looks alive even if the server has
18103 closed a connection for some reason (typically, a timeout).
18104 Consequently, Emacs continues waiting for a response from the server for
18105 the @code{LOGOUT} command that Emacs sent, or hangs in other words. If
18106 you are in such a network, setting this variable to a number of seconds
18107 will be helpful. If it is set, a hung connection will be closed
18108 forcibly, after this number of seconds from the time Emacs sends the
18109 @code{LOGOUT} command. It should not be too small value but too large
18110 value will be inconvenient too. Perhaps the value 1.0 will be a good
18111 candidate but it might be worth trying some other values.
18113 Example server specification:
18116 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
18117 (nnimap-logout-timeout 1.0))
18123 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
18124 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
18125 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
18126 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
18127 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
18128 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
18133 @node Splitting in IMAP
18134 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
18135 @cindex splitting imap mail
18137 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
18138 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
18139 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
18140 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
18141 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
18145 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
18146 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
18147 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
18149 Here are the variables of interest:
18153 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
18154 @cindex splitting, crosspost
18156 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
18158 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
18159 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
18160 found will be used.
18162 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
18164 @item nnimap-split-inbox
18165 @cindex splitting, inbox
18167 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
18169 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
18170 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
18171 splitting is disabled!
18174 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
18175 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
18178 No nnmail equivalent.
18180 @item nnimap-split-rule
18181 @cindex splitting, rules
18182 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
18184 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
18187 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
18188 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
18189 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
18190 Neither did I, we need examples.
18193 (setq nnimap-split-rule
18195 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
18196 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
18197 ("INBOX.private" "")))
18200 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
18201 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
18202 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
18204 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
18205 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
18209 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
18212 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
18213 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
18215 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
18216 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
18217 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
18218 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
18220 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
18221 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
18222 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
18223 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
18224 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
18225 them every time you fetch new mail.)
18227 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
18228 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
18229 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
18231 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
18232 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
18233 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
18235 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
18237 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
18238 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
18239 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
18242 (setq nnimap-split-rule
18243 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
18244 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
18245 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
18246 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
18247 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
18250 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
18251 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
18252 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
18253 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
18254 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
18255 group/function elements.
18257 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
18259 @item nnimap-split-predicate
18261 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
18263 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
18264 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
18266 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
18267 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
18268 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
18271 @item nnimap-split-fancy
18272 @cindex splitting, fancy
18273 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
18274 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
18276 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
18277 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
18278 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
18280 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
18281 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
18282 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
18283 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
18288 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
18289 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
18292 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
18294 @item nnimap-split-download-body
18295 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
18296 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
18298 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
18299 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
18300 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
18301 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
18305 @node Expiring in IMAP
18306 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
18307 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18309 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
18310 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
18311 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
18312 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
18313 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
18314 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
18317 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
18318 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
18319 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
18320 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
18321 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
18322 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
18323 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
18324 messages. Most do, fortunately.
18326 If expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail seems very slow, try setting the server
18327 variable @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}.
18331 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
18332 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
18334 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
18335 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
18337 @item nnmail-expiry-target
18339 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
18340 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
18341 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
18342 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
18346 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
18347 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
18348 @cindex editing imap acls
18349 @cindex Access Control Lists
18350 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
18351 @kindex G l (Group)
18352 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
18354 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
18355 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
18356 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
18359 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
18360 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
18361 editing window with detailed instructions.
18363 Some possible uses:
18367 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
18368 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
18369 follow the list without subscribing to it.
18371 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
18372 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
18373 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
18377 @node Expunging mailboxes
18378 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
18382 @cindex manual expunging
18383 @kindex G x (Group)
18384 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
18386 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
18387 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
18388 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
18390 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
18393 @node A note on namespaces
18394 @subsection A note on namespaces
18395 @cindex IMAP namespace
18398 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
18399 by the following text in the RFC2060:
18402 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
18404 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
18405 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
18406 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
18407 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
18409 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
18410 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
18411 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
18412 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
18413 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
18414 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
18417 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
18418 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
18419 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
18421 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
18422 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
18423 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
18424 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
18425 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
18426 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
18427 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
18428 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
18431 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
18432 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
18433 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
18435 @node Debugging IMAP
18436 @subsection Debugging IMAP
18437 @cindex IMAP debugging
18438 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
18440 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
18441 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
18442 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
18443 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
18445 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
18446 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
18447 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
18448 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
18449 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
18450 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
18451 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
18455 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
18456 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
18463 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
18464 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
18465 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
18466 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
18469 @node Other Sources
18470 @section Other Sources
18472 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
18473 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
18477 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
18478 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
18479 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
18480 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
18484 @node Directory Groups
18485 @subsection Directory Groups
18487 @cindex directory groups
18489 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
18490 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
18493 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
18494 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
18495 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
18496 back end to read directories. Big deal.
18498 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
18499 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
18500 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
18501 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
18502 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
18504 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
18506 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
18507 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
18508 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
18509 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
18512 @node Anything Groups
18513 @subsection Anything Groups
18516 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
18517 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
18518 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
18521 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
18522 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
18523 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
18524 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
18525 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
18526 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
18527 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
18528 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
18529 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
18530 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
18533 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
18534 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
18535 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
18536 in the article buffer, just as usual.
18538 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
18539 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
18540 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
18541 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
18543 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
18544 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
18545 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
18546 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
18547 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
18548 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
18549 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
18550 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
18555 @item nneething-map-file-directory
18556 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
18557 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
18558 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
18560 @item nneething-exclude-files
18561 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
18562 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
18563 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
18565 @item nneething-include-files
18566 @vindex nneething-include-files
18567 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
18568 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
18570 @item nneething-map-file
18571 @vindex nneething-map-file
18572 Name of the map files.
18576 @node Document Groups
18577 @subsection Document Groups
18579 @cindex documentation group
18582 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
18583 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
18593 The standard Unix mbox file.
18595 @cindex MMDF mail box
18597 The MMDF mail box format.
18600 Several news articles appended into a file.
18602 @cindex rnews batch files
18604 The rnews batch transport format.
18607 Netscape mail boxes.
18610 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
18612 @item standard-digest
18613 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
18616 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
18618 @item lanl-gov-announce
18619 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
18621 @cindex forwarded messages
18622 @item rfc822-forward
18623 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
18626 The Outlook mail box.
18629 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
18632 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
18635 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
18638 An RFC934-forwarded message.
18644 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
18647 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
18653 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
18654 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
18655 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
18658 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
18659 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
18660 group. And that's it.
18662 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
18663 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
18664 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
18665 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
18666 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
18667 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
18668 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
18669 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
18670 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
18671 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
18673 Virtual server variables:
18676 @item nndoc-article-type
18677 @vindex nndoc-article-type
18678 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
18679 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
18680 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
18681 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
18682 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
18684 @item nndoc-post-type
18685 @vindex nndoc-post-type
18686 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
18687 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
18692 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
18696 @node Document Server Internals
18697 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
18699 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
18700 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
18701 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
18702 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
18704 First, here's an example document type definition:
18708 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
18709 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
18712 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
18713 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
18714 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
18715 types can be defined with very few settings:
18718 @item first-article
18719 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
18720 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
18723 @item article-begin
18724 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
18725 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
18726 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
18727 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
18729 @item article-begin-function
18730 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
18731 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
18734 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
18735 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
18736 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
18738 @item head-begin-function
18739 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
18740 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
18743 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
18744 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
18747 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
18748 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
18749 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
18751 @item body-begin-function
18752 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
18753 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
18756 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
18757 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
18758 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
18760 @item body-end-function
18761 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
18762 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
18765 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
18766 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
18769 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
18770 regexp will be totally ignored.
18774 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
18775 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
18776 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
18777 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
18778 something that's palatable for Gnus:
18781 @item prepare-body-function
18782 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
18783 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
18784 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
18786 @item article-transform-function
18787 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
18788 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
18789 body of the article.
18791 @item generate-head-function
18792 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
18793 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
18794 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
18795 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
18797 @item generate-article-function
18798 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
18799 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
18800 parameter when requesting all articles.
18802 @item dissection-function
18803 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
18804 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
18805 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
18806 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
18807 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
18808 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
18812 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
18817 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18818 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18819 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
18820 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
18821 (head-end . "^ ?$")
18822 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
18823 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
18824 (subtype digest guess))
18827 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
18828 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
18829 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
18830 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
18831 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
18833 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
18834 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
18835 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
18836 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
18837 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
18838 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
18839 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
18840 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
18841 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
18842 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
18843 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
18844 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
18847 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
18848 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
18849 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
18852 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
18853 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
18854 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
18856 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
18862 @item nngateway-address
18863 @vindex nngateway-address
18864 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
18866 @item nngateway-header-transformation
18867 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
18868 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
18869 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
18870 transformation should be called, and defaults to
18871 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
18872 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
18875 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
18876 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
18877 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
18880 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
18883 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
18886 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
18889 The following pre-defined functions exist:
18891 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18894 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18895 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18896 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
18898 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18900 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18901 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18902 @code{nngateway-address}.
18910 (setq gnus-post-method
18912 "mail2news@@replay.com"
18913 (nngateway-header-transformation
18914 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
18917 So, to use this, simply say something like:
18920 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
18925 @node Combined Groups
18926 @section Combined Groups
18928 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
18932 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
18936 @node Virtual Groups
18937 @subsection Virtual Groups
18939 @cindex virtual groups
18940 @cindex merging groups
18942 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
18945 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
18946 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
18947 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
18949 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
18950 regexp to match component groups.
18952 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
18953 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
18954 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
18955 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
18956 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
18957 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
18958 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
18959 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
18961 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
18962 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
18965 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
18968 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
18969 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
18971 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
18972 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
18973 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
18974 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
18977 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
18980 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
18981 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
18982 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
18984 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
18985 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
18986 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
18987 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
18988 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
18990 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
18991 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
18992 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
18994 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
18995 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
18996 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
18997 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
18998 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
18999 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
19000 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
19001 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
19002 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
19003 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
19004 it---it'll have much the same effect.
19006 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
19007 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
19008 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
19009 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
19010 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
19011 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
19012 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
19014 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
19015 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
19017 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
19018 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
19022 @node Email Based Diary
19023 @section Email Based Diary
19025 @cindex email based diary
19028 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
19029 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
19030 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
19031 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
19032 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
19033 namely, as event reminders.
19035 Here is a typical scenario:
19039 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
19040 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
19042 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
19044 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
19046 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
19047 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
19048 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
19050 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
19051 of the night you're gonna have.
19053 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
19054 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
19057 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
19058 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
19059 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
19060 explained in the sections below.
19063 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
19064 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
19065 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
19069 @node The NNDiary Back End
19070 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
19072 @cindex the nndiary back end
19074 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
19075 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
19076 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
19077 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
19078 directory per group.
19080 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
19081 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
19082 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
19083 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
19086 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
19087 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
19088 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
19091 @node Diary Messages
19092 @subsubsection Diary Messages
19093 @cindex nndiary messages
19094 @cindex nndiary mails
19096 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
19097 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
19098 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
19099 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
19100 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
19101 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
19102 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
19106 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
19107 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
19108 (separated by a comma).
19110 A field is either an integer, or a range.
19112 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
19114 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
19115 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
19116 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
19118 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
19119 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
19120 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
19122 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
19123 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
19124 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
19125 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
19126 list of available time zone values, see the variable
19127 @code{nndiary-headers}.
19130 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
19131 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
19132 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
19137 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
19140 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
19142 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
19145 @node Running NNDiary
19146 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
19147 @cindex running nndiary
19148 @cindex nndiary operation modes
19150 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
19151 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
19152 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
19153 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
19154 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
19155 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
19157 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
19158 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
19159 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
19160 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
19161 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
19162 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
19163 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
19166 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
19171 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
19172 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
19175 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
19178 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
19179 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
19180 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
19181 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
19182 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
19184 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
19185 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
19194 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
19195 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
19197 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
19198 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
19199 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
19200 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
19203 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
19204 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
19205 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
19208 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
19209 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
19210 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
19212 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
19213 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
19214 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
19215 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
19216 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
19218 @node Customizing NNDiary
19219 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
19220 @cindex customizing nndiary
19221 @cindex nndiary customization
19223 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
19224 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
19225 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
19226 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
19228 @defvar nndiary-reminders
19229 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
19230 appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
19231 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
19232 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
19236 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
19237 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
19242 @node The Gnus Diary Library
19243 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
19245 @cindex the gnus diary library
19247 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
19248 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
19249 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
19250 useful things for you.
19252 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
19255 (require 'gnus-diary)
19258 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
19259 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
19260 (sorry if you used them before).
19264 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
19265 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
19266 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
19267 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
19270 @node Diary Summary Line Format
19271 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
19272 @cindex diary summary buffer line
19273 @cindex diary summary line format
19275 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
19276 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
19277 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
19278 see the event's date.
19280 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
19281 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
19282 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
19283 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
19284 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
19286 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
19287 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
19288 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
19291 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
19294 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
19295 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
19298 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
19301 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
19302 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
19303 with the following user options:
19305 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
19306 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
19307 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
19308 diary groups'parameters.
19311 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
19312 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
19313 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
19316 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
19317 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
19318 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
19319 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
19320 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
19323 @node Diary Articles Sorting
19324 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
19325 @cindex diary articles sorting
19326 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
19327 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
19328 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
19329 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
19331 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
19332 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
19333 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
19334 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
19335 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
19337 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
19338 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
19339 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
19340 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
19343 @node Diary Headers Generation
19344 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
19345 @cindex diary headers generation
19346 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
19348 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
19349 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
19350 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
19351 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
19354 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
19355 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
19356 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
19357 @code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
19358 process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
19360 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
19361 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
19362 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
19365 @node Diary Group Parameters
19366 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
19367 @cindex diary group parameters
19369 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
19370 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
19371 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
19372 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
19373 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
19374 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
19375 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
19376 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
19378 @node Sending or Not Sending
19379 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
19381 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
19382 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
19386 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
19387 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
19388 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
19389 sending the diary message to them as well.
19391 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
19392 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
19393 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
19394 comes in very handy for private appointments.
19397 @node Gnus Unplugged
19398 @section Gnus Unplugged
19403 @cindex Gnus unplugged
19405 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
19406 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
19407 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
19408 read news. Believe it or not.
19410 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
19411 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
19412 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
19413 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
19414 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
19416 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
19417 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
19418 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
19419 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
19420 reading news on a machine.
19422 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
19423 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
19424 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
19426 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
19429 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
19430 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
19431 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
19432 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
19433 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
19434 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
19435 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
19436 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
19437 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
19438 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
19439 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
19440 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
19441 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
19442 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
19447 @subsection Agent Basics
19449 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
19451 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
19452 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
19453 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
19454 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
19456 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
19457 connected to the net continuously.
19459 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
19460 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
19462 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
19463 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
19464 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
19465 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
19466 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
19468 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
19469 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
19470 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
19471 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
19472 they're kinda like plugged always).
19474 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
19475 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
19476 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
19479 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
19480 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
19481 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
19482 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
19483 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
19485 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
19490 @findex gnus-unplugged
19491 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
19492 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
19493 already fetched while in this mode.
19496 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
19497 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
19498 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
19499 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
19500 Source Specifiers}).
19503 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
19504 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
19505 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
19506 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
19507 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
19510 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
19511 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
19512 then you read the news offline.
19515 And then you go to step 2.
19518 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
19524 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
19525 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
19526 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
19527 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
19528 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
19529 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
19530 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
19531 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
19534 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
19535 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
19536 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
19537 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
19539 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
19540 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
19541 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
19542 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
19543 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
19544 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
19548 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
19552 @node Agent Categories
19553 @subsection Agent Categories
19555 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
19556 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
19557 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
19558 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
19559 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
19560 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
19561 you're interested in the articles anyway.
19563 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
19564 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
19565 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
19566 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
19567 buffer for creating and managing categories.
19569 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
19570 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
19571 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
19572 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
19573 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
19576 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
19577 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
19578 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
19579 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
19580 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
19581 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
19585 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
19586 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
19587 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
19591 @node Category Syntax
19592 @subsubsection Category Syntax
19594 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
19595 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
19596 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
19599 @cindex Agent Parameters
19602 The list of groups that are in this category.
19604 @item agent-predicate
19605 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
19606 are eligible for downloading; and
19609 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
19610 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
19611 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
19613 @item agent-enable-expiration
19614 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
19615 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
19616 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
19617 only groups that should not be expired.
19619 @item agent-days-until-old
19620 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
19621 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
19623 @item agent-low-score
19624 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
19626 @item agent-high-score
19627 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
19629 @item agent-short-article
19630 an integer that overrides the value of
19631 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
19633 @item agent-long-article
19634 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
19636 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
19637 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
19638 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
19639 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
19640 undownloaded faces.
19643 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
19646 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
19647 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
19648 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
19651 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
19652 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
19653 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
19654 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
19656 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
19657 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
19658 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
19660 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
19661 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
19662 operators sprinkled in between.
19664 Perhaps some examples are in order.
19666 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
19667 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
19673 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
19674 short (for some value of ``short'').
19676 Here's a more complex predicate:
19685 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
19686 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
19689 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
19690 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
19691 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
19693 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
19694 you want to do, you can write your own.
19696 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
19697 bound to the value determined by calling
19698 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
19699 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
19700 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
19701 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
19702 predicate to individual groups.
19706 True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
19707 lines; default 100.
19710 True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
19711 lines; default 200.
19714 True if the article has a download score less than
19715 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
19718 True if the article has a download score greater than
19719 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
19722 True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
19723 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
19724 checksum and sees whether articles match.
19733 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
19734 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
19735 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
19738 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
19739 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
19740 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
19741 something along the lines of the following:
19744 (defun my-article-old-p ()
19745 "Say whether an article is old."
19746 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
19747 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
19750 with the predicate then defined as:
19753 (not my-article-old-p)
19756 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
19757 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
19761 (require 'gnus-agent)
19762 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
19763 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
19764 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
19767 and simply specify your predicate as:
19773 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
19774 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
19775 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
19776 just don't give a damn.
19778 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
19779 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
19780 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
19781 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
19782 parameters like so:
19785 (agent-predicate . short)
19788 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
19789 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
19790 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
19792 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
19795 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
19798 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
19799 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
19800 predicate is assumed to be a list.
19803 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
19804 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
19805 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
19806 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
19807 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
19808 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
19810 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
19811 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
19812 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
19813 if it's to be specific to that group.
19815 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
19822 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
19823 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
19829 Category specification
19833 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19839 Group/Topic Parameter specification
19842 (agent-score ("from"
19843 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19848 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
19854 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
19855 keywords stated above.
19861 Category specification
19864 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
19870 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
19874 Group Parameter specification
19877 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
19880 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
19885 Use @code{normal} score files
19887 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
19888 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
19889 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
19890 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
19892 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
19893 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
19894 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
19895 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
19899 Category Specification
19906 Group Parameter specification
19909 (agent-score . file)
19914 @node Category Buffer
19915 @subsubsection Category Buffer
19917 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
19918 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
19919 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
19921 The following commands are available in this buffer:
19925 @kindex q (Category)
19926 @findex gnus-category-exit
19927 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
19930 @kindex e (Category)
19931 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
19932 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
19933 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
19936 @kindex k (Category)
19937 @findex gnus-category-kill
19938 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
19941 @kindex c (Category)
19942 @findex gnus-category-copy
19943 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
19946 @kindex a (Category)
19947 @findex gnus-category-add
19948 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
19951 @kindex p (Category)
19952 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
19953 Edit the predicate of the current category
19954 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
19957 @kindex g (Category)
19958 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
19959 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
19960 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
19963 @kindex s (Category)
19964 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
19965 Edit the download score rule of the current category
19966 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
19969 @kindex l (Category)
19970 @findex gnus-category-list
19971 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
19975 @node Category Variables
19976 @subsubsection Category Variables
19979 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
19980 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
19981 Hook run in category buffers.
19983 @item gnus-category-line-format
19984 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
19985 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
19986 Variables}). Valid elements are:
19990 The name of the category.
19993 The number of groups in the category.
19996 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
19997 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
19998 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
20000 @item gnus-agent-short-article
20001 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
20002 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
20004 @item gnus-agent-long-article
20005 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
20006 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
20008 @item gnus-agent-low-score
20009 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
20010 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
20013 @item gnus-agent-high-score
20014 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
20015 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
20018 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
20019 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
20020 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
20021 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
20022 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
20023 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
20024 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
20025 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
20029 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
20030 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
20031 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
20032 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
20033 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
20034 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
20035 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
20040 @node Agent Commands
20041 @subsection Agent Commands
20042 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
20043 @kindex J j (Agent)
20045 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
20046 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
20047 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
20051 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
20052 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
20053 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
20059 @node Group Agent Commands
20060 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
20064 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
20065 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
20066 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
20067 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
20070 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
20071 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
20072 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
20075 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
20076 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
20077 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
20078 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
20081 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
20082 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
20083 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
20084 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
20087 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
20088 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
20089 Add the current group to an Agent category
20090 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
20091 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20094 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
20095 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
20096 Remove the current group from its category, if any
20097 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
20098 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20101 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
20102 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20103 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
20109 @node Summary Agent Commands
20110 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
20114 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
20115 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
20116 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
20119 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
20120 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
20121 Remove the downloading mark from the article
20122 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
20126 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
20127 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
20128 Toggle whether to download the article
20129 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
20133 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
20134 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
20135 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
20138 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
20139 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
20140 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
20141 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
20144 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
20145 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
20146 Download all processable articles in this group.
20147 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
20150 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
20151 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
20152 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
20153 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
20158 @node Server Agent Commands
20159 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
20163 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
20164 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
20165 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
20166 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
20169 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
20170 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
20171 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
20172 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
20177 @node Agent Visuals
20178 @subsection Agent Visuals
20180 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
20181 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
20182 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
20183 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
20184 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
20185 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
20186 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
20187 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
20188 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
20189 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
20191 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
20192 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
20193 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
20194 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
20195 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
20196 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
20197 the download status of each article so that you always know which
20198 articles will be available when unplugged.
20200 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
20201 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
20202 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
20203 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
20204 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
20205 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
20206 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
20207 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
20209 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
20210 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
20211 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
20212 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
20213 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
20214 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
20215 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
20216 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
20217 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
20219 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
20220 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
20221 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
20222 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
20223 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
20224 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
20225 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
20226 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
20227 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
20228 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
20230 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
20231 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
20232 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
20233 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
20234 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
20235 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20237 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
20238 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
20239 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
20240 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
20241 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
20242 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
20243 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
20244 expiring'' articles.
20246 @node Agent as Cache
20247 @subsection Agent as Cache
20249 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
20250 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
20251 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
20252 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
20253 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
20254 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
20255 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
20256 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
20257 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
20259 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
20260 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
20261 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
20262 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
20263 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
20266 @subsection Agent Expiry
20268 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
20269 @findex gnus-agent-expire
20270 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
20271 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
20272 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
20273 @cindex agent expiry
20274 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
20275 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
20277 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
20278 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
20279 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
20280 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
20281 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
20282 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
20283 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
20284 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
20286 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
20287 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
20288 synchronized with the group.
20290 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
20291 prevent expiration in selected groups.
20293 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
20294 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
20295 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
20296 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
20297 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
20298 be kept indefinitely.
20300 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
20301 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
20302 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
20303 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
20305 @node Agent Regeneration
20306 @subsection Agent Regeneration
20308 @cindex agent regeneration
20309 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
20310 @cindex regeneration
20312 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
20313 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
20314 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
20315 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
20316 internal inconsistencies.
20318 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
20319 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
20320 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
20321 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
20322 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
20323 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
20325 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
20326 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
20327 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
20328 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
20329 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
20330 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
20332 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
20333 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
20334 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
20335 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
20336 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
20337 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
20340 @node Agent and flags
20341 @subsection Agent and flags
20343 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
20344 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
20345 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
20346 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
20347 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
20348 to the flags in its own files.
20350 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
20351 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
20352 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
20354 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20355 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
20356 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
20357 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
20358 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
20359 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
20361 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
20362 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
20363 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
20364 in the group buffer.
20366 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
20367 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
20368 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
20369 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
20370 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
20371 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
20372 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
20373 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
20375 @node Agent and IMAP
20376 @subsection Agent and IMAP
20378 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
20379 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
20380 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
20381 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
20383 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
20384 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
20389 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
20392 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
20396 @node Outgoing Messages
20397 @subsection Outgoing Messages
20399 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
20400 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
20401 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
20403 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
20404 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
20405 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
20407 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
20408 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
20409 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
20410 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
20413 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
20414 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
20415 ask you to confirm your action (see
20416 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
20418 @node Agent Variables
20419 @subsection Agent Variables
20424 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
20425 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
20426 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
20427 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
20429 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
20430 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
20433 @item gnus-agent-directory
20434 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
20435 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
20436 @file{~/News/agent/}.
20438 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
20439 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
20440 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
20441 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
20442 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
20445 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
20446 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
20447 Hook run when connecting to the network.
20449 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
20450 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
20451 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
20453 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
20454 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
20455 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
20457 @item gnus-agent-cache
20458 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
20459 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
20460 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
20461 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
20463 @item gnus-agent-go-online
20464 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
20465 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
20466 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
20467 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
20468 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
20469 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
20472 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
20473 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
20474 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
20475 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
20476 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
20477 read. The default is @code{t}.
20479 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20480 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20481 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
20482 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
20483 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
20484 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
20485 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
20487 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
20488 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
20489 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
20490 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
20491 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
20492 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
20493 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
20494 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
20495 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
20496 over and over again.
20498 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
20499 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
20500 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
20501 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
20502 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
20503 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
20504 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
20505 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
20506 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
20507 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
20508 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
20509 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
20512 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
20513 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
20514 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
20515 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
20516 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
20517 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
20518 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
20519 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
20520 is only valid if the Agent is used.
20522 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
20523 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
20524 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
20525 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
20526 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
20527 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
20529 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
20530 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
20531 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
20532 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
20533 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
20535 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
20536 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
20537 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
20538 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
20539 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
20540 mail. The default is @code{t}.
20542 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
20543 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
20544 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
20545 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
20546 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
20548 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
20549 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
20550 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
20551 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
20552 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
20553 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
20554 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
20555 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
20556 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
20557 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
20558 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
20563 @node Example Setup
20564 @subsection Example Setup
20566 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
20567 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
20568 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
20571 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
20572 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
20573 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
20575 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
20576 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
20577 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
20579 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
20580 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
20582 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
20583 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
20584 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
20587 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
20588 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
20591 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
20592 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
20593 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
20594 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
20595 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
20598 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
20599 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
20600 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
20601 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
20602 back all the killed groups.)
20604 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
20605 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
20606 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
20609 @node Batching Agents
20610 @subsection Batching Agents
20611 @findex gnus-agent-batch
20613 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
20614 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
20615 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
20617 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
20618 following incantation:
20622 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
20626 @node Agent Caveats
20627 @subsection Agent Caveats
20629 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
20630 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
20634 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
20636 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
20637 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
20638 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
20640 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
20641 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
20643 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
20647 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
20648 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
20649 locally stored articles.
20656 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
20657 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
20658 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
20661 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
20662 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
20663 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
20664 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
20665 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
20667 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
20668 before generating the summary buffer.
20670 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
20671 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
20672 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
20674 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
20675 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
20676 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
20677 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
20680 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
20681 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
20682 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
20683 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
20684 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
20685 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
20686 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
20687 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
20688 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
20689 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
20690 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
20691 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
20692 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
20693 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
20694 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
20695 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
20699 @node Summary Score Commands
20700 @section Summary Score Commands
20701 @cindex score commands
20703 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
20704 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
20705 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
20706 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
20707 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
20709 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
20710 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
20711 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
20712 score file the current one.
20714 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
20719 @kindex V s (Summary)
20720 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
20721 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
20724 @kindex V S (Summary)
20725 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
20726 Display the score of the current article
20727 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
20730 @kindex V t (Summary)
20731 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
20732 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
20733 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
20734 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
20735 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
20736 score file and edit it.
20739 @kindex V w (Summary)
20740 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
20741 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
20744 @kindex V R (Summary)
20745 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
20746 Run the current summary through the scoring process
20747 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
20748 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
20749 effect you're having.
20752 @kindex V c (Summary)
20753 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
20754 Make a different score file the current
20755 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
20758 @kindex V e (Summary)
20759 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
20760 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
20761 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
20765 @kindex V f (Summary)
20766 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
20767 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
20768 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
20771 @kindex V F (Summary)
20772 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20773 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
20774 after editing score files.
20777 @kindex V C (Summary)
20778 @findex gnus-score-customize
20779 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
20780 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
20784 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
20789 @kindex V m (Summary)
20790 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
20791 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
20792 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
20795 @kindex V x (Summary)
20796 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
20797 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
20798 expunge all articles below this score
20799 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
20802 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
20803 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
20806 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
20807 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
20811 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
20812 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
20814 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
20815 keys are available:
20819 Score on the author name.
20822 Score on the subject line.
20825 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
20828 Score on the @code{References} line.
20834 Score on the number of lines.
20837 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
20840 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
20841 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
20844 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
20845 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
20846 @file{ADAPT} files.)
20855 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
20861 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
20862 what headers you are scoring on.
20874 Substring matching.
20877 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
20906 Greater than number.
20911 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
20912 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
20913 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
20918 Temporary score entry.
20921 Permanent score entry.
20924 Immediately scoring.
20928 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
20929 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
20930 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
20934 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
20935 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
20936 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
20937 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
20939 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
20940 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
20941 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
20942 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
20943 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
20945 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
20946 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
20947 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
20948 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
20949 current score file.
20951 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
20952 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
20953 pretend they are keymaps or not.
20956 @node Group Score Commands
20957 @section Group Score Commands
20958 @cindex group score commands
20960 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
20965 @kindex W e (Group)
20966 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
20967 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
20968 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
20971 @kindex W f (Group)
20972 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20973 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
20974 all the time. This command will flush the cache
20975 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
20979 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
20981 @findex gnus-batch-score
20982 @cindex batch scoring
20984 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
20988 @node Score Variables
20989 @section Score Variables
20990 @cindex score variables
20994 @item gnus-use-scoring
20995 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
20996 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
20997 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
20999 @item gnus-kill-killed
21000 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
21001 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
21002 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
21003 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
21004 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
21005 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
21006 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
21008 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
21009 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
21010 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
21011 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
21012 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
21014 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
21015 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
21016 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
21017 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
21019 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
21020 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
21021 @cindex score cache
21022 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
21023 score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
21024 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
21025 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
21026 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
21027 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
21028 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
21031 @item gnus-save-score
21032 @vindex gnus-save-score
21033 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
21034 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
21035 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21037 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
21038 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
21039 across group visits.
21041 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
21042 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
21043 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
21044 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
21045 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
21046 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
21047 manually entered data.
21049 @item gnus-summary-default-score
21050 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
21051 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
21053 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
21054 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
21055 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
21056 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
21057 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
21058 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
21060 @item gnus-score-over-mark
21061 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
21062 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
21063 default. Default is @samp{+}.
21065 @item gnus-score-below-mark
21066 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
21067 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
21068 default. Default is @samp{-}.
21070 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
21071 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
21072 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
21073 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
21075 Predefined functions available are:
21078 @item gnus-score-find-single
21079 @findex gnus-score-find-single
21080 Only apply the group's own score file.
21082 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
21083 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
21084 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
21085 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
21086 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
21087 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
21088 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
21089 then a regexp match is done.
21091 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
21092 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
21094 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
21095 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
21096 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
21097 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
21099 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
21100 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
21101 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
21102 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
21103 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
21107 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
21108 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
21109 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
21110 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
21111 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
21112 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
21113 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
21116 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
21117 overall score file, you could use the value
21119 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
21120 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
21123 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
21124 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
21125 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
21126 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
21127 are expired. It's 7 by default.
21129 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
21130 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
21131 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
21132 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
21133 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
21134 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
21135 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
21136 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
21138 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
21139 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
21140 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
21142 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
21143 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
21144 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
21145 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
21146 threading---according to the current value of
21147 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
21148 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
21149 simplified in this manner.
21154 @node Score File Format
21155 @section Score File Format
21156 @cindex score file format
21158 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
21159 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
21160 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
21162 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
21166 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
21168 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
21170 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
21172 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
21177 (mark-and-expunge -10)
21181 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
21182 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
21183 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
21184 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
21188 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
21189 Scoring}, for a different approach.
21191 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
21192 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
21193 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
21195 Six keys are supported by this alist:
21200 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
21201 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
21202 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
21203 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
21204 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
21205 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
21206 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
21207 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
21208 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
21209 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
21210 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
21211 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
21212 to articles that matches these score entries.
21214 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
21215 score entry has one to four elements.
21219 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
21220 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
21224 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
21225 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
21226 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
21227 is successful. If this element is not present, the
21228 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
21229 instead. This is 1000 by default.
21232 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
21233 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
21234 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
21235 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
21236 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
21239 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
21240 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
21241 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
21242 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
21245 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
21246 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
21247 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
21248 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
21249 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
21250 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
21251 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
21252 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
21253 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
21254 instead, if you feel like.
21257 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
21258 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
21259 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
21260 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
21261 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
21262 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
21266 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
21267 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
21271 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
21272 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
21274 These predicates are true if
21277 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
21280 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
21281 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
21288 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
21289 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
21290 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
21291 it's not. I think.)
21293 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
21294 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
21295 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
21296 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
21299 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
21300 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
21301 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
21302 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
21303 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
21304 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
21305 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
21309 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
21310 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
21311 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
21312 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
21313 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
21314 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
21315 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
21316 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
21319 @item Head, Body, All
21320 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
21324 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
21325 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
21326 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
21327 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
21328 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
21329 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
21330 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
21334 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
21335 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
21336 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
21337 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
21338 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
21339 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
21340 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
21341 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
21342 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
21343 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
21344 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
21348 @cindex score file atoms
21350 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21351 lower than this number will be marked as read.
21354 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21355 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
21357 @item mark-and-expunge
21358 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21359 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
21362 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
21363 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
21364 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
21365 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
21366 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
21369 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
21370 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
21373 @item exclude-files
21374 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
21375 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
21379 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
21380 ignored when handling global score files.
21383 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
21384 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
21385 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
21386 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
21389 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
21390 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
21391 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
21392 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
21394 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
21398 (mark-and-expunge -100)
21401 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
21402 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
21403 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
21404 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
21405 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
21407 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
21408 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
21409 scoring rules exist.
21412 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
21413 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
21414 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
21415 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
21416 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
21417 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
21418 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
21419 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
21420 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
21421 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
21422 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
21426 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
21427 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
21428 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
21429 file for a number of groups.
21432 @cindex local variables
21433 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
21434 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
21435 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
21436 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
21437 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
21442 @node Score File Editing
21443 @section Score File Editing
21445 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
21446 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
21447 with a mode for that.
21449 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
21450 additional commands:
21455 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
21456 @findex gnus-score-edit-exit
21457 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
21458 (@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
21461 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
21462 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
21463 Insert the current date in numerical format
21464 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
21465 you were wondering.
21468 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
21469 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
21470 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
21471 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
21472 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
21477 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
21479 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
21480 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
21482 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
21483 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
21486 @node Adaptive Scoring
21487 @section Adaptive Scoring
21488 @cindex adaptive scoring
21490 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
21491 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
21492 stupidity, to be precise.
21494 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
21495 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
21496 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
21497 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
21498 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
21499 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
21500 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
21501 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
21502 variable to @code{(word line)}.
21504 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
21505 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
21506 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
21507 might look something like this:
21510 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
21511 '((gnus-unread-mark)
21512 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
21513 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
21514 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
21515 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
21516 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
21517 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
21518 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
21519 (gnus-ancient-mark)
21520 (gnus-low-score-mark)
21521 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
21524 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
21525 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
21526 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
21527 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
21528 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
21529 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
21532 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
21533 will be applied to each article.
21535 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
21536 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
21537 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
21538 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
21540 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
21541 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
21542 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
21543 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
21545 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
21546 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
21547 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
21548 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
21550 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
21551 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
21552 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
21553 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
21554 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
21555 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
21557 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
21558 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
21559 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
21561 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
21562 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
21563 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
21565 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
21566 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
21567 let you use different rules in different groups.
21569 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
21570 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
21571 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
21574 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
21575 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
21576 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
21577 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
21579 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
21580 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
21581 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
21582 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
21583 the length of the match is less than
21584 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
21585 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
21588 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
21589 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
21590 headers. If you adapt on words, the
21591 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
21592 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
21595 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
21596 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
21597 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
21598 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
21599 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
21602 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
21603 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
21604 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
21605 score with 30 points.
21607 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
21608 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
21609 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
21610 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
21611 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
21613 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
21614 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
21615 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
21616 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
21617 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
21619 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
21620 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
21621 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
21622 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
21624 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
21625 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
21626 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
21627 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
21629 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
21630 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
21631 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
21632 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
21633 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
21635 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
21636 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
21637 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
21639 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
21640 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
21641 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
21642 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
21645 @node Home Score File
21646 @section Home Score File
21648 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
21649 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
21650 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
21651 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
21653 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
21654 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
21655 could perhaps use the same home score file.
21657 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
21658 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
21663 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
21667 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
21668 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
21672 A list. The elements in this list can be:
21676 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
21677 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
21680 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
21681 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
21682 name of the group as the parameter.
21685 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
21688 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
21693 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
21696 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21697 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
21700 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
21701 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
21703 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
21705 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21706 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
21709 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
21710 Other functions include
21713 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
21714 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
21715 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
21716 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
21720 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
21721 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
21722 their own home score files:
21725 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21726 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
21727 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
21728 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
21729 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
21732 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
21733 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
21734 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
21735 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
21736 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
21738 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
21739 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
21740 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
21741 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
21742 precedence over this variable.
21745 @node Followups To Yourself
21746 @section Followups To Yourself
21748 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
21749 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
21750 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
21751 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
21752 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
21753 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
21757 @item gnus-score-followup-article
21758 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
21759 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
21762 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
21763 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
21764 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
21768 @vindex message-sent-hook
21769 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
21770 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
21772 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
21776 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
21777 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
21781 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21782 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21785 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
21786 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
21791 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
21795 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
21796 is system-dependent.
21799 @node Scoring On Other Headers
21800 @section Scoring On Other Headers
21801 @cindex scoring on other headers
21803 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
21804 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
21805 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
21806 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
21807 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
21809 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
21810 You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
21811 variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
21812 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
21813 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
21814 inhibited for all groups.
21816 Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
21817 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
21818 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
21819 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
21820 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
21822 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21825 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
21826 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
21829 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
21830 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
21831 time if you have much mail.
21833 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
21834 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
21840 @section Scoring Tips
21841 @cindex scoring tips
21847 @cindex scoring crossposts
21848 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
21849 the @code{Xref} header.
21851 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
21854 @item Multiple crossposts
21855 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
21856 more than, say, 3 groups:
21859 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
21863 @item Matching on the body
21864 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
21865 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
21866 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
21867 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
21868 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
21869 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
21870 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
21873 @item Marking as read
21874 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
21875 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
21876 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
21880 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
21882 @item Negated character classes
21883 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
21884 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
21885 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
21889 @node Reverse Scoring
21890 @section Reverse Scoring
21891 @cindex reverse scoring
21893 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
21894 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
21895 like this in your score file:
21899 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
21904 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
21905 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
21908 @node Global Score Files
21909 @section Global Score Files
21910 @cindex global score files
21912 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
21913 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
21914 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
21916 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
21917 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
21918 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
21920 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
21921 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
21922 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
21923 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
21924 files are applicable to which group.
21926 To use the score file
21927 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
21928 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
21932 (setq gnus-global-score-files
21933 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
21934 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
21937 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
21939 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
21940 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
21941 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
21942 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
21944 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
21945 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
21947 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
21948 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
21949 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
21950 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
21951 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
21952 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
21954 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
21960 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
21962 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
21964 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
21966 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
21967 lowered out of existence.
21969 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
21970 articles completely.
21973 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
21974 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
21975 old articles for a long time.
21978 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
21979 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
21980 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
21981 holding our breath yet?
21985 @section Kill Files
21988 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
21989 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
21990 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
21992 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
21993 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
21994 files into score files.
21996 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
21997 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
21998 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
21999 that isn't a very good idea.
22001 Normal kill files look like this:
22004 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22005 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
22009 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
22010 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
22012 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
22013 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
22016 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
22021 @kindex M-k (Summary)
22022 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
22023 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
22026 @kindex M-K (Summary)
22027 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
22028 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
22031 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
22036 @kindex M-k (Group)
22037 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
22038 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
22041 @kindex M-K (Group)
22042 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
22043 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
22046 Kill file variables:
22049 @item gnus-kill-file-name
22050 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
22051 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
22052 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
22053 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
22054 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
22055 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
22057 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
22058 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
22059 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
22060 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
22063 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
22064 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
22065 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
22066 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
22067 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
22068 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
22069 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
22070 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
22071 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
22073 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
22074 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
22075 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
22080 @node Converting Kill Files
22081 @section Converting Kill Files
22083 @cindex converting kill files
22085 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
22086 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
22087 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
22090 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
22091 You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
22093 @uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
22095 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
22096 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
22097 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
22101 @node Advanced Scoring
22102 @section Advanced Scoring
22104 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
22105 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
22106 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
22107 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
22108 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
22110 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
22114 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
22115 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
22116 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
22120 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
22121 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
22123 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
22124 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
22125 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
22126 non-@code{nil} value.
22128 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
22129 operator, and various match operators.
22136 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
22137 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
22138 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
22143 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
22144 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
22145 then this operator will return @code{false}.
22150 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
22151 logical negation of the value of its argument.
22155 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
22156 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
22157 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
22158 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
22159 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
22160 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
22161 the ancestry you want to go.
22163 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
22164 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
22165 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
22166 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
22167 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
22170 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
22171 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
22173 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
22174 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
22177 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
22178 when he's talking about Gnus:
22183 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22184 ("subject" "Gnus"))
22191 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
22195 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22202 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
22203 really don't want to read what he's written:
22207 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22208 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
22212 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
22213 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
22214 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
22221 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
22222 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
22223 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
22224 ("body" "white.*socks"))
22228 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
22229 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
22230 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
22231 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
22234 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
22236 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
22240 The possibilities are endless.
22242 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
22243 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
22245 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
22246 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
22247 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
22248 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
22249 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
22250 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
22251 @samp{subject}) first.
22253 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
22254 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
22265 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
22266 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
22272 ("subject" "Gnus")))
22279 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
22280 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
22285 @section Score Decays
22286 @cindex score decays
22289 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
22290 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
22291 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
22292 use them in any sensible way.
22294 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
22295 @findex gnus-decay-score
22296 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
22297 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
22298 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
22299 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
22300 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
22301 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
22302 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
22303 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
22304 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
22305 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
22309 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
22310 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
22311 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
22313 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
22315 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
22317 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
22318 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
22319 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
22320 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
22321 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
22323 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
22327 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
22328 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
22329 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
22330 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
22334 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
22337 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
22340 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
22344 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
22345 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
22346 the new score, which should be an integer.
22348 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
22349 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
22354 @include message.texi
22355 @chapter Emacs MIME
22356 @include emacs-mime.texi
22358 @include sieve.texi
22370 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
22371 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
22372 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
22373 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
22374 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
22375 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
22376 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
22377 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
22378 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
22379 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
22380 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
22381 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
22382 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
22383 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
22384 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
22385 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
22386 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
22387 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
22388 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
22389 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
22390 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
22391 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
22392 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
22396 @node Process/Prefix
22397 @section Process/Prefix
22398 @cindex process/prefix convention
22400 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
22401 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
22403 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
22404 command to be performed on.
22408 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
22409 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
22410 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
22411 with the current one.
22413 @vindex transient-mark-mode
22414 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
22415 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
22417 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
22418 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
22421 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
22422 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
22424 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
22427 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
22428 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
22429 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
22430 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22432 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
22433 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
22434 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
22435 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
22436 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
22437 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
22438 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
22439 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
22441 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
22442 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
22443 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
22444 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
22445 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
22449 @section Interactive
22450 @cindex interaction
22454 @item gnus-novice-user
22455 @vindex gnus-novice-user
22456 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
22457 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
22458 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
22459 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
22462 @item gnus-expert-user
22463 @vindex gnus-expert-user
22464 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
22465 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing,
22466 no matter how strange. For example, quitting Gnus, exiting a group
22467 without an update, catching up with a group, deleting expired
22468 articles, and replying by mail to a news message will not require
22471 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
22472 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
22473 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
22474 is @code{t} by default.
22476 @item gnus-interactive-exit
22477 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
22478 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22483 @node Symbolic Prefixes
22484 @section Symbolic Prefixes
22485 @cindex symbolic prefixes
22487 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
22488 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
22489 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
22490 rule of 900 to the current article.
22492 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
22493 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
22494 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
22495 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
22496 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
22497 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
22498 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
22500 @kindex M-i (Summary)
22501 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
22502 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
22503 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
22504 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
22505 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
22506 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
22507 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
22508 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
22510 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
22511 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
22512 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
22514 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
22518 @node Formatting Variables
22519 @section Formatting Variables
22520 @cindex formatting variables
22522 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
22523 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
22524 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
22525 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
22526 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
22529 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
22530 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
22531 lots of percentages everywhere.
22534 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
22535 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
22536 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
22537 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
22538 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
22539 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
22540 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
22541 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
22544 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
22545 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
22546 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
22547 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
22548 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
22549 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
22550 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
22551 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
22553 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
22554 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
22556 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
22557 @findex gnus-update-format
22558 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
22559 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
22560 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
22561 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
22565 @node Formatting Basics
22566 @subsection Formatting Basics
22568 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
22569 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
22570 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
22572 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
22573 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
22574 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
22575 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
22576 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
22579 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
22580 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
22581 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
22582 less than 4 characters wide.
22584 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
22585 @samp{%&user-date;}.
22588 @node Mode Line Formatting
22589 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
22591 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
22592 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
22593 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
22594 with the following two differences:
22599 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
22602 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
22603 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
22604 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
22605 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
22606 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
22607 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
22608 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
22613 @node Advanced Formatting
22614 @subsection Advanced Formatting
22616 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
22617 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
22618 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
22619 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
22621 These are the valid modifiers:
22626 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
22630 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
22635 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
22638 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
22643 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
22646 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
22649 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
22652 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
22658 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22663 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22664 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22665 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22666 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22667 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22668 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22669 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22671 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22672 last operation, padding.
22674 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
22675 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
22676 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
22677 @xref{Compilation}.
22680 @node User-Defined Specs
22681 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22683 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22684 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22685 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22686 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22687 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22688 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22689 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22690 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22691 should protect against that.
22693 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22694 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22696 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22697 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22698 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22699 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22703 @node Formatting Fonts
22704 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22707 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22708 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22709 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22710 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22711 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22715 @vindex gnus-face-0
22716 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22717 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22718 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22719 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22720 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22721 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22723 @cindex %<<, %>>, guillemets
22724 @c @cindex %<<, %>>, %«, %», guillemets
22725 @vindex gnus-balloon-face-0
22726 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22727 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22728 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22729 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22730 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22731 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22732 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22733 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22734 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22735 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22736 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22739 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22742 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22743 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22744 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22746 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22747 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22748 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22749 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22750 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22751 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22752 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22754 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22755 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22756 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22759 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22760 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22762 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22763 mode-line variables.
22765 @node Positioning Point
22766 @subsection Positioning Point
22768 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22769 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22770 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22772 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22774 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22775 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22776 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22778 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22779 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22780 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22785 @subsection Tabulation
22787 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22788 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22789 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22790 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22792 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22793 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22795 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22796 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22797 This is the soft tabulator.
22799 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22800 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22801 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22804 @node Wide Characters
22805 @subsection Wide Characters
22807 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22808 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22809 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22811 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22812 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22813 these countries, that's not true.
22815 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22816 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22817 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22818 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22822 @node Window Layout
22823 @section Window Layout
22824 @cindex window layout
22826 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22828 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22829 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22830 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22831 @code{t} by default.
22833 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22834 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22836 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22837 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22838 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22841 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
22842 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
22843 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22847 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22848 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22849 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22850 possible names is listed below.
22852 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22853 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
22856 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22860 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22861 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22862 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22863 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22864 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22865 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22866 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22867 size spec per split.
22869 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22870 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22871 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
22872 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22873 present) gets focus.
22875 Here's a more complicated example:
22878 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22879 (summary 0.25 point)
22880 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
22884 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22885 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22886 occupy, not a percentage.
22888 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22889 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22890 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22891 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
22892 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
22895 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22898 (article (horizontal 1.0
22903 (summary 0.25 point)
22908 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22909 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22911 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22912 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22913 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22914 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22915 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22917 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22918 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22919 lines from the splits.
22921 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22926 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22927 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22928 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22929 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22930 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22931 size = number | frame-params
22932 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22936 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22937 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22938 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22939 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22941 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22942 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22943 @cindex window height
22944 @cindex window width
22945 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22946 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22947 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22948 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22949 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22950 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22952 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22953 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22954 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22955 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22957 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22958 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22959 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22960 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22961 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22962 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22963 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22964 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22965 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22966 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22967 configuration list.
22970 (gnus-configure-frame
22974 (article 0.3 point))
22982 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22983 @code{frame} split:
22986 (gnus-configure-frame
22989 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
22991 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
22992 (user-position . t)
22993 (left . -1) (top . 1))
22998 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
22999 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
23000 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
23001 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
23002 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
23003 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
23004 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
23005 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
23007 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
23008 be found in its default value.
23010 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
23011 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
23012 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
23016 (message (horizontal 1.0
23017 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
23019 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
23024 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
23025 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
23026 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
23031 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
23032 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
23033 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
23034 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
23035 (name . "Message"))
23036 (message 1.0 point))))
23039 @findex gnus-add-configuration
23040 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
23041 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
23042 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
23043 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
23046 (gnus-add-configuration
23047 '(article (vertical 1.0
23049 (summary .25 point)
23053 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
23054 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
23055 Gnus has been loaded.
23057 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
23058 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
23059 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
23060 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
23061 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
23063 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
23064 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
23065 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
23068 @subsection Example Window Configurations
23072 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
23073 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
23088 (gnus-add-configuration
23091 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
23093 (summary 0.16 point)
23096 (gnus-add-configuration
23099 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
23100 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
23106 @node Faces and Fonts
23107 @section Faces and Fonts
23112 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
23113 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
23114 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
23119 @section Compilation
23120 @cindex compilation
23121 @cindex byte-compilation
23123 @findex gnus-compile
23125 Remember all those line format specification variables?
23126 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
23127 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
23128 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
23129 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
23130 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
23133 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
23134 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
23135 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
23136 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
23137 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
23138 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
23139 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
23143 @section Mode Lines
23146 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
23147 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
23148 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
23149 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
23150 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
23151 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
23152 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
23155 @cindex display-time
23157 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
23158 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
23159 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
23160 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
23161 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
23162 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
23163 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
23164 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
23167 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
23169 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
23170 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
23172 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
23173 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
23174 (length display-time-string)))))
23177 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
23178 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
23179 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
23180 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
23181 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
23184 @node Highlighting and Menus
23185 @section Highlighting and Menus
23187 @cindex highlighting
23190 @vindex gnus-visual
23191 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
23192 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
23193 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
23196 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
23197 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
23200 @item group-highlight
23201 Do highlights in the group buffer.
23202 @item summary-highlight
23203 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
23204 @item article-highlight
23205 Do highlights in the article buffer.
23207 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
23209 Create menus in the group buffer.
23211 Create menus in the summary buffers.
23213 Create menus in the article buffer.
23215 Create menus in the browse buffer.
23217 Create menus in the server buffer.
23219 Create menus in the score buffers.
23221 Create menus in all buffers.
23224 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
23225 buffers, you could say something like:
23228 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
23231 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
23234 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
23237 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
23238 in all Gnus buffers.
23240 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
23243 @item gnus-mouse-face
23244 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
23245 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
23246 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
23250 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
23254 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
23255 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
23256 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
23258 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
23259 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
23260 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
23262 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
23263 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
23264 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
23266 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
23267 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
23268 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
23270 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
23271 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
23272 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
23274 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
23275 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
23276 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
23287 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
23288 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
23289 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
23290 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
23291 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
23295 @vindex gnus-carpal
23296 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
23297 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
23298 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
23303 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
23304 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
23305 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
23307 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
23308 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
23309 Face used on buttons.
23311 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
23312 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
23313 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
23315 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
23316 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
23317 Buttons in the group buffer.
23319 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
23320 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
23321 Buttons in the summary buffer.
23323 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
23324 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
23325 Buttons in the server buffer.
23327 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
23328 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
23329 Buttons in the browse buffer.
23332 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
23333 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
23334 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
23342 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
23343 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
23344 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
23345 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
23346 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
23348 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
23349 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
23350 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
23352 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
23353 been idle for thirty minutes:
23356 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
23359 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
23363 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
23366 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
23367 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
23368 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23370 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
23371 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
23372 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
23373 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23375 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
23376 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
23377 @var{idle} minutes.
23379 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
23380 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
23383 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
23384 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
23385 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
23387 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
23388 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
23389 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
23390 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
23392 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
23393 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23395 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
23397 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
23400 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
23401 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
23402 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
23403 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
23404 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
23405 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
23406 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
23407 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
23408 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
23409 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
23410 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
23412 @findex gnus-demon-init
23413 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
23414 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
23415 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
23416 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
23417 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
23419 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
23420 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
23421 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
23430 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
23431 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
23433 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
23434 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
23435 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
23436 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
23439 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
23440 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
23441 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
23442 messages, which are distributed in the newsgroups
23443 @samp{news.lists.filters}, @samp{alt.nocem.misc}, etc.
23445 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
23446 this will make spam disappear.
23448 There are some variables to customize, of course:
23451 @item gnus-use-nocem
23452 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
23453 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
23456 You can also set this variable to a positive number as a group level.
23457 In that case, Gnus scans NoCeM messages when checking new news if this
23458 value is not exceeding a group level that you specify as the prefix
23459 argument to some commands, e.g. @code{gnus},
23460 @code{gnus-group-get-new-news}, etc. Otherwise, Gnus does not scan
23461 NoCeM messages if you specify a group level that is smaller than this
23462 value to those commands. For example, if you use 1 or 2 on the mail
23463 groups and the levels on the news groups remain the default, 3 is the
23466 @item gnus-nocem-groups
23467 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
23468 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
23471 ("news.lists.filters" "alt.nocem.misc")
23474 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
23475 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
23476 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
23477 people you want to listen to. The default is:
23481 "alba-nocem@@albasani.net"
23482 "bleachbot@@httrack.com"
23483 "news@@arcor-online.net"
23484 "news@@uni-berlin.de"
23486 "pgpmoose@@killfile.org"
23490 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
23491 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
23493 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
23494 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
23495 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
23496 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
23497 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
23498 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
23499 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
23500 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
23501 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
23502 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
23504 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
23505 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
23508 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
23511 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
23512 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
23515 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
23518 The specs are applied left-to-right.
23521 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
23522 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
23523 @findex gnus-nocem-epg-verify
23525 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
23526 says she is. This variable defaults to @code{gnus-nocem-epg-verify} if
23527 EasyPG is available, otherwise defaults to @code{pgg-verify}. The
23528 function should return non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful,
23529 otherwise (including the case the NoCeM message was not signed) should
23530 return @code{nil}. If this is too slow and you don't care for
23531 verification (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to
23534 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
23535 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
23536 @code{gnus-nocem-epg-verify} or @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if
23537 you are willing to add the @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
23539 @item gnus-nocem-directory
23540 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
23541 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
23542 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
23544 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
23545 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
23546 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
23547 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
23548 might then see old spam.
23550 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
23551 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
23552 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
23553 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
23554 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
23557 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
23558 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
23559 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
23560 group. @code{nil} means no restriction. NoCeM groups can be huge and
23561 very slow to process.
23565 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
23566 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
23567 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
23568 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
23575 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
23576 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
23577 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
23579 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
23580 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
23581 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
23582 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
23583 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
23584 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
23585 @code{undo} function.
23587 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
23588 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
23589 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
23590 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
23591 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
23592 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
23593 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
23594 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
23595 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
23596 never be totally undoable.
23598 @findex gnus-undo-mode
23599 @vindex gnus-use-undo
23601 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
23602 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
23603 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
23604 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
23608 @node Predicate Specifiers
23609 @section Predicate Specifiers
23610 @cindex predicate specifiers
23612 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
23613 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
23614 to type all that much.
23616 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
23621 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
23622 gnus-article-unread-p)
23625 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
23626 functions all take one parameter.
23628 @findex gnus-make-predicate
23629 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
23630 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
23631 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
23636 @section Moderation
23639 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
23640 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
23641 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
23644 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
23648 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
23651 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
23653 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
23658 You split your incoming mail by matching on
23659 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
23660 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
23663 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
23664 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
23667 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
23668 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
23672 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
23675 (setq gnus-moderated-list
23676 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
23680 @node Fetching a Group
23681 @section Fetching a Group
23682 @cindex fetching a group
23684 @findex gnus-fetch-group
23685 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
23686 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
23687 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
23688 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
23689 It takes the group name as a parameter.
23692 @node Image Enhancements
23693 @section Image Enhancements
23695 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
23696 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
23697 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
23700 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
23701 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
23702 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
23703 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
23704 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
23712 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
23713 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
23714 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
23718 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
23719 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
23720 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
23728 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
23729 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions have), or that you
23730 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
23731 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
23732 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
23733 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
23734 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
23735 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
23736 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
23737 @code{display} program.
23739 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
23740 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
23741 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
23742 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
23743 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
23744 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
23745 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
23746 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
23748 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
23749 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
23750 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
23751 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
23752 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
23753 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
23755 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
23763 @vindex gnus-x-face
23764 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
23765 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
23766 default colors are black and white.
23768 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
23769 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
23770 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
23771 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
23772 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
23773 XEmacs. Here are examples:
23776 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
23777 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23778 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
23779 (png . (:ascent 80))))
23781 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
23782 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23783 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
23784 (png . (:relief -2))))
23787 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
23788 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
23789 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
23790 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
23791 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
23792 @samp{libcompface} library.
23795 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
23796 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
23797 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
23798 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
23799 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
23800 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
23802 @findex gnus-random-x-face
23803 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
23804 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
23805 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
23806 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
23807 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
23808 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
23809 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
23810 header data as a string.
23812 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
23813 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
23814 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
23815 randomly generated data.
23817 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
23818 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
23819 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
23820 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
23821 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
23823 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
23824 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23827 (setq message-required-news-headers
23828 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23829 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
23832 Using the last function would be something like this:
23835 (setq message-required-news-headers
23836 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23837 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
23838 (gnus-x-face-from-file
23839 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
23847 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
23849 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
23850 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
23851 represent the author of the message.
23854 @findex gnus-article-display-face
23855 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
23856 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
23859 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
23860 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
23862 Viewing an @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
23865 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
23867 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23869 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23870 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23872 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23873 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23874 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23876 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23877 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23878 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23879 converts the file to Face format by using the
23880 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23882 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23883 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23886 (setq message-required-news-headers
23887 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23888 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23889 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23894 @subsection Smileys
23899 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23904 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23905 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23907 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23908 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23911 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23914 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23915 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23916 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23917 text and maps that to file names.
23919 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23920 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23921 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23922 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23923 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23926 The following variables customize the appearance of the smileys:
23931 @vindex smiley-style
23932 Specifies the smiley style. Predefined smiley styles include
23933 @code{low-color} (small 13x14 pixel, three-color images), @code{medium}
23934 (more colorful images, 16x16 pixel), and @code{grayscale} (grayscale
23935 images, 14x14 pixel). The default depends on the height of the default
23938 @item smiley-data-directory
23939 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23940 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files. You shouldn't set this
23941 variable anymore. Customize @code{smiley-style} instead.
23943 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23944 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23945 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23959 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23960 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23961 over your shoulder as you read news.
23963 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23972 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23973 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23974 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23975 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23976 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23977 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23978 @code{GIF} formats.
23981 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23982 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23983 point your Web browser at
23984 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23986 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23987 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23989 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
23990 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
23993 @vindex gnus-picon-style
23994 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
23995 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
23996 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
23998 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
24002 @item gnus-picon-databases
24003 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
24004 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
24005 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
24006 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
24007 "/usr/local/faces")}.
24009 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
24010 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
24011 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
24012 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
24014 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
24015 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
24016 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
24017 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
24019 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
24020 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
24021 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
24022 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
24023 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
24025 @item gnus-picon-file-types
24026 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
24027 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
24028 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
24034 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
24037 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
24038 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
24039 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
24040 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
24041 unusual directory structure.
24043 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
24044 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
24045 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
24050 @subsubsection Toolbar
24054 @item gnus-use-toolbar
24055 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
24056 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
24057 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
24058 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
24059 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
24060 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
24061 names show. The default is @code{default}.
24063 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
24064 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
24065 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
24066 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
24067 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
24068 The default is that of the default toolbar.
24070 @item gnus-group-toolbar
24071 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
24072 The toolbar in the group buffer.
24074 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
24075 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
24076 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
24078 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
24079 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
24080 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
24091 @node Fuzzy Matching
24092 @section Fuzzy Matching
24093 @cindex fuzzy matching
24095 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
24096 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
24098 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
24099 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
24100 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
24102 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
24103 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
24104 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
24105 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
24106 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
24109 @node Thwarting Email Spam
24110 @section Thwarting Email Spam
24114 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24116 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
24117 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
24118 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
24119 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
24120 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
24121 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
24122 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
24123 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
24126 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
24127 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
24128 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
24129 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
24130 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
24131 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
24133 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
24136 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
24137 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
24138 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
24139 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
24142 @node The problem of spam
24143 @subsection The problem of spam
24145 @cindex spam filtering approaches
24146 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
24148 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24150 First, some background on spam.
24152 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
24153 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
24154 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
24155 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
24156 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
24157 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
24158 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
24159 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
24160 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
24162 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
24163 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
24164 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
24165 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
24166 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
24167 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
24168 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
24169 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
24170 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
24173 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
24174 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
24175 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
24176 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
24177 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
24178 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
24179 from Bulgarian IPs.
24181 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
24182 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
24183 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
24184 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
24186 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
24187 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
24188 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
24189 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
24191 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
24192 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
24193 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
24194 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
24195 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
24196 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
24197 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
24198 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
24199 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
24201 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
24202 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
24203 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
24204 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
24205 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
24206 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
24207 down for some time because of the incident.
24209 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
24210 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
24211 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
24212 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
24213 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
24214 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
24215 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
24216 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
24217 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
24218 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
24219 the server that it has misclassified mail.
24221 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
24222 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
24223 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
24224 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
24225 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
24226 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
24227 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
24230 @node Anti-Spam Basics
24231 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
24235 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24237 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
24238 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
24240 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
24241 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
24242 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
24243 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
24244 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
24245 part of the mail address.)
24248 (setq message-default-news-headers
24249 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
24252 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24253 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
24257 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
24258 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
24259 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
24264 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
24265 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
24266 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
24267 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
24269 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
24270 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
24271 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
24272 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
24273 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
24274 your fancy split rule in this way:
24279 (to "larsi" "misc")
24283 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
24284 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
24285 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
24286 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
24287 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
24289 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
24290 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
24291 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
24292 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
24294 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
24298 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
24299 @cindex SpamAssassin
24300 @cindex Vipul's Razor
24303 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
24304 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
24305 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
24306 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
24307 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
24308 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
24309 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
24311 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
24312 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
24313 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
24316 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
24317 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
24318 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
24319 Specifiers}) follow.
24323 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
24327 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
24330 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
24331 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
24332 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
24335 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
24339 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
24342 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
24343 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
24347 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
24348 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
24349 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
24350 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
24353 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
24355 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
24359 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
24360 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
24364 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
24365 downloaded by default. You need to set
24366 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
24367 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
24369 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
24370 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
24371 spam. And here is the nifty function:
24374 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
24375 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
24377 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d" t)
24378 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
24382 @subsection Hashcash
24385 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
24386 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
24387 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
24388 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
24389 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
24391 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
24392 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
24393 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
24394 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
24395 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
24396 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
24397 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
24398 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
24399 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
24400 one of them separately.
24403 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
24404 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
24405 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
24406 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
24407 need to install to use this feature, see
24408 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
24409 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
24411 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
24412 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
24413 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
24416 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
24419 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
24423 @item hashcash-default-payment
24424 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
24425 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
24426 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
24429 @item hashcash-payment-alist
24430 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
24431 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
24432 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
24433 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
24434 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
24435 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
24436 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
24437 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
24439 @item hashcash-path
24440 @vindex hashcash-path
24441 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
24442 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
24443 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
24444 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
24445 when you generate hashcash payments.
24449 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
24450 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
24451 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
24452 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
24453 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
24454 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
24455 Hashcash Payments}).
24458 @section Spam Package
24459 @cindex spam filtering
24462 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
24463 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
24464 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
24465 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
24468 * Spam Package Introduction::
24469 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
24470 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
24471 * Spam and Ham Processors::
24472 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
24474 * Extending the Spam package::
24475 * Spam Statistics Package::
24478 @node Spam Package Introduction
24479 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
24480 @cindex spam filtering
24481 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
24484 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
24485 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
24487 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
24488 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
24490 @cindex spam-initialize
24491 @vindex spam-use-stat
24492 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
24493 @code{spam-initialize}:
24499 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
24500 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
24501 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
24502 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
24503 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
24505 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
24506 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
24508 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
24509 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
24511 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
24512 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
24513 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
24514 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
24515 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
24517 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
24518 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
24519 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
24520 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
24521 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
24524 @cindex spam back ends
24525 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
24526 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
24527 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
24528 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
24529 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24531 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
24532 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
24534 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
24535 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
24536 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
24537 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
24538 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
24539 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
24540 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
24542 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
24543 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
24544 point, the Spam package does several things:
24546 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
24547 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
24548 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
24549 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
24550 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
24551 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
24552 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
24553 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
24556 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
24557 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
24567 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24568 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24569 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
24570 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
24574 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
24575 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
24577 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
24578 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
24579 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
24580 to be processed as ham by setting
24581 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
24582 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
24584 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24585 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24586 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
24587 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
24588 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
24589 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
24590 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
24591 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
24592 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
24593 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
24594 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
24595 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
24597 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
24598 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
24599 want each article to be processed only once, load the
24600 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
24601 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
24602 Configuration Examples}.
24604 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
24605 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
24606 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
24607 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
24609 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
24610 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
24612 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
24613 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
24614 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
24616 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
24617 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
24618 @cindex spam filtering
24619 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
24622 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
24623 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
24624 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
24625 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
24626 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
24632 @vindex spam-split-group
24634 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
24635 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
24636 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
24637 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
24638 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
24639 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
24640 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
24641 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
24642 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
24644 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
24646 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
24647 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
24648 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
24649 you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body}
24650 to @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can
24651 ``scan'' the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only
24652 retrieves the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells
24653 it to retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by
24654 default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
24655 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Splitting
24658 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
24659 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
24660 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
24661 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
24662 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
24663 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
24664 ends, and the following split rule:
24667 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24668 (any "ding" "ding")
24670 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24675 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
24676 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
24677 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
24678 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
24679 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
24680 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
24682 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
24683 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
24684 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
24685 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
24690 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
24691 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24692 (any "ding" "ding")
24693 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
24695 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24700 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
24701 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
24702 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
24703 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
24704 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
24705 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
24706 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
24708 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24709 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24710 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24711 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24713 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
24714 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
24717 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
24718 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
24720 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
24721 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
24722 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
24723 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24725 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24726 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24727 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24728 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
24730 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
24731 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
24732 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
24734 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
24735 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
24736 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
24737 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
24738 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
24739 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
24740 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
24742 @node Spam and Ham Processors
24743 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
24744 @cindex spam filtering
24745 @cindex spam filtering variables
24746 @cindex spam variables
24749 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
24750 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
24751 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
24752 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
24753 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
24754 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
24755 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
24757 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
24758 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
24759 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
24760 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
24762 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24763 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
24764 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
24765 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
24766 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
24767 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
24768 by customizing the corresponding variable
24769 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
24770 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
24771 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
24772 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
24773 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
24774 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
24775 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
24778 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
24780 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
24781 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
24782 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
24783 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
24784 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
24785 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
24786 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
24787 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
24788 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
24789 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
24790 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
24791 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
24792 processor which will study them as spam samples.
24794 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
24795 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
24796 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
24797 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
24798 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
24799 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
24800 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
24801 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
24804 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24805 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
24806 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
24807 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
24808 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
24809 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
24810 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
24815 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24816 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24817 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24818 you really want to.
24821 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24822 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24823 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24824 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24825 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24826 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24829 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24830 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24831 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24832 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24833 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24834 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24835 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24836 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24837 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24838 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24839 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24840 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24841 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24842 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24843 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24845 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24846 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24848 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24849 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24850 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24852 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24853 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24855 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24856 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24857 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24858 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24859 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24861 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24862 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24863 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24864 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24865 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24868 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24869 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24870 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24871 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24872 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24873 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24874 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24875 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24876 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24877 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24878 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24879 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24880 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24882 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24883 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24885 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24886 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24889 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24890 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24891 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24892 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24893 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24894 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24895 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24897 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24898 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24899 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24900 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24902 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24903 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24904 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24905 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24906 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24907 from the mail server.
24909 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24910 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24911 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24912 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24914 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24915 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24916 @cindex spam filtering
24917 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24918 @cindex spam configuration examples
24921 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24923 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24925 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24926 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24927 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24931 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24933 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24934 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24935 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24936 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24937 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24938 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24939 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24940 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24941 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24942 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24943 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24944 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24945 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24946 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24947 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24948 (any "ding" "ding")
24949 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
24951 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24954 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
24956 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
24957 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
24958 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
24959 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
24961 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24963 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
24964 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
24965 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
24966 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
24967 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24969 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
24970 ((spam-autodetect . t))
24972 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
24974 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
24975 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
24977 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
24978 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
24979 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
24981 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
24983 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
24984 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
24986 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
24987 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
24988 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
24990 (gnus-ticked-mark))
24991 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
24992 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
24993 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
24995 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
24996 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
24997 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
25001 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
25002 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
25004 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
25005 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
25006 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
25007 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
25008 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
25009 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
25010 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
25011 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
25012 @samp{training.spam} folders.
25014 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
25015 does most of the job for me:
25018 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
25019 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
25020 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
25021 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
25022 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
25023 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
25024 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
25029 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
25031 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
25032 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
25033 bogofilter or DCC).
25035 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
25036 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
25037 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
25038 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
25039 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
25040 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
25041 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
25043 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
25044 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
25045 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
25046 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
25047 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
25048 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
25050 @item @b{Ham folders:}
25052 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
25053 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
25054 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
25055 @samp{training.spam}.
25058 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
25060 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
25062 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
25063 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
25064 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
25068 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
25071 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
25072 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
25073 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
25074 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
25075 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
25077 @node Spam Back Ends
25078 @subsection Spam Back Ends
25079 @cindex spam back ends
25081 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
25082 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
25083 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
25084 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
25088 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
25089 * BBDB Whitelists::
25090 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
25091 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
25093 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
25095 * SpamAssassin back end::
25096 * ifile spam filtering::
25097 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
25101 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
25102 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
25103 @cindex spam filtering
25104 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
25105 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
25108 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
25110 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
25111 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
25112 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
25113 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
25118 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
25120 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
25121 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
25122 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
25123 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
25124 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25128 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
25130 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
25131 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
25132 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
25136 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
25138 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25139 customizing the group parameters or the
25140 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25141 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25142 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
25146 Instead of the obsolete
25147 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
25148 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
25149 the same way, we promise.
25153 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
25155 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25156 customizing the group parameters or the
25157 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25158 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25159 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
25164 Instead of the obsolete
25165 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
25166 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
25167 the same way, we promise.
25171 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
25172 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
25173 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
25174 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
25175 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
25177 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
25178 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
25179 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
25180 Emacs regular expression syntax.
25182 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
25183 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
25184 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
25185 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
25186 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
25187 @file{blacklist} respectively.
25189 @node BBDB Whitelists
25190 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
25191 @cindex spam filtering
25192 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
25193 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
25196 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
25198 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
25199 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
25200 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
25201 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
25202 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
25203 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
25204 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25208 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
25210 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
25211 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
25212 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
25213 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
25214 classified as spammers.
25216 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
25217 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
25218 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
25219 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
25224 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
25226 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25227 customizing the group parameters or the
25228 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25229 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25230 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
25235 Instead of the obsolete
25236 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
25237 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
25238 the same way, we promise.
25242 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
25243 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
25244 @cindex spam reporting
25245 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
25246 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
25249 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
25251 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25252 customizing the group parameters or the
25253 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25254 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25255 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
25258 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
25262 Instead of the obsolete
25263 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
25264 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
25265 same way, we promise.
25269 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
25271 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
25272 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
25273 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
25274 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
25275 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
25279 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
25281 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
25282 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
25283 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
25287 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25288 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25289 @cindex spam filtering
25290 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
25293 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
25295 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
25296 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
25297 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
25298 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
25299 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
25300 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25305 @subsubsection Blackholes
25306 @cindex spam filtering
25307 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
25310 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
25312 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
25313 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
25314 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
25315 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
25316 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
25317 contains outdated servers.
25319 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
25320 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
25321 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
25322 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
25323 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
25324 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
25328 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
25330 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
25334 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
25336 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
25337 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
25341 @defvar spam-use-dig
25343 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
25344 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
25348 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
25349 ham processor for blackholes.
25351 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
25352 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
25353 @cindex spam filtering
25354 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
25357 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
25359 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
25360 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
25361 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
25362 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
25363 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
25364 message is spam or ham, respectively.
25368 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
25370 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25371 the message, positively identify it as spam.
25375 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
25377 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25378 the message, positively identify it as ham.
25382 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
25383 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
25386 @subsubsection Bogofilter
25387 @cindex spam filtering
25388 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
25391 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
25393 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25396 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
25397 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
25398 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
25399 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
25400 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
25401 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
25403 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
25404 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
25407 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
25408 processing will be turned off.
25410 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
25419 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
25420 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
25423 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
25425 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25426 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
25427 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
25428 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
25429 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
25430 installation documents for details.
25432 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
25436 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
25437 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25438 customizing the group parameters or the
25439 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25440 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
25441 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
25445 Instead of the obsolete
25446 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25447 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25448 the same way, we promise.
25451 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
25452 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25453 customizing the group parameters or the
25454 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25455 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25456 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
25457 of non-spam messages.
25461 Instead of the obsolete
25462 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25463 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25464 the same way, we promise.
25467 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
25469 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
25470 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
25471 database directory.
25475 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
25476 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25477 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
25478 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
25479 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
25480 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
25482 @node SpamAssassin back end
25483 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
25484 @cindex spam filtering
25485 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
25488 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
25490 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
25492 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
25493 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
25494 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
25495 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
25498 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
25499 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
25500 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
25501 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
25504 You should not enable this if you use
25505 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
25509 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
25511 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
25512 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
25514 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
25518 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
25520 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
25521 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
25522 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
25523 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
25527 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
25528 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
25529 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
25530 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
25531 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
25532 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
25533 to test this functionality.
25535 @node ifile spam filtering
25536 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
25537 @cindex spam filtering
25538 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
25541 @defvar spam-use-ifile
25543 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
25544 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
25548 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
25550 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
25551 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
25552 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
25556 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
25558 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
25559 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
25560 the default value of @samp{spam}.
25563 @defvar spam-ifile-database
25565 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
25566 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
25570 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
25571 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25572 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
25573 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
25576 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
25577 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
25578 @cindex spam filtering
25579 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
25583 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
25584 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
25585 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
25586 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
25587 spam-stat dictionary}.
25589 @defvar spam-use-stat
25593 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
25594 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25595 customizing the group parameters or the
25596 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25597 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25598 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
25602 Instead of the obsolete
25603 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25604 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25605 the same way, we promise.
25608 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
25609 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25610 customizing the group parameters or the
25611 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25612 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25613 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
25614 of non-spam messages.
25618 Instead of the obsolete
25619 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25620 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25621 the same way, we promise.
25624 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
25625 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
25626 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
25627 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
25628 @code{spam-split} are provided.
25631 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
25632 @cindex spam filtering
25636 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
25637 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
25638 installed separately.
25640 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
25641 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
25642 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
25643 mail as a spam mail or not.
25645 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
25646 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
25647 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
25649 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
25652 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
25653 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
25654 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
25655 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
25656 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
25657 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
25658 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
25659 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
25662 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
25663 spam-split-group "Junk"
25664 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
25665 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
25666 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
25669 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
25670 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
25674 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
25675 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
25676 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
25680 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
25681 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
25682 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
25683 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
25684 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
25685 database to live somewhere special, set
25686 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
25689 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
25690 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
25691 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
25692 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
25693 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
25694 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
25695 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
25696 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
25697 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
25698 @xref{Spam Package}.
25700 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
25701 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25702 customizing the group parameter or the
25703 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25704 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
25705 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
25709 Instead of the obsolete
25710 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25711 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25712 the same way, we promise.
25715 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
25716 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25717 customizing the group parameter or the
25718 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25719 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
25720 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
25725 Instead of the obsolete
25726 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25727 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25728 the same way, we promise.
25731 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
25732 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
25735 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
25736 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
25737 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
25739 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
25740 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
25741 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
25742 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
25743 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
25744 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
25746 @node Extending the Spam package
25747 @subsection Extending the Spam package
25748 @cindex spam filtering
25749 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
25750 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
25752 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
25753 incoming mail, provide the following:
25761 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
25762 "True if blackbox should be used.")
25765 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
25767 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
25768 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
25769 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
25770 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
25771 register/unregister spam and ham.
25776 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
25777 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
25778 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
25779 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
25784 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
25791 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
25792 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
25794 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
25795 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
25796 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
25797 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
25800 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
25801 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
25802 Only applicable to spam groups.")
25804 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
25805 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
25806 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
25815 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25816 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25818 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25819 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25820 variable customization.
25824 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25826 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25827 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25829 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25830 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25836 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25838 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25839 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25840 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25843 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25845 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25846 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25850 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25852 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25853 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25854 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25858 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25860 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25861 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25862 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25865 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25867 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25868 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25872 @code{spam-install-backend}
25874 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25875 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25876 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25879 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25881 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25882 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25883 never install such a back end.
25888 @node Spam Statistics Package
25889 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25890 @cindex Paul Graham
25891 @cindex Graham, Paul
25892 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25893 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25894 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25896 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25897 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25898 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25899 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25900 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25901 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25902 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25903 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25904 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25907 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25908 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25909 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25910 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25911 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25912 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25913 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25914 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25916 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25917 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25918 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25920 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25921 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25922 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25923 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25924 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25927 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25928 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25929 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25932 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25933 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25935 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25936 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25937 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25938 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25939 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25941 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25942 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25943 per mail. Use the following:
25945 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25946 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25947 is treated as one spam mail.
25950 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
25951 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
25952 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
25955 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
25956 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
25957 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
25958 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
25959 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
25960 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
25962 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
25963 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
25964 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
25965 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
25966 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
25969 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
25970 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
25971 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
25972 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
25975 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
25976 reset the dictionary.
25978 @defun spam-stat-reset
25979 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
25982 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
25983 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
25984 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
25985 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
25986 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
25987 only non-spam mails.
25989 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
25990 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
25991 to update the dictionary incrementally.
25994 @defun spam-stat-save
25995 Save the dictionary.
25998 @defvar spam-stat-file
25999 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
26000 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
26003 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
26004 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
26006 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
26007 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
26009 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
26012 (require 'spam-stat)
26016 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
26019 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
26020 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
26021 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
26022 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
26024 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
26025 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
26026 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
26027 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
26030 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26031 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26035 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
26036 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
26039 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
26040 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
26041 expression are considered potential spam.
26044 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26045 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26046 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26050 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
26051 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
26052 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
26053 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
26054 mails, when creating the dictionary!
26057 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26058 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26059 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26063 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
26064 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
26065 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
26066 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
26067 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
26071 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26072 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
26073 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26074 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26079 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
26080 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
26082 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
26084 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
26085 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
26086 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
26089 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
26090 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
26091 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
26094 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
26095 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
26096 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
26097 already been processed as non-spam.
26100 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
26101 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
26102 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
26103 been processed as spam.
26106 @defun spam-stat-save
26107 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
26108 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
26111 @defun spam-stat-load
26112 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
26113 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
26116 @defun spam-stat-score-word
26117 Return the spam score for a word.
26120 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
26121 Return the spam score for a buffer.
26124 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
26125 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
26126 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
26129 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
26130 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
26133 (require 'spam-stat)
26137 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
26140 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
26141 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26142 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26143 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26144 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
26145 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
26146 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26147 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26148 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
26149 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26150 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
26151 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
26152 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26153 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26156 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
26159 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
26160 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26161 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26162 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
26163 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
26164 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26167 @node The Gnus Registry
26168 @section The Gnus Registry
26173 The Gnus registry is a package that tracks messages by their
26174 Message-ID across all backends. This allows Gnus users to do several
26175 cool things, be the envy of the locals, get free haircuts, and be
26176 experts on world issues. Well, maybe not all of those, but the
26177 features are pretty cool.
26179 Although they will be explained in detail shortly, here's a quick list
26180 of said features in case your attention span is... never mind.
26184 Split messages to their parent
26186 This keeps discussions in the same group. You can use the subject and
26187 the sender in addition to the Message-ID. Several strategies are
26191 Store custom flags and keywords
26193 The registry can store custom flags and keywords for a message. For
26194 instance, you can mark a message ``To-Do'' this way and the flag will
26195 persist whether the message is in the nnimap, nnml, nnmaildir,
26199 Store arbitrary data
26201 Through a simple ELisp API, the registry can remember any data for a
26202 message. A built-in inverse map, when activated, allows quick lookups
26203 of all messages matching a particular set of criteria.
26208 * Fancy splitting to parent::
26209 * Store custom flags and keywords::
26210 * Store arbitrary data::
26216 Fortunately, setting up the Gnus registry is pretty easy:
26219 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500
26220 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t)
26222 (gnus-registry-initialize)
26225 This adds registry saves to Gnus newsrc saves (which happen on exit
26226 and when you press @kbd{s} from the @code{*Group*} buffer. It also
26227 adds registry calls to article actions in Gnus (copy, move, etc.) so
26228 it's not easy to undo the initialization. See
26229 @code{gnus-registry-initialize} for the gory details.
26231 Here are other settings used by the author of the registry (understand
26232 what they do before you copy them blindly).
26236 gnus-registry-split-strategy 'majority
26237 gnus-registry-ignored-groups '(("nntp" t)
26241 gnus-registry-max-entries 500000
26242 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t
26243 gnus-registry-track-extra '(sender subject))
26246 They say: keep a lot of messages around, use long group names, track
26247 messages by sender and subject (not just parent Message-ID), and when
26248 the registry splits incoming mail, use a majority rule to decide where
26249 messages should go if there's more than one possibility. In addition,
26250 the registry should ignore messages in groups that match ``nntp'',
26251 ``nnrss'', ``spam'', or ``train.''
26253 You are doubtless impressed by all this, but you ask: ``I am a Gnus
26254 user, I customize to live. Give me more.'' Here you go, these are
26255 the general settings.
26257 @defvar gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups
26258 The groups that will not be followed by
26259 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}. They will still be
26260 remembered by the registry. This is a list of regular expressions.
26263 @defvar gnus-registry-ignored-groups
26264 The groups that will not be remembered by the registry. This is a
26265 list of regular expressions, also available through Group/Topic
26266 customization (so you can ignore or keep a specific group or a whole
26270 @defvar gnus-registry-use-long-group-names
26271 Whether the registry will use long group names. It's recommended to
26272 set this to @code{t}, although everything works if you don't. Future
26273 functionality will require it.
26276 @defvar gnus-registry-max-entries
26277 The number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries the
26278 registry will keep.
26281 @defvar gnus-registry-cache-file
26282 The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions.
26285 @node Fancy splitting to parent
26286 @subsection Fancy splitting to parent
26288 Simply put, this lets you put followup e-mail where it belongs.
26290 Every message has a Message-ID, which is unique, and the registry
26291 remembers it. When the message is moved or copied, the registry will
26292 notice this and offer the new group as a choice to the splitting
26295 When a followup is made, usually it mentions the original message's
26296 Message-ID in the headers. The registry knows this and uses that
26297 mention to find the group where the original message lives. You only
26298 have to put a rule like this:
26301 (setq nnimap-my-split-fancy '(|
26303 ;; split to parent: you need this
26304 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
26306 ;; other rules, as an example
26312 in your fancy split setup. In addition, you may want to customize the
26313 following variables.
26315 @defvar gnus-registry-track-extra
26316 This is a list of symbols, so it's best to change it from the
26317 Customize interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to
26318 track @code{subject} and @code{sender} as well when splitting by parent.
26319 It may work for you. It can be annoying if your mail flow is large and
26320 people don't stick to the same groups.
26323 @defvar gnus-registry-split-strategy
26324 This is a symbol, so it's best to change it from the Customize
26325 interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to set it to
26326 @code{majority} or @code{first} to split by sender or subject based on
26327 the majority of matches or on the first found.
26330 @node Store custom flags and keywords
26331 @subsection Store custom flags and keywords
26333 The registry lets you set custom flags and keywords per message. You
26334 can use the Gnus->Registry Marks menu or the @kbd{M M x} keyboard
26335 shortcuts, where @code{x} is the first letter of the mark's name.
26337 @defvar gnus-registry-marks
26338 The custom marks that the registry can use. You can modify the
26339 default list, if you like. If you do, you'll have to exit Emacs
26340 before they take effect (you can also unload the registry and reload
26341 it or evaluate the specific macros you'll need, but you probably don't
26342 want to bother). Use the Customize interface to modify the list.
26344 By default this list has the @code{Important}, @code{Work},
26345 @code{Personal}, @code{To-Do}, and @code{Later} marks. They all have
26346 keyboard shortcuts like @kbd{M M i} for Important, using the first
26350 @defun gnus-registry-mark-article
26351 Call this function to mark an article with a custom registry mark. It
26352 will offer the available marks for completion.
26355 @node Store arbitrary data
26356 @subsection Store arbitrary data
26358 The registry has a simple API that uses a Message-ID as the key to
26359 store arbitrary data (as long as it can be converted to a list for
26362 @defun gnus-registry-store-extra-entry (id key value)
26363 Store @code{value} in the extra data key @code{key} for message
26367 @defun gnus-registry-delete-extra-entry (id key)
26368 Delete the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26371 @defun gnus-registry-fetch-extra (id key)
26372 Get the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26375 @defvar gnus-registry-extra-entries-precious
26376 If any extra entries are precious, their presence will make the
26377 registry keep the whole entry forever, even if there are no groups for
26378 the Message-ID and if the size limit of the registry is reached. By
26379 default this is just @code{(marks)} so the custom registry marks are
26384 @section Interaction with other modes
26389 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
26390 buffers. It is enabled with
26392 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
26397 @findex gnus-dired-attach
26398 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
26399 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
26400 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
26403 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
26404 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
26405 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
26409 @findex gnus-dired-print
26410 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
26411 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
26414 @node Various Various
26415 @section Various Various
26421 @item gnus-home-directory
26422 @vindex gnus-home-directory
26423 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
26424 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
26426 @item gnus-directory
26427 @vindex gnus-directory
26428 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
26429 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
26430 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
26432 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
26433 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
26434 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
26435 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
26437 @item gnus-default-directory
26438 @vindex gnus-default-directory
26439 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
26440 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
26441 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
26442 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
26443 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
26444 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
26447 @vindex gnus-verbose
26448 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
26449 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
26450 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
26451 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
26452 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
26454 @item gnus-verbose-backends
26455 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
26456 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
26457 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
26459 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26460 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26461 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
26462 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
26463 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
26464 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
26465 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
26466 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
26467 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
26468 displayed in the echo area.
26470 @item nnheader-max-head-length
26471 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
26472 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
26473 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
26474 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
26475 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
26476 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
26477 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
26478 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
26479 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
26481 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
26482 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
26483 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
26484 read when doing the operation described above.
26486 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26487 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26489 @cindex invalid characters in file names
26490 @cindex characters in file names
26491 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
26492 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
26493 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
26497 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26502 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
26503 Windows (phooey) systems.
26505 @item gnus-hidden-properties
26506 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
26507 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
26508 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
26509 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
26511 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
26512 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
26513 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
26514 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
26515 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
26517 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
26518 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
26519 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
26521 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26522 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26524 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
26525 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
26526 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
26527 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
26530 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
26532 @item gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26533 @vindex gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26534 Groups in which links in html articles are considered all safe. The
26535 value may be a regexp matching those groups, a list of group names, or
26536 @code{nil}. This overrides @code{mm-w3m-safe-url-regexp}. The default
26537 value is @code{"\\`nnrss[+:]"}. This is effective only when emacs-w3m
26538 renders html articles, i.e., in the case @code{mm-text-html-renderer} is
26539 set to @code{w3m}. @xref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization,
26540 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}.
26547 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
26548 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
26550 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
26552 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
26558 Not because of victories @*
26561 but for the common sunshine,@*
26563 the largess of the spring.
26567 but for the day's work done@*
26568 as well as I was able;@*
26569 not for a seat upon the dais@*
26570 but at the common table.@*
26575 @chapter Appendices
26578 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
26579 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
26580 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
26581 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
26582 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
26583 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
26584 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
26585 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
26586 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
26593 @cindex installing under XEmacs
26595 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
26596 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
26597 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
26598 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
26599 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
26600 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
26607 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
26608 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
26610 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
26611 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
26612 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
26613 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
26614 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
26616 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
26617 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
26618 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
26619 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
26620 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
26621 appropriate name, don't you think?)
26623 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
26624 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
26625 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
26626 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
26629 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
26630 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
26631 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
26632 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
26633 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
26634 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
26635 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
26636 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
26637 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
26641 @node Gnus Versions
26642 @subsection Gnus Versions
26644 @cindex September Gnus
26646 @cindex Quassia Gnus
26647 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
26650 @cindex Gnus versions
26652 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
26653 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
26654 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
26656 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
26657 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
26659 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
26660 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
26662 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
26663 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
26665 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
26666 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
26669 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
26670 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
26672 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
26674 On April 19, 2010 Gnus development was moved to Git. See
26675 http://git.gnus.org for details (http://www.gnus.org will be updated
26676 with the information when possible).
26678 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
26679 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
26680 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
26681 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
26682 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
26683 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
26686 @node Other Gnus Versions
26687 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
26690 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
26691 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
26692 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
26693 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
26695 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
26696 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
26697 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
26698 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
26705 What's the point of Gnus?
26707 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
26708 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
26709 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
26710 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
26711 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
26712 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
26713 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
26714 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
26715 keep track of millions of people who post?
26717 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
26718 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
26719 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
26720 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
26721 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
26722 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
26723 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
26724 every one of you to explore and invent.
26726 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
26727 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
26730 @node Compatibility
26731 @subsection Compatibility
26733 @cindex compatibility
26734 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
26735 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
26736 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
26741 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
26745 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
26748 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
26751 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
26752 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
26753 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
26754 important variables have their values copied into their global
26755 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
26756 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
26758 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
26759 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
26760 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
26761 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
26762 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
26766 @cindex highlighting
26767 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
26768 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
26769 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
26770 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
26771 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
26772 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
26775 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
26776 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
26777 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
26778 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
26780 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
26781 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
26782 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
26783 to stop doing it the old way.
26785 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
26787 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26789 @cindex reporting bugs
26791 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
26792 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
26793 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
26795 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
26796 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
26797 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
26798 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
26803 @subsection Conformity
26805 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
26806 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
26814 There are no known breaches of this standard.
26818 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
26820 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
26821 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
26822 We do have some breaches to this one.
26828 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
26829 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
26830 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
26831 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
26832 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
26837 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
26838 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
26839 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
26840 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
26842 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
26843 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
26844 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
26846 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
26847 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
26849 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
26852 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
26853 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
26854 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
26855 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
26856 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
26859 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
26860 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
26861 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
26862 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
26864 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
26865 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
26867 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
26868 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
26869 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
26870 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
26871 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
26872 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
26873 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
26874 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
26878 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
26879 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
26884 @subsection Emacsen
26890 This version of Gnus should work on:
26898 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26902 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26903 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26904 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26905 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26907 @c No-merge comment: The paragraph added in v5-10 here must not be
26910 @node Gnus Development
26911 @subsection Gnus Development
26913 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26914 discussion on the development mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}, where people
26915 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26916 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26917 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26918 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26919 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26920 have names like ``Oort Gnus'' and ``No Gnus''. @xref{Gnus Versions}.
26922 After futzing around for 10-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26923 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26924 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.10.1'' instead. Normal people are
26925 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26926 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup. This newgroup is mirrored to the
26927 mailing list @samp{info-gnus-english@@gnu.org} which is carried on Gmane
26928 as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.user}. These releases are finally integrated
26932 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26933 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26934 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26935 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26936 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26938 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26939 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26940 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26941 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26942 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26943 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26944 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26945 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26946 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26947 can't be assumed to do so.
26949 So if you have problems with or questions about the alpha versions,
26950 direct those to the ding mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}. This list
26951 is also available on Gmane as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.general}.
26954 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26955 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26956 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26957 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26958 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26961 @subsection Contributors
26962 @cindex contributors
26964 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
26965 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
26966 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
26967 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
26968 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
26969 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
26970 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
26971 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
26972 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
26973 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
26975 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
26981 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
26984 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
26985 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
26986 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
26987 functionality and stuff.
26990 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
26991 well as numerous other things).
26994 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
26997 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
27000 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
27003 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
27006 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
27007 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
27010 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
27013 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
27016 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
27019 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
27022 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
27025 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
27028 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
27029 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
27032 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
27035 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
27038 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
27041 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
27045 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
27048 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
27051 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
27054 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
27055 well as autoconf support.
27059 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
27060 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
27062 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
27077 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
27079 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
27083 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
27093 Alexei V. Barantsev,
27108 Massimo Campostrini,
27113 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
27114 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
27118 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
27121 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
27127 Michael Welsh Duggan,
27132 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
27136 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
27144 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
27146 Michelangelo Grigni,
27150 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
27152 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
27154 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
27162 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
27163 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
27164 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
27166 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
27176 Peter Skov Knudsen,
27177 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
27179 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
27180 Thor Kristoffersen,
27183 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
27201 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
27202 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
27209 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
27214 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
27218 John McClary Prevost,
27224 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
27229 Christian von Roques,
27232 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
27239 Philippe Schnoebelen,
27241 Randal L. Schwartz,
27255 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
27260 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
27280 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
27281 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
27282 (550kB and counting).
27284 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
27287 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
27288 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
27292 @subsection New Features
27293 @cindex new features
27296 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
27297 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
27298 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
27299 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
27300 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
27301 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
27302 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
27305 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
27306 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
27307 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
27310 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
27312 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
27317 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
27318 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
27321 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
27322 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
27325 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
27328 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
27329 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
27330 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
27333 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
27334 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
27335 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
27336 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27339 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
27340 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27343 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
27344 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
27345 (@pxref{The Active File}).
27348 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
27349 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
27352 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
27353 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
27354 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27357 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
27358 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
27359 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
27362 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
27363 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
27366 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
27367 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
27370 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
27371 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27374 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
27375 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
27378 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
27379 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27382 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
27385 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
27386 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
27389 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
27390 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
27393 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
27394 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
27397 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
27400 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
27401 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27404 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
27408 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
27412 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
27413 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
27416 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
27422 @node September Gnus
27423 @subsubsection September Gnus
27427 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
27431 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
27436 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
27437 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
27441 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
27442 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
27446 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
27450 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
27451 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
27454 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
27458 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
27461 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
27464 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
27467 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
27471 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
27472 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
27475 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
27479 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
27483 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
27487 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
27491 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
27494 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
27495 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
27498 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
27502 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
27503 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
27506 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
27509 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
27510 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
27511 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27514 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets.
27517 The Gnus cache is much faster.
27520 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
27524 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
27525 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
27528 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
27529 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
27532 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
27533 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
27536 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
27537 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
27538 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
27541 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
27542 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
27545 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
27548 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27551 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
27554 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
27557 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
27558 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
27561 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
27565 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
27568 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
27573 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
27576 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
27580 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27583 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
27587 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
27590 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
27593 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
27594 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27597 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
27598 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
27602 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
27603 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
27606 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
27610 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
27611 buffer to allow easier treatment.
27614 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
27617 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
27621 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
27625 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
27626 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
27629 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
27633 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
27634 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27637 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
27638 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27641 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
27645 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27648 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
27651 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
27657 @subsubsection Red Gnus
27659 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
27663 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
27670 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
27673 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
27674 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27677 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
27678 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
27682 Article washing status can be displayed in the
27683 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
27686 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
27689 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
27690 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
27693 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
27697 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
27698 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
27702 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
27703 Server Internals}).
27706 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
27710 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
27713 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
27714 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
27717 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
27718 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
27719 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
27722 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
27723 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27726 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
27727 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
27730 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
27734 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
27735 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27738 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
27739 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27742 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
27746 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
27749 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
27753 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
27754 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27757 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
27758 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27761 A new command for reading collections of documents
27762 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
27763 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
27766 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
27770 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
27771 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
27774 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
27775 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
27776 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
27779 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
27780 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
27784 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
27788 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
27792 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
27797 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
27801 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
27805 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
27806 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
27809 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
27815 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
27817 New features in Gnus 5.6:
27822 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
27823 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
27824 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
27827 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
27828 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
27829 group, which is created automatically.
27832 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
27836 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
27839 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
27840 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
27843 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
27847 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
27850 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
27851 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
27854 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
27857 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
27861 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
27862 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
27865 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
27866 control over simplification.
27869 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
27872 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
27876 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
27879 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
27882 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
27883 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
27884 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
27887 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
27888 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
27891 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
27895 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
27896 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
27899 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
27900 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
27903 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27907 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27910 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27913 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27914 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27917 A new function for citing in Message has been
27918 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27921 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27924 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27928 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27929 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27932 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27933 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27936 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27939 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27943 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27944 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27946 New features in Gnus 5.8:
27951 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
27952 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
27954 If you used procmail like in
27957 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
27958 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
27959 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
27960 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
27963 this now has changed to
27967 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
27971 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
27974 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
27975 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
27978 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
27979 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
27982 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
27983 called to position point.
27986 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
27987 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
27990 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
27991 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
27994 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
27995 subtly different manner.
27998 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
27999 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
28000 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
28003 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
28008 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
28011 New features in Gnus 5.10:
28015 @item Installation changes
28016 @c ***********************
28020 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
28022 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
28023 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
28024 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
28025 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
28026 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
28027 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
28028 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
28029 isn't save in general.
28032 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
28033 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
28034 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
28035 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
28036 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
28037 remove-installed-shadows}.
28040 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
28042 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
28043 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
28044 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, if you want
28045 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
28046 the second parameter.
28048 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
28049 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
28050 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
28051 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
28052 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
28053 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
28054 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
28055 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
28056 cycle used under Unix systems.
28058 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
28059 superfluous, so they have been removed.
28062 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
28064 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
28065 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
28068 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
28069 @c the repository. We should find a better place for this item.
28071 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
28073 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
28074 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
28075 lisp directory into load-path.
28077 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
28078 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
28082 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
28083 @c *****************************************
28088 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
28089 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
28092 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
28094 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
28095 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
28096 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
28097 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
28100 Improved anti-spam features.
28102 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
28103 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
28104 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
28105 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
28106 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
28107 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
28110 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
28112 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
28113 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
28114 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
28115 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
28116 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
28120 @item Changes in group mode
28121 @c ************************
28126 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
28130 Retrieval of charters and control messages
28132 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
28133 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
28136 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
28138 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
28139 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
28140 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
28141 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
28142 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
28145 (setq gnus-parameters
28147 (gnus-show-threads nil)
28148 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
28149 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
28150 (to-group . "\\1"))))
28154 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
28156 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
28157 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
28158 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
28159 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
28160 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
28161 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
28162 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
28163 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
28164 when getting new mail, remove the function.
28167 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
28169 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
28170 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
28171 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
28174 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
28175 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
28177 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
28178 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
28179 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
28181 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
28185 Old intermediate incoming mail files (@file{Incoming*}) are deleted
28186 after a couple of days, not immediately. @xref{Mail Source
28187 Customization}. (New in Gnus 5.10.10 / Emacs 22.2)
28191 @item Changes in summary and article mode
28192 @c **************************************
28197 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
28198 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
28199 region if the region is active.
28202 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
28203 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
28208 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
28209 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
28210 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
28211 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
28214 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
28219 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
28220 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
28222 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
28223 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
28227 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
28228 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
28231 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
28234 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
28235 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
28238 Warn about email replies to news
28240 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
28241 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
28245 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
28246 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
28250 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
28251 opposed to old but unread messages).
28254 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
28255 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
28258 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
28259 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
28262 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
28263 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
28266 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
28268 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
28269 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
28270 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
28271 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
28274 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
28275 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
28276 Outlook (Express) articles.
28279 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
28281 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
28282 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
28283 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
28284 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
28286 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
28287 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
28288 message cited below.
28291 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
28294 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
28298 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
28301 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
28302 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
28305 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
28308 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
28310 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
28311 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
28312 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
28313 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
28314 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
28318 Deleting of attachments.
28320 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
28321 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
28322 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
28323 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
28324 that support editing.
28327 @code{gnus-default-charset}
28329 The default value is determined from the
28330 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
28331 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
28332 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
28335 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
28337 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
28338 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
28339 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
28342 Extended format specs.
28344 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
28345 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
28346 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
28347 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
28348 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
28349 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
28352 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
28353 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
28355 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
28356 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
28357 out other articles.
28360 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
28362 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
28363 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
28364 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
28365 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
28368 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
28372 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
28373 @c ****************************************************
28380 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
28381 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
28382 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
28385 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
28386 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
28389 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
28390 Gcc articles as read.
28393 Externalizing of attachments
28395 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
28396 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
28397 local files as external parts.
28400 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
28401 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
28404 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
28406 Earlier it was generated when the user configurable email address was
28407 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
28408 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
28409 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
28410 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
28411 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
28412 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
28413 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
28414 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
28417 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
28419 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
28420 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
28421 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
28422 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
28423 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
28424 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
28427 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
28428 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
28432 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
28435 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
28437 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
28438 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
28439 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
28440 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
28441 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
28442 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
28443 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
28444 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
28445 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
28446 was inserted directly.
28449 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
28451 @c FIXME should that not be 'message-user-agent?
28452 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
28453 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
28454 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
28455 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
28458 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
28460 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
28462 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
28463 'bbdb-complete-name)
28467 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
28469 Add a new format of match like
28471 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
28472 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28474 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
28476 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
28477 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28481 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
28483 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
28484 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
28485 need add those two headers too.
28488 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
28489 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
28490 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
28494 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
28495 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
28496 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
28497 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
28498 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
28501 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
28503 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
28506 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
28508 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
28512 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
28514 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
28515 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
28516 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
28517 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
28518 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
28519 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
28520 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
28521 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
28524 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
28525 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
28527 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
28528 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
28529 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
28530 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
28533 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
28536 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
28537 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
28540 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
28543 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
28544 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
28545 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
28546 invalidate the digital signature.
28549 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
28550 decompressed when activated.
28551 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
28554 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
28556 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
28557 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
28558 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
28559 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
28560 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
28563 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
28564 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
28565 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
28566 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.1)
28568 @item @code{auto-fill-mode} is enabled by default in Message mode.
28569 See @code{message-fill-column}. @xref{Various Message Variables, ,
28570 Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
28571 @c New in Gnus 5.10.12 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.3)
28575 @item Changes in back ends
28576 @c ***********************
28580 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
28583 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
28586 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
28588 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
28591 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
28593 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
28594 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
28595 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
28596 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
28597 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
28598 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
28599 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
28600 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
28601 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
28602 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
28603 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
28613 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
28614 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
28617 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
28618 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
28619 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
28620 message, Message Manual}).
28623 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
28624 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars: @kbd{M-x
28625 customize-apropos RET -tool-bar$} should get you started. This is a new
28626 feature in Gnus 5.10.10. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
28628 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
28629 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
28630 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
28635 @item Miscellaneous changes
28636 @c ************************
28643 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
28644 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
28645 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
28646 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
28647 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
28648 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
28649 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
28650 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
28651 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
28652 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
28653 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
28654 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
28655 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
28656 is not needed any more.
28659 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
28661 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
28662 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
28663 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
28668 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
28669 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
28670 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
28674 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
28677 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
28679 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
28686 @subsubsection No Gnus
28689 New features in No Gnus:
28690 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
28692 @include gnus-news.texi
28698 @section The Manual
28702 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
28703 either @code{texi2dvi}
28705 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
28706 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
28708 to get what you hold in your hands now.
28710 The following conventions have been used:
28715 This is a @samp{string}
28718 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
28721 This is a @file{file}
28724 This is a @code{symbol}
28728 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
28732 (setq flargnoze "yes")
28735 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
28738 (setq flumphel 'yes)
28741 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
28742 ever get them confused.
28746 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
28747 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
28748 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
28749 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
28750 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
28751 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
28752 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
28758 @node On Writing Manuals
28759 @section On Writing Manuals
28761 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
28762 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
28763 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
28764 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
28765 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
28766 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code go hand
28769 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
28770 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
28771 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
28774 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
28775 reference manual as source material. It would look quite different.
28780 @section Terminology
28782 @cindex terminology
28787 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
28788 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
28789 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
28790 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
28791 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
28795 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
28796 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
28797 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
28798 not posting, and replying is not following up.
28802 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
28806 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
28811 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
28812 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
28813 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
28814 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
28815 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
28816 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
28817 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
28818 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
28819 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
28822 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
28823 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
28824 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
28825 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
28826 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
28827 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
28829 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
28830 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
28831 access the articles.
28833 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
28834 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
28835 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
28840 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
28841 default, way of getting news.
28845 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
28846 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
28851 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
28852 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
28856 A message that has been posted as news.
28859 @cindex mail message
28860 A message that has been mailed.
28864 A mail message or news article
28868 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
28873 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
28878 A line from the head of an article.
28882 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
28883 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
28885 @item @acronym{NOV}
28886 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
28887 @acronym{NOV} stands for News OverView, which is a type of news server
28888 header which provide datas containing the condensed header information
28889 of articles. They are produced by the server itself; in the @code{nntp}
28890 back end Gnus uses the ones that the @acronym{NNTP} server makes, but
28891 Gnus makes them by itself for some backends (in particular, @code{nnml}).
28893 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
28894 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
28895 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
28896 normal @sc{head} format.
28898 The @acronym{NOV} data consist of one or more text lines (@pxref{Text
28899 Lines, ,Motion by Text Lines, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual})
28900 where each line has the header information of one article. The header
28901 information is a tab-separated series of the header's contents including
28902 an article number, a subject, an author, a date, a message-id,
28905 Those data enable Gnus to generate summary lines quickly. However, if
28906 the server does not support @acronym{NOV} or you disable it purposely or
28907 for some reason, Gnus will try to generate the header information by
28908 parsing each article's headers one by one. It will take time.
28909 Therefore, it is not usually a good idea to set nn*-nov-is-evil
28910 (@pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}) to a non-@code{nil} value unless you
28911 know that the server makes wrong @acronym{NOV} data.
28915 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
28916 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
28917 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
28918 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
28919 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
28920 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
28922 @item killed groups
28923 @cindex killed groups
28924 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
28925 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
28927 @item zombie groups
28928 @cindex zombie groups
28929 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
28932 @cindex active file
28933 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
28934 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
28935 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28938 @cindex bogus groups
28939 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28940 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28941 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28944 @cindex activating groups
28945 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28946 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28947 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
28951 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
28952 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
28953 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
28957 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
28959 @item select method
28960 @cindex select method
28961 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
28964 @item virtual server
28965 @cindex virtual server
28966 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
28967 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
28968 whole is a virtual server.
28972 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
28973 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
28976 @item ephemeral groups
28977 @cindex ephemeral groups
28978 @cindex temporary groups
28979 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
28980 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
28981 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
28984 @cindex solid groups
28985 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
28986 group buffer are solid groups.
28988 @item sparse articles
28989 @cindex sparse articles
28990 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
28991 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
28995 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
28996 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
29000 @cindex thread root
29001 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
29002 articles in the thread.
29006 An article that has responses.
29010 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
29014 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
29015 specified by RFC 1153.
29018 @cindex splitting, terminology
29019 @cindex mail sorting
29020 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
29021 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
29022 incorrectly called mail filtering.
29028 @node Customization
29029 @section Customization
29030 @cindex general customization
29032 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
29033 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
29034 for some quite common situations.
29037 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
29038 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
29039 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
29040 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
29044 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
29045 @subsection Slow/Expensive Connection
29047 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
29048 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
29049 Gnus has to get from the server.
29053 @item gnus-read-active-file
29054 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
29055 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
29056 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
29057 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
29058 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
29060 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
29061 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
29062 Usually this one must @emph{always} be @code{nil} (which is the
29063 default). If, for example, you wish to not use @acronym{NOV}
29064 (@pxref{Terminology}) with the @code{nntp} back end (@pxref{Crosspost
29065 Handling}), set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to a non-@code{nil} value
29066 instead of setting this. But you normally do not need to set
29067 @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} since Gnus by itself will detect whether the
29068 @acronym{NNTP} server supports @acronym{NOV}. Anyway, grabbing article
29069 headers from the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast if you tell
29070 Gnus not to use @acronym{NOV}.
29072 As the variables for the other back ends, there are
29073 @code{nndiary-nov-is-evil}, @code{nndir-nov-is-evil},
29074 @code{nnfolder-nov-is-evil}, @code{nnimap-nov-is-evil},
29075 @code{nnml-nov-is-evil}, and @code{nnspool-nov-is-evil}. Note that a
29076 non-@code{nil} value for @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} overrides all those
29081 @node Slow Terminal Connection
29082 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
29084 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
29085 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
29086 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
29090 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
29091 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
29092 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
29093 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
29094 horizontal and vertical recentering.
29096 @item gnus-visible-headers
29097 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
29098 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
29099 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
29100 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
29102 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
29104 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
29105 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
29106 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
29109 @item gnus-use-full-window
29110 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
29111 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
29112 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
29113 want to read them anyway.
29115 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
29116 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
29120 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
29121 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
29122 lines, which might save some time.
29126 @node Little Disk Space
29127 @subsection Little Disk Space
29130 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
29131 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
29135 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
29136 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
29137 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
29138 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
29141 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
29142 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
29143 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
29144 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
29147 @item gnus-save-killed-list
29148 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
29149 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
29150 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
29151 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
29157 @subsection Slow Machine
29158 @cindex slow machine
29160 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
29161 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
29163 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
29164 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
29166 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
29167 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
29168 summary buffer faster. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
29172 @node Troubleshooting
29173 @section Troubleshooting
29174 @cindex troubleshooting
29176 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
29184 Make sure your computer is switched on.
29187 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
29188 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
29192 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
29194 @samp{No Gnus v0.10} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
29196 you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
29197 files lying around. Delete these.
29200 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
29201 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
29204 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
29205 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
29206 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
29207 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
29208 something like that.
29211 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
29214 @cindex reporting bugs
29216 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
29218 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
29219 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
29220 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
29221 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
29223 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
29224 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
29225 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
29226 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
29229 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
29230 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
29231 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
29232 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
29233 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
29234 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
29236 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
29237 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
29238 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
29242 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
29243 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
29246 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
29247 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
29248 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
29249 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
29250 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
29251 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
29252 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
29253 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
29254 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
29255 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
29256 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
29257 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
29258 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
29259 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
29264 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
29265 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
29266 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
29267 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
29268 helps isolating the real problem areas).
29270 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
29271 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
29272 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
29273 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
29274 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
29275 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
29276 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
29277 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
29278 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
29279 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
29280 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
29281 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
29282 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
29285 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
29286 @cindex ding mailing list
29287 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
29288 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
29289 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
29290 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
29294 @node Gnus Reference Guide
29295 @section Gnus Reference Guide
29297 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
29298 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
29299 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
29300 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
29303 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
29304 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
29305 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
29306 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
29307 and general methods of operation.
29310 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
29311 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
29312 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
29313 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
29314 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
29315 * Group Info:: The group info format.
29316 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
29317 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
29318 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
29322 @node Gnus Utility Functions
29323 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
29324 @cindex Gnus utility functions
29325 @cindex utility functions
29327 @cindex internal variables
29329 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
29330 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
29331 Below is a list of the most common ones.
29335 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
29336 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
29337 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
29339 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
29340 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
29341 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
29343 @item gnus-group-real-name
29344 @findex gnus-group-real-name
29345 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
29348 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
29349 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
29350 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
29351 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
29353 @item gnus-get-info
29354 @findex gnus-get-info
29355 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
29357 @item gnus-group-unread
29358 @findex gnus-group-unread
29359 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
29363 @findex gnus-active
29364 The active entry for @var{group}.
29366 @item gnus-set-active
29367 @findex gnus-set-active
29368 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
29370 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29371 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29372 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
29375 @item gnus-continuum-version
29376 @findex gnus-continuum-version
29377 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
29378 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
29381 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
29382 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
29383 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
29385 @item gnus-news-group-p
29386 @findex gnus-news-group-p
29387 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
29389 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29390 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29391 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
29393 @item gnus-server-to-method
29394 @findex gnus-server-to-method
29395 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
29397 @item gnus-server-equal
29398 @findex gnus-server-equal
29399 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
29401 @item gnus-group-native-p
29402 @findex gnus-group-native-p
29403 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
29405 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
29406 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
29407 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
29409 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
29410 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
29411 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
29413 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
29414 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
29415 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
29416 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
29418 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
29419 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
29420 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
29422 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
29423 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
29424 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
29426 @item gnus-check-backend-function
29427 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
29428 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
29429 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
29432 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
29436 @item gnus-read-method
29437 @findex gnus-read-method
29438 Prompts the user for a select method.
29443 @node Back End Interface
29444 @subsection Back End Interface
29446 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
29447 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
29448 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
29449 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
29450 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
29451 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
29453 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
29454 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
29455 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
29456 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
29457 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
29458 been opened, the function should fail.
29460 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
29461 name. Take this example:
29465 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
29466 (nntp-port-number 4324))
29469 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
29470 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
29472 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
29473 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
29474 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
29476 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
29477 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
29478 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
29480 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
29481 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
29482 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
29483 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
29484 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
29485 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
29488 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
29489 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
29490 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
29491 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
29494 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
29495 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
29496 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
29497 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
29498 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
29499 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
29500 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
29501 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
29502 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
29503 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
29505 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
29506 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
29507 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
29508 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
29509 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
29510 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
29511 of numbers as long as possible.
29513 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
29514 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
29515 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
29517 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
29520 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
29523 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
29524 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
29525 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
29526 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
29527 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
29528 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
29532 @node Required Back End Functions
29533 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
29537 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
29539 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
29540 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
29541 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
29542 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
29544 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
29545 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
29546 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
29547 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
29549 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
29550 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
29551 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
29552 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
29553 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
29554 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
29555 number, do maximum fetches.
29557 Here's an example HEAD:
29560 221 1056 Article retrieved.
29561 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
29562 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
29563 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
29564 Subject: Re: Something very droll
29565 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
29566 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
29568 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
29569 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
29570 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
29574 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
29575 these in the data buffer.
29577 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
29581 head = error / valid-head
29582 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
29583 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
29584 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
29585 header = <text> eol
29589 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
29591 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
29592 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
29596 nov-buffer = *nov-line
29597 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
29598 field = <text except TAB>
29601 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
29605 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
29607 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
29608 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
29610 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
29611 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
29612 server. In fact, it should do so.
29614 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
29615 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
29618 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
29620 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
29621 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
29624 There should be no data returned.
29627 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
29629 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
29630 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
29631 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
29632 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
29634 There should be no data returned.
29637 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
29639 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
29640 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
29641 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
29642 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
29644 There should be no data returned.
29647 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
29649 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
29651 There should be no data returned.
29654 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
29656 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
29657 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
29658 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
29659 it would be nice if that were possible.
29661 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
29662 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
29663 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
29664 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
29665 into its article buffer.
29667 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
29668 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
29669 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
29670 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
29671 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
29672 on successful article retrieval.
29675 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
29677 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
29678 making @var{group} the current group.
29680 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
29683 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
29686 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
29689 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
29690 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
29691 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
29692 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
29693 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
29694 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
29695 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
29696 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
29697 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
29701 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
29702 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
29703 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
29707 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29709 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
29710 a no-op on most back ends.
29712 There should be no data returned.
29715 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
29717 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
29720 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
29723 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
29724 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
29727 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
29728 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
29729 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
29730 and the highest as 0.
29733 active-file = *active-line
29734 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
29736 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
29739 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
29740 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
29741 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
29744 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
29746 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
29747 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
29748 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
29749 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
29750 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
29751 clear if the posting could not be completed.
29753 There should be no result data from this function.
29758 @node Optional Back End Functions
29759 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
29763 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
29765 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
29766 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
29767 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
29769 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
29770 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
29771 former is in the same format as the data from
29772 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
29773 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
29776 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
29780 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
29782 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
29783 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
29784 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
29785 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
29786 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
29787 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
29788 the network resources).
29790 There should be no result data from this function.
29793 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
29795 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
29796 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
29797 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
29798 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
29799 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
29800 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
29801 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
29802 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
29804 There should be no result data from this function.
29807 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
29809 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
29810 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
29811 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
29812 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
29813 propagate the mark information to the server.
29815 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
29818 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
29821 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
29822 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
29823 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
29824 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
29825 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
29826 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
29827 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
29828 possible, not limit itself to these.
29830 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
29831 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
29832 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
29833 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
29835 An example action list:
29838 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
29839 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
29840 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
29843 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
29844 mark on (currently not used for anything).
29846 There should be no result data from this function.
29848 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
29850 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
29851 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
29852 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
29853 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
29854 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
29856 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
29857 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
29858 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
29861 There should be no result data from this function.
29864 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
29866 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
29867 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
29868 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
29869 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
29870 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
29871 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
29872 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
29873 local if that's practical.
29875 There should be no result data from this function.
29878 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
29880 The result data from this function should be a description of
29884 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
29886 description = <text>
29889 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
29891 The result data from this function should be the description of all
29892 groups available on the server.
29895 description-buffer = *description-line
29899 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
29901 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
29902 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
29903 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
29904 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
29905 in the active buffer format.
29907 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
29908 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
29909 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
29910 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
29911 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
29912 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
29913 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
29916 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29918 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
29920 There should be no return data.
29923 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
29925 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
29926 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
29927 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
29928 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
29929 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
29932 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
29935 There should be no result data returned.
29938 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
29940 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
29941 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
29943 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
29944 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
29945 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
29946 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
29947 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
29948 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
29950 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
29951 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
29954 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29955 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29957 There should be no data returned.
29960 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
29962 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
29963 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
29964 this function in short order.
29966 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29967 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29969 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
29970 article for that group.
29972 There should be no data returned.
29975 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
29977 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
29978 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
29980 There should be no data returned.
29983 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
29985 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
29986 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
29987 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
29989 There should be no data returned.
29992 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
29994 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
29995 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
29997 There should be no data returned.
30002 @node Error Messaging
30003 @subsubsection Error Messaging
30005 @findex nnheader-report
30006 @findex nnheader-get-report
30007 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
30008 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
30009 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
30010 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
30011 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
30012 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
30015 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
30017 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
30020 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
30021 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
30022 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
30023 takes one argument---the server symbol.
30025 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
30026 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
30027 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
30030 @node Writing New Back Ends
30031 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
30033 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
30034 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
30035 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
30036 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
30037 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
30040 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
30041 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
30042 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
30044 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
30045 package called @code{nnoo}.
30047 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
30048 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
30054 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
30055 parameters. For instance:
30058 (nnoo-declare nndir
30062 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
30063 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
30066 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
30067 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
30068 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
30070 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
30071 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
30072 a function in those back ends.
30075 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
30076 "Where nndir will look for groups."
30077 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
30080 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
30081 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
30082 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
30084 @item nnoo-define-basics
30085 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
30089 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
30093 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
30094 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
30095 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
30097 @item nnoo-map-functions
30098 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
30099 functions from the parent back ends.
30102 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
30103 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30104 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
30107 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
30108 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
30109 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
30110 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
30113 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
30114 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
30115 haven't already been defined.
30121 nnmh-request-newgroups)
30125 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
30126 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
30127 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
30132 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
30135 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
30136 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
30140 (require 'nnheader)
30144 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
30146 (nnoo-declare nndir
30149 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
30150 "Where nndir will look for groups."
30151 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
30153 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
30154 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
30157 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
30159 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
30160 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
30161 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
30163 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
30164 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
30166 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
30168 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
30170 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
30171 (setq nndir-directory
30172 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
30174 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
30175 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
30176 (push `(nndir-current-group
30177 ,(file-name-nondirectory
30178 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
30180 (push `(nndir-top-directory
30181 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
30183 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
30185 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
30186 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30187 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30188 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
30189 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
30193 nnmh-status-message
30195 nnmh-request-newgroups))
30201 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
30202 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
30204 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
30205 @findex gnus-declare-backend
30206 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
30207 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
30208 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
30210 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
30211 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
30216 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
30219 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
30221 The abilities can be:
30225 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
30227 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
30229 This back end supports both mail and news.
30231 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
30234 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
30235 articles and groups.
30237 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
30238 true for almost all back ends.
30239 @item prompt-address
30240 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
30241 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
30242 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
30246 @node Mail-like Back Ends
30247 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
30249 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
30250 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
30251 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
30252 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
30255 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
30256 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
30257 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
30260 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
30261 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
30264 This function takes four parameters.
30268 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
30271 @item exit-function
30272 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
30274 @item temp-directory
30275 Where the temporary files should be stored.
30278 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
30279 performed for one group only.
30282 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
30283 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
30284 find the article number assigned to this article.
30286 The function also uses the following variables:
30287 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
30288 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
30289 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
30290 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
30294 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
30295 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
30299 @node Score File Syntax
30300 @subsection Score File Syntax
30302 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
30303 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
30304 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
30306 Here's a typical score file:
30310 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
30317 BNF definition of a score file:
30320 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
30321 element = rule / atom
30322 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
30323 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
30324 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
30325 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
30327 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
30328 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
30329 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
30330 date-header = "date"
30331 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30332 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30333 score = "nil" / <integer>
30334 date = "nil" / <natural number>
30335 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
30336 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
30337 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
30338 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
30339 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30340 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30341 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
30342 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30343 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
30344 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
30345 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
30346 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
30347 exclude-files / read-only / touched
30348 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
30349 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
30350 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
30351 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
30352 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
30353 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
30354 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
30355 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
30356 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
30357 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
30358 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
30359 eval = "eval" space <form>
30360 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
30363 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
30366 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
30367 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
30368 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
30369 one looong line, then that's ok.
30371 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
30372 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
30376 @subsection Headers
30378 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
30379 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
30380 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
30381 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
30383 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
30384 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
30385 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
30386 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
30387 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
30388 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
30389 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
30391 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
30392 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
30393 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
30394 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
30395 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
30397 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
30398 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
30404 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
30405 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
30407 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
30408 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
30409 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
30410 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
30412 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
30416 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
30419 is transformed into
30422 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
30425 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
30426 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
30429 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
30432 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
30433 is slightly tricky:
30436 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
30442 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
30445 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
30451 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
30458 and is equal to the previous range.
30460 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
30461 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
30462 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
30466 range = simple-range / normal-range
30467 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
30468 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
30469 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
30470 number *[ " " contents ]
30473 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
30474 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
30475 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
30476 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
30477 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
30482 @subsection Group Info
30484 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
30485 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
30486 describes the group.
30488 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
30489 second is a more complex one:
30492 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
30494 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
30495 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
30497 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
30500 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
30501 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
30502 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
30503 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
30504 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
30505 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
30506 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
30507 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
30508 this section is about.
30510 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
30511 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
30512 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
30514 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
30517 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
30518 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
30519 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30520 group = quote <string> quote
30521 ralevel = rank / level
30522 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30523 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
30524 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30526 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
30527 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
30528 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
30529 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
30532 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
30533 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
30536 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
30537 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
30540 @item gnus-info-group
30541 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
30542 @findex gnus-info-group
30543 @findex gnus-info-set-group
30544 Get/set the group name.
30546 @item gnus-info-rank
30547 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
30548 @findex gnus-info-rank
30549 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
30550 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
30552 @item gnus-info-level
30553 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
30554 @findex gnus-info-level
30555 @findex gnus-info-set-level
30556 Get/set the group level.
30558 @item gnus-info-score
30559 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
30560 @findex gnus-info-score
30561 @findex gnus-info-set-score
30562 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
30564 @item gnus-info-read
30565 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
30566 @findex gnus-info-read
30567 @findex gnus-info-set-read
30568 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
30570 @item gnus-info-marks
30571 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
30572 @findex gnus-info-marks
30573 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
30574 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
30576 @item gnus-info-method
30577 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
30578 @findex gnus-info-method
30579 @findex gnus-info-set-method
30580 Get/set the group select method.
30582 @item gnus-info-params
30583 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
30584 @findex gnus-info-params
30585 @findex gnus-info-set-params
30586 Get/set the group parameters.
30589 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
30590 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
30592 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
30593 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
30594 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
30595 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
30598 @node Extended Interactive
30599 @subsection Extended Interactive
30600 @cindex interactive
30601 @findex gnus-interactive
30603 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
30604 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
30605 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
30608 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
30609 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
30614 The best thing to do would have been to implement
30615 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
30616 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
30617 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
30618 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
30619 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
30620 @code{interactive}.
30622 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
30627 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
30628 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
30632 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
30633 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
30634 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
30637 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
30641 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
30645 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
30651 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
30652 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
30656 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
30657 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
30658 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
30660 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
30661 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
30662 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
30663 Gnus, that's very useful.
30665 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
30666 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
30667 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
30668 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
30669 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
30670 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
30671 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
30672 following function:
30675 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
30679 (,function ,@@args))
30683 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
30684 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
30685 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
30688 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
30689 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
30690 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
30692 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
30693 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
30694 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
30697 @node Various File Formats
30698 @subsection Various File Formats
30701 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
30702 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
30706 @node Active File Format
30707 @subsubsection Active File Format
30709 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
30710 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
30713 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
30716 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
30717 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
30718 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
30719 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
30720 no.general 1000 900 y
30723 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
30726 active = *group-line
30727 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
30728 group = <non-white-space string>
30730 high-number = <non-negative integer>
30731 low-number = <positive integer>
30732 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
30735 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
30736 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
30739 @node Newsgroups File Format
30740 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
30742 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
30743 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
30744 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
30747 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
30748 Here's the definition:
30752 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
30753 group = <non-white-space string>
30755 description = <string>
30760 @node Emacs for Heathens
30761 @section Emacs for Heathens
30763 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
30764 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
30765 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
30766 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
30767 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
30768 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
30769 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
30773 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
30774 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
30779 @subsection Keystrokes
30783 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
30786 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
30789 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
30790 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
30791 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
30792 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
30793 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
30794 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
30796 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
30797 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
30798 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
30799 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
30800 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
30801 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
30802 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
30804 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
30805 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
30806 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
30807 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
30808 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
30809 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
30810 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
30812 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
30813 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
30814 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
30815 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
30816 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
30822 @subsection Emacs Lisp
30824 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
30825 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
30826 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
30827 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
30829 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
30830 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
30831 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
30832 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
30833 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
30834 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
30835 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
30836 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
30837 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
30838 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
30840 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
30841 write the following:
30844 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
30847 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
30848 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
30849 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
30850 change how Gnus works.
30852 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
30853 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
30854 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
30855 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
30856 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
30858 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
30859 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
30860 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
30864 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
30868 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
30871 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
30872 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
30875 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
30878 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
30879 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
30882 @include gnus-faq.texi
30884 @node GNU Free Documentation License
30885 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
30886 @include doclicense.texi
30904 @c Local Variables:
30906 @c coding: iso-8859-1