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10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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266 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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275 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
278 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
279 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
280 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
281 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
282 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
283 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
284 License'' in the Emacs manual.
286 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
287 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
288 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
290 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
291 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
292 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
293 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
301 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
303 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
305 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
306 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
307 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
308 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
309 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
310 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
311 License'' in the Emacs manual.
313 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
314 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
315 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
317 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
318 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
319 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
320 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
328 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
331 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
332 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
334 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
335 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
336 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
337 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
338 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
339 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
340 License'' in the Emacs manual.
342 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
343 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
344 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
346 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
347 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
348 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
349 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
358 @top The Gnus Newsreader
362 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
363 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
364 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
367 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.01.
378 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
379 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
381 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
382 being accused of plagiarism:
384 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
385 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
386 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
387 can even read news with it!
389 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
390 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
391 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
392 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
393 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
399 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
400 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
401 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
402 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
403 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
404 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
405 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
406 * Various:: General purpose settings.
407 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
408 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
409 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
410 * Key Index:: Key Index.
413 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
417 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
418 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
419 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
420 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
421 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
422 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
423 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
424 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
425 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
426 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
427 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
431 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
432 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
433 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
437 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
438 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
439 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
440 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
441 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
442 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
443 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
444 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
445 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
446 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
447 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
448 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
449 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
450 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
451 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
452 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
453 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
457 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
458 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
459 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
463 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
464 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
465 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
466 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
467 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
471 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
472 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
473 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
474 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
478 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
479 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
480 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
481 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
482 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
483 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
484 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
485 * Threading:: How threads are made.
486 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
487 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
488 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
489 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
490 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
491 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
492 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
493 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
494 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
495 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
496 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
497 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
498 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
499 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
500 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
501 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
502 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
503 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
504 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
505 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
506 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
508 Summary Buffer Format
510 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
511 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
512 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
513 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
517 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
518 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
520 Reply, Followup and Post
522 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
523 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
524 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
525 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
529 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
530 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
531 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
532 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
533 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
534 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
538 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
539 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
541 Customizing Threading
543 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
544 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
545 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
546 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
550 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
551 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
552 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
553 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
554 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
555 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
559 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
560 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
561 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
565 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
566 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
567 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
568 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
569 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
570 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
571 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
572 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
574 Alternative Approaches
576 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
577 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
579 Various Summary Stuff
581 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
582 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
583 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
584 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
588 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
589 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
590 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
591 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
592 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
596 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
597 * Post:: Posting and following up.
598 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
599 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
600 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
601 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
602 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
603 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
607 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
608 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
609 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
610 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
611 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
612 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
613 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
617 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
618 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
619 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
620 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
621 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
622 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
623 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
627 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
628 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
632 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
633 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
634 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
635 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
636 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
637 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
638 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
639 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
640 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
641 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
642 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
643 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
644 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
648 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
649 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
650 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
652 Choosing a Mail Backend
654 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
655 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
656 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
657 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
658 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
659 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
663 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
664 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
665 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
666 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
670 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
671 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
672 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
673 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
674 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
675 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
679 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
683 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
684 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
685 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
689 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
690 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
691 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
695 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
696 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
700 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
701 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
702 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
703 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
704 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
705 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
706 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
707 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
708 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
709 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
713 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
714 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
715 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
719 * Group Agent Commands::
720 * Summary Agent Commands::
721 * Server Agent Commands::
725 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
726 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
727 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
728 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
729 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
730 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
731 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
732 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
733 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
734 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
735 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
736 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
737 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
738 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
739 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
740 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
744 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
745 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
746 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
747 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
751 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
752 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
753 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
757 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
758 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
759 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
760 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
761 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
762 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
763 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
764 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
765 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
766 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
767 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
768 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
769 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
770 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
771 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
772 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
773 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
774 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
778 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
779 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
780 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
781 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
782 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
786 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
787 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
788 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
789 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
793 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
794 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
795 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
796 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
797 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
801 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
802 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
803 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
804 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
805 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
806 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
807 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
808 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
812 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
813 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
814 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
815 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
816 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
817 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
818 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
819 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
820 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
821 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
825 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
826 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
827 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
828 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
832 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
833 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
834 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
835 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
839 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
840 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
841 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
842 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
843 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
844 * Group Info:: The group info format.
845 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
846 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
847 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
851 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
852 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
853 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
854 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
855 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
856 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
860 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
861 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
865 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
866 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
872 @chapter Starting Gnus
877 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
878 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
881 @findex gnus-other-frame
882 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
883 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
884 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
886 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
887 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
888 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
890 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
891 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
894 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
895 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
896 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
897 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
898 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
899 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
900 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
901 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
902 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
903 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
904 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
908 @node Finding the News
909 @section Finding the News
912 @vindex gnus-select-method
914 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
915 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
916 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
917 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
920 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
921 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
924 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
927 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
930 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
933 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
934 certainly be much faster.
936 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
938 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
939 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
940 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
941 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
942 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
943 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
945 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
946 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
947 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
948 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
950 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
951 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
952 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
953 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
954 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
955 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
956 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
957 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
958 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
961 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
963 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
964 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
965 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
966 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
967 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
968 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
970 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
972 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
973 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
974 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
975 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
976 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
977 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
980 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
981 would typically set this variable to
984 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
989 @section The First Time
990 @cindex first time usage
992 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
993 be subscribed by default.
995 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
996 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
997 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
998 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1001 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1002 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1003 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1005 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1006 help you with most common problems.
1008 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1009 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1013 @node The Server is Down
1014 @section The Server is Down
1015 @cindex server errors
1017 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1018 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1019 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1021 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1022 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1023 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1024 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1025 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1026 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1027 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1029 @findex gnus-no-server
1030 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1032 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1033 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1034 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1035 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1036 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1037 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1042 @section Slave Gnusae
1045 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1046 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1047 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1048 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1050 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1051 @code{.newsrc} file.
1053 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1054 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1055 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1056 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1057 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1058 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1059 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1061 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1062 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1063 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1064 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1065 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1066 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1067 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1068 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1070 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1071 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1074 @node Fetching a Group
1075 @section Fetching a Group
1076 @cindex fetching a group
1078 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1079 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1080 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1081 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1082 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1083 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1089 @cindex subscription
1091 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1092 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1093 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1094 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1095 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1096 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1097 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1098 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1099 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1102 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1103 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1104 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1108 @node Checking New Groups
1109 @subsection Checking New Groups
1111 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1112 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1113 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1114 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1115 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1116 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1117 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1118 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1119 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1120 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1122 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1123 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1124 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1125 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1126 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1127 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1128 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1129 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1130 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1131 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1132 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1134 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1135 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1136 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1137 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1138 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1139 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1142 @node Subscription Methods
1143 @subsection Subscription Methods
1145 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1146 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1147 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1149 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1150 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1152 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1156 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1157 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1158 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1159 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1160 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1162 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1163 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1164 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1165 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1167 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1168 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1169 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1171 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1172 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1173 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1174 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1175 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1176 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1177 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1178 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1179 up. Or something like that.
1181 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1182 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1183 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1184 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1185 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1187 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1188 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1189 Kill all new groups.
1191 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1192 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1193 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1194 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1195 topic parameter that looks like
1201 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1204 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1209 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1210 A closely related variable is
1211 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1212 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1213 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1214 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1217 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1218 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1219 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1220 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1223 @node Filtering New Groups
1224 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1226 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1227 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1228 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1231 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1235 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1236 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1237 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1238 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1239 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1240 subscribing these groups.
1241 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1242 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1244 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1245 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1246 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1247 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1248 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1249 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1250 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1251 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1253 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1254 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1255 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1256 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1257 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1258 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1259 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1260 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1261 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1262 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1264 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1265 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1268 @node Changing Servers
1269 @section Changing Servers
1270 @cindex changing servers
1272 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1273 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1274 very flaky and you want to use another.
1276 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1277 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1281 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1282 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1283 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1284 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1287 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1288 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1289 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1290 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1292 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1293 @findex gnus-change-server
1294 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1295 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1296 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1297 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1298 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1300 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1301 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1302 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1303 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1304 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1306 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1307 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1308 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1309 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1310 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1311 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1313 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1314 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1315 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1319 @section Startup Files
1320 @cindex startup files
1325 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1326 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1328 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1329 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1330 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1331 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1332 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1333 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1334 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1336 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1337 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1338 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1339 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1340 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1341 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1343 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1344 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1345 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1346 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1347 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1348 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1349 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1350 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1351 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1352 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1354 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1355 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1356 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1357 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1358 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1359 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1360 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1361 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1362 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1363 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1364 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1365 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1367 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1368 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1369 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1370 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1372 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1373 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1374 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1375 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1376 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1377 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1378 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1379 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1380 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1381 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1384 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1385 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1387 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1388 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1391 @vindex gnus-init-file
1392 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1393 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1394 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1395 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1396 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1397 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1398 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1399 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1400 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1406 @cindex dribble file
1409 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1410 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1411 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1412 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1413 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1416 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1417 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1420 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1421 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1422 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1424 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1425 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1426 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1427 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1428 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1429 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1431 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1432 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1433 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1436 @node The Active File
1437 @section The Active File
1439 @cindex ignored groups
1441 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1442 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1443 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1445 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1446 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1447 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1448 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1449 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1450 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1451 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1454 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1455 @c if you set it to anything else.
1457 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1459 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1460 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1461 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1463 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1464 you actually subscribe to.
1466 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1467 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1468 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1469 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1471 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1472 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1473 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1474 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1475 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1476 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1478 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1479 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1480 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1482 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1483 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1484 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1485 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1486 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1487 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1489 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1490 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1492 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1493 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1495 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1496 secondary select methods.
1499 @node Startup Variables
1500 @section Startup Variables
1504 @item gnus-load-hook
1505 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1506 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1507 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1508 times you start Gnus.
1510 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1511 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1512 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1514 @item gnus-startup-hook
1515 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1516 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1518 @item gnus-started-hook
1519 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1520 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1523 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1524 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1525 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1526 generating the group buffer.
1528 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1529 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1530 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1531 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1532 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1533 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1534 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1535 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1537 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1538 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1539 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1540 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1541 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1542 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1544 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1545 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1546 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1548 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1549 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1550 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1552 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1553 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1554 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1555 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1560 @node The Group Buffer
1561 @chapter The Group Buffer
1562 @cindex group buffer
1564 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1565 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1566 long as Gnus is active.
1570 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1571 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1572 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1573 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1574 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1575 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1576 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1577 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1583 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1584 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1585 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1586 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1587 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1588 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1589 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1590 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1591 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1592 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1593 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1594 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1595 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1596 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1597 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1598 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1599 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1603 @node Group Buffer Format
1604 @section Group Buffer Format
1607 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1608 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1609 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1613 @node Group Line Specification
1614 @subsection Group Line Specification
1615 @cindex group buffer format
1617 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1618 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1620 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1623 25: news.announce.newusers
1624 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1629 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1630 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1631 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1632 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1634 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1635 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1636 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1637 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1638 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1639 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1641 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1643 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1644 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1645 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1646 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1649 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1650 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1651 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1653 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1658 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1661 Whether the group is subscribed.
1664 Level of subscribedness.
1667 Number of unread articles.
1670 Number of dormant articles.
1673 Number of ticked articles.
1676 Number of read articles.
1679 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1680 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1683 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1686 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1695 Newsgroup description.
1698 @samp{m} if moderated.
1701 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1710 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1714 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1717 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1718 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1719 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1720 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1721 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1724 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1726 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1730 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1734 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1735 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1736 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1737 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1738 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1739 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1744 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1745 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1746 group, or a bogus native group.
1749 @node Group Modeline Specification
1750 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1751 @cindex group modeline
1753 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1754 The mode line can be changed by setting
1755 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1756 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1760 The native news server.
1762 The native select method.
1766 @node Group Highlighting
1767 @subsection Group Highlighting
1768 @cindex highlighting
1769 @cindex group highlighting
1771 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1772 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1773 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1774 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1775 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1777 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1781 (cond (window-system
1782 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1783 (defface my-group-face-1
1784 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1785 (defface my-group-face-2
1786 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1787 (defface my-group-face-3
1788 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1789 (defface my-group-face-4
1790 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1791 (defface my-group-face-5
1792 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1794 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1795 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1796 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1797 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1798 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1799 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1802 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1804 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1811 The number of unread articles in the group.
1815 Whether the group is a mail group.
1817 The level of the group.
1819 The score of the group.
1821 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1823 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1824 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1826 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1827 topic being inserted.
1830 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1831 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1832 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1834 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1835 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1836 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1837 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1838 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1841 @node Group Maneuvering
1842 @section Group Maneuvering
1843 @cindex group movement
1845 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1846 expected, hopefully.
1852 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1853 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1854 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1860 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1861 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1862 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1866 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1867 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1871 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1872 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1876 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1877 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1878 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1882 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1883 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1884 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1887 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1893 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1894 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1895 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1900 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1901 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1902 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1906 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1907 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1908 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1911 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1912 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1913 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1914 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1918 @node Selecting a Group
1919 @section Selecting a Group
1920 @cindex group selection
1925 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1926 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1927 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1928 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1929 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1930 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1931 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1932 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1933 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1934 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1938 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1939 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1940 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1941 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1942 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1946 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1947 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1948 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1949 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1950 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1951 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1952 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1953 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1954 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1955 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1958 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1959 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1960 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1961 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1962 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1965 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1966 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1967 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1968 doing any processing of its contents
1969 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1970 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1971 manner will have no permanent effects.
1975 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1976 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1977 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1978 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1979 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1980 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1981 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1982 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1985 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1986 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1987 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1988 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1993 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1994 full summary buffer.
1997 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2000 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2005 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2006 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2007 Useful functions include:
2010 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2011 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2012 don't select the article.
2014 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2015 Select the first unread article.
2017 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2018 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2022 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2023 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2024 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2028 @node Subscription Commands
2029 @section Subscription Commands
2030 @cindex subscription
2038 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2039 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2040 Toggle subscription to the current group
2041 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2047 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2048 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2049 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2050 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2057 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2058 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2064 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2065 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2068 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2069 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2070 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2071 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2072 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2078 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2079 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2083 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2084 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2087 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2088 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2089 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2090 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2091 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2092 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2093 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2094 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2095 @file{.newsrc} file.
2099 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2109 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2110 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2111 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2112 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2113 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2114 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2119 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2120 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2121 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2125 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2126 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2127 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2129 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2130 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2131 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2132 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2133 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2134 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2141 @section Group Levels
2145 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2146 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2147 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2148 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2149 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2151 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2157 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2158 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2159 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2160 prompted for a level.
2163 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2164 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2165 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2166 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2167 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2168 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2169 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2170 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2171 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2172 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2173 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2174 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2175 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2176 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2177 reasons of efficiency.
2179 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2180 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2182 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2183 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2184 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2185 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2186 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2187 groups are hidden, in a way.
2189 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2190 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2191 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2192 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2193 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2194 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2196 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2197 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2198 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2199 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2200 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2201 list of killed groups.)
2203 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2204 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2205 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2207 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2208 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2209 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2210 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2211 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2212 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2213 relevant valid ranges.
2215 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2216 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2217 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2218 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2219 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2220 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2223 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2224 one with the best level.
2226 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2227 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2228 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2231 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2232 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2233 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2234 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2237 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2238 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2239 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2240 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2242 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2243 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2244 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2245 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2246 to 5. The default is 6.
2250 @section Group Score
2255 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2256 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2257 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2260 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2261 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2262 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2263 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2264 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2265 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2266 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2267 least significant part.))
2269 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2270 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2271 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2272 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2273 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2274 action after each summary exit, you can add
2275 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2276 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2277 slow things down somewhat.
2280 @node Marking Groups
2281 @section Marking Groups
2282 @cindex marking groups
2284 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2285 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2286 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2287 bidding on those groups.
2289 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2290 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2291 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2299 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2300 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2306 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2307 Remove the mark from the current group
2308 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2312 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2313 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2317 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2318 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2322 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2323 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2327 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2328 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2329 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2332 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2334 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2335 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2336 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2337 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2338 the command to be executed.
2341 @node Foreign Groups
2342 @section Foreign Groups
2343 @cindex foreign groups
2345 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2346 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2347 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2348 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2355 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2356 @cindex making groups
2357 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2358 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2359 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2363 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2364 @cindex renaming groups
2365 Rename the current group to something else
2366 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2367 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2373 @findex gnus-group-customize
2374 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2378 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2379 @cindex renaming groups
2380 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2381 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2385 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2386 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2387 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2391 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2392 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2393 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2397 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2399 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2400 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2406 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2410 @cindex (ding) archive
2411 @cindex archive group
2412 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2413 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2414 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2415 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2416 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2417 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2418 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2422 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2424 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2425 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2426 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2427 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2431 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2433 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2434 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2435 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2439 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2440 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2442 Make a group based on some file or other
2443 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2444 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2445 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2446 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2447 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2448 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2449 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2453 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2454 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2455 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2456 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2460 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2465 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2466 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2467 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2468 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2469 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2470 @xref{Web Searches}.
2472 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2473 to a particular group by using a match string like
2474 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2477 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2478 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2479 This function will delete the current group
2480 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2481 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2482 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2483 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2484 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2488 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2489 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2490 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2494 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2495 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2496 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2499 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2502 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2503 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2504 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2505 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2506 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2507 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2511 @node Group Parameters
2512 @section Group Parameters
2513 @cindex group parameters
2515 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2516 Here's an example group parameter list:
2519 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2523 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2524 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2525 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2526 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2528 The following group parameters can be used:
2533 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2536 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2539 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2540 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2541 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2542 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2543 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2545 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2546 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2547 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2548 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2549 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2550 list address instead.
2554 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2557 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2560 It is totally ignored
2561 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2562 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2564 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2565 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2566 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2567 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2568 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2570 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2571 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2572 sending the message.
2576 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2577 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2578 of whether it has any unread articles.
2580 @item broken-reply-to
2581 @cindex broken-reply-to
2582 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2583 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2584 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2585 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2586 broken behavior. So there!
2590 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2591 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2595 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2596 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2597 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2602 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2603 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2604 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2605 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2606 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2607 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2608 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2612 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2613 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2614 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2617 @cindex total-expire
2618 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2619 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2620 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2621 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2626 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2627 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2628 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2629 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2630 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2631 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2634 @cindex score file group parameter
2635 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2636 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2637 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2640 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2641 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2642 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2643 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2646 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2647 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2648 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2649 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2652 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2653 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2657 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2660 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2665 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2666 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2667 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2671 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2672 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2673 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2675 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2676 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2677 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2678 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2679 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2680 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2681 @code{eval}ed there.
2683 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2684 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2685 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2686 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2687 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2690 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2691 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2692 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2693 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2694 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2696 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2697 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2698 like this in the group parameters:
2703 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2707 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2708 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2709 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2710 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2711 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2715 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2716 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2720 @node Listing Groups
2721 @section Listing Groups
2722 @cindex group listing
2724 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2732 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2733 List all groups that have unread articles
2734 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2735 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2736 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2737 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2744 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2745 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2746 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2747 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2748 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2749 unsubscribed groups).
2753 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2754 List all unread groups on a specific level
2755 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2756 with no unread articles.
2760 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2761 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2762 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2763 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2768 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2769 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2773 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2774 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2775 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2779 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2780 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2784 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2785 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2786 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2787 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2788 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2789 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2790 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2791 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2795 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2796 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2797 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2801 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2802 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2803 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2807 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2808 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2812 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2813 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2817 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2818 List groups limited within the current selection
2819 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2823 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2824 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2828 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2829 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2833 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2834 @cindex visible group parameter
2835 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2836 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2837 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2838 get the same effect.
2840 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2841 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2842 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2843 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2844 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2847 @node Sorting Groups
2848 @section Sorting Groups
2849 @cindex sorting groups
2851 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2852 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2853 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2854 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2855 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2856 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2861 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2862 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2863 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2865 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2866 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2867 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2869 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2870 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2871 Sort by group level.
2873 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2874 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2875 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2877 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2878 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2879 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2880 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2882 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2883 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2884 Sort by number of unread articles.
2886 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2887 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2888 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2893 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2894 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2898 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2899 some sorting criteria:
2903 @kindex G S a (Group)
2904 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2905 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2906 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2909 @kindex G S u (Group)
2910 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2911 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2912 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2915 @kindex G S l (Group)
2916 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2917 Sort the group buffer by group level
2918 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2921 @kindex G S v (Group)
2922 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2923 Sort the group buffer by group score
2924 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2927 @kindex G S r (Group)
2928 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2929 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2930 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2933 @kindex G S m (Group)
2934 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2935 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2936 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2940 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2941 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2943 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2944 commands will sort in reverse order.
2946 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2950 @kindex G P a (Group)
2951 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2952 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2953 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2956 @kindex G P u (Group)
2957 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2958 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2959 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2962 @kindex G P l (Group)
2963 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2964 Sort the groups by group level
2965 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2968 @kindex G P v (Group)
2969 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2970 Sort the groups by group score
2971 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2974 @kindex G P r (Group)
2975 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2976 Sort the groups by group rank
2977 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2980 @kindex G P m (Group)
2981 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2982 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2983 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2989 @node Group Maintenance
2990 @section Group Maintenance
2991 @cindex bogus groups
2996 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2997 Find bogus groups and delete them
2998 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3002 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3003 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3004 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3005 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3006 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3010 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3011 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3012 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3013 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
3016 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3017 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3018 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
3019 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3024 @node Browse Foreign Server
3025 @section Browse Foreign Server
3026 @cindex foreign servers
3027 @cindex browsing servers
3032 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3033 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3034 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3035 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3038 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3039 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3040 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3041 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3043 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3048 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3049 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3053 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3054 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3057 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3058 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3059 Enter the current group and display the first article
3060 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3063 @kindex RET (Browse)
3064 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3065 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3069 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3070 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3071 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3077 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3078 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3082 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3083 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3084 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3089 @section Exiting Gnus
3090 @cindex exiting Gnus
3092 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3097 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3098 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3099 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3100 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3104 @findex gnus-group-exit
3105 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3106 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3110 @findex gnus-group-quit
3111 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3112 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3115 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3116 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3117 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3118 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3119 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3124 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3125 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3126 trying to customize meta-variables.
3131 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3132 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3133 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3139 @section Group Topics
3142 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3143 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3144 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3145 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3146 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3147 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3151 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3152 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3163 2: alt.religion.emacs
3166 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3168 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3169 13: comp.sources.unix
3172 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3174 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3175 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3176 is a toggling command.)
3178 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3179 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3180 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3181 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3184 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3185 the hook for the group mode:
3188 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3192 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3193 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3194 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3195 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3196 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3200 @node Topic Variables
3201 @subsection Topic Variables
3202 @cindex topic variables
3204 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3205 really neat, I think.
3207 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3208 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3209 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3222 Number of groups in the topic.
3224 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3226 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3229 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3230 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3231 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3234 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3235 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3237 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3238 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3239 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3242 @node Topic Commands
3243 @subsection Topic Commands
3244 @cindex topic commands
3246 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3247 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3248 definitions slightly.
3254 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3255 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3256 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3260 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3261 Move the current group to some other topic
3262 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3263 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3267 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3268 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3272 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3273 Copy the current group to some other topic
3274 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3275 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3279 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3280 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3281 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3285 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3286 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3287 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3291 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3292 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3293 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3294 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3295 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3296 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3297 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3300 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3301 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3305 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3306 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3307 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3311 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3312 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3313 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3317 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3318 Toggle hiding empty topics
3319 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3323 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3324 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3325 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3328 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3329 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3330 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3331 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3335 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3337 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3338 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3339 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3340 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3343 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3344 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3345 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3346 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3350 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3352 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3353 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3354 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3355 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3356 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3357 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3360 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3361 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3362 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3363 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3367 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3368 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3369 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3373 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3374 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3375 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3380 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3381 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3384 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3385 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3386 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3390 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3391 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3392 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3396 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3397 @cindex group parameters
3398 @cindex topic parameters
3400 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3401 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3407 @subsection Topic Sorting
3408 @cindex topic sorting
3410 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3416 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3417 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3418 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3419 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3422 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3423 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3424 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3425 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3428 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3429 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3430 Sort the current topic by group level
3431 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3434 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3435 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3436 Sort the current topic by group score
3437 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3440 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3441 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3442 Sort the current topic by group rank
3443 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3446 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3447 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3448 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3449 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3453 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3456 @node Topic Topology
3457 @subsection Topic Topology
3458 @cindex topic topology
3461 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3467 2: alt.religion.emacs
3470 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3472 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3473 13: comp.sources.unix
3476 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3477 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3478 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3483 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3484 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3488 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3489 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3490 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3491 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3492 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3493 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3495 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3496 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3497 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3500 @node Topic Parameters
3501 @subsection Topic Parameters
3502 @cindex topic parameters
3504 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3505 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3506 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3508 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3513 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3514 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3515 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3520 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3521 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3522 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3523 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3529 2: alt.religion.emacs
3533 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3535 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3536 13: comp.sources.unix
3540 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3541 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3542 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3543 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3544 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3545 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3547 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3548 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3549 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3550 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3551 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3553 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3554 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3555 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3556 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3557 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3558 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3559 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3560 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3563 @node Misc Group Stuff
3564 @section Misc Group Stuff
3567 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3568 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3569 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3570 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3577 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3578 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3579 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3583 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3584 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3585 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3589 @findex gnus-group-mail
3590 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3594 Variables for the group buffer:
3598 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3599 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3600 is called after the group buffer has been
3603 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3604 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3605 is called after the group buffer is
3606 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3609 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3610 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3611 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3612 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3614 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3615 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3616 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3617 whether they are empty or not.
3619 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3620 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3621 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3622 non-ASCII group names.
3626 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3627 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3630 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3631 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3632 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3633 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3637 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3638 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3643 @node Scanning New Messages
3644 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3645 @cindex new messages
3646 @cindex scanning new news
3652 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3653 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3654 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3655 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3656 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3657 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3662 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3663 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3664 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3665 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3666 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3667 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3668 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3670 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3671 @cindex activating groups
3673 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3674 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3679 @findex gnus-group-restart
3680 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3681 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3682 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3686 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3687 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3689 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3690 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3694 @node Group Information
3695 @subsection Group Information
3696 @cindex group information
3697 @cindex information on groups
3704 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3705 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3708 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3709 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3710 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3711 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3712 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3713 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3714 for fetching the file.
3716 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3717 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3721 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3723 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3724 @cindex describing groups
3725 @cindex group description
3726 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3727 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3728 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3732 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3733 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3734 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3741 @findex gnus-version
3742 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3746 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3747 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3750 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3753 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3754 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3758 @node Group Timestamp
3759 @subsection Group Timestamp
3761 @cindex group timestamps
3763 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3764 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3765 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3768 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3771 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3773 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3774 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3777 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3778 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3781 This will result in lines looking like:
3784 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3785 0: custom 19961002T012713
3788 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3789 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3793 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3794 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3799 @subsection File Commands
3800 @cindex file commands
3806 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3807 @vindex gnus-init-file
3808 @cindex reading init file
3809 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3810 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3814 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3815 @cindex saving .newsrc
3816 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3817 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3818 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3821 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3822 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3823 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3828 @node The Summary Buffer
3829 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3830 @cindex summary buffer
3832 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3833 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3835 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3836 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3838 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3841 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3842 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3843 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3844 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3845 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3846 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3847 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3848 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3849 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3850 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3851 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3852 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3853 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3854 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3855 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3856 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3857 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3858 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3859 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3860 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3861 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3862 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3863 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3864 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3865 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3866 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3867 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3868 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3869 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3873 @node Summary Buffer Format
3874 @section Summary Buffer Format
3875 @cindex summary buffer format
3879 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3880 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3881 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3887 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3888 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3889 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3890 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3893 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3894 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3895 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3896 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3897 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3898 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3899 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3900 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3901 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3902 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3903 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3906 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3907 'mail-extract-address-components)
3910 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3911 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3912 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3913 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3916 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3917 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3919 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3920 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3921 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3922 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3923 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3925 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3927 The following format specification characters are understood:
3933 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3934 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3936 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3937 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3938 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3940 Full @code{From} header.
3942 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3944 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3945 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3947 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3948 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3949 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3950 may be more thorough.
3952 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3955 Number of lines in the article.
3957 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3958 methods (like nnfolder).
3960 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3962 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3963 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3965 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3966 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3968 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3969 for adopted articles.
3971 One space for each thread level.
3973 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3978 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3979 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3983 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3985 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3986 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3987 default level. If the difference between
3988 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3989 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3997 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3999 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4005 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4006 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4008 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4009 article has any children.
4015 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4016 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4017 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4018 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4019 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4020 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4023 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4024 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4025 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4026 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4027 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4028 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4030 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4031 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4033 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4036 @node To From Newsgroups
4037 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4041 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4042 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4043 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4044 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4045 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4049 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4050 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4051 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4055 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4056 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4059 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4060 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4063 @findex gnus-extra-header
4064 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4065 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4066 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4069 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4073 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4074 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4075 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4076 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4077 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4078 headers are used instead.
4082 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4083 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4084 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4085 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4088 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4089 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4090 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4091 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4093 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4096 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4098 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4099 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4100 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4101 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4105 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4106 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4113 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4114 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4117 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4118 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4120 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4121 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4122 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4123 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4125 Here are the elements you can play with:
4131 Unprefixed group name.
4133 Current article number.
4135 Current article score.
4139 Number of unread articles in this group.
4141 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4144 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4145 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4146 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4147 and no unselected ones.
4149 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4150 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4152 Subject of the current article.
4154 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4156 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4158 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4160 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4162 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4164 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4168 @node Summary Highlighting
4169 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4173 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4174 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4175 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4176 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4177 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4179 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4180 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4181 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4182 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4184 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4185 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4186 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4187 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4189 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4190 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4191 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4192 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4193 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4194 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4197 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4198 ((> score default) . bold))
4200 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4201 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4205 @node Summary Maneuvering
4206 @section Summary Maneuvering
4207 @cindex summary movement
4209 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4210 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4212 None of these commands select articles.
4217 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4218 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4219 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4220 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4221 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4225 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4226 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4227 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4228 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4229 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4234 @kindex G j (Summary)
4235 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4236 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4237 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4240 @kindex G g (Summary)
4241 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4242 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4243 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4246 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4247 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4248 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4249 to the group buffer.
4251 Variables related to summary movement:
4255 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4256 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4257 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4258 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4259 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4260 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4261 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4262 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4263 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4264 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4265 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4266 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4267 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4268 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4270 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4271 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4272 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4273 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4274 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4275 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4276 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4278 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4280 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4281 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4282 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4283 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4284 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4286 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4287 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4288 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4289 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4290 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4291 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4292 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4293 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4296 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4297 the given number of lines from the top.
4302 @node Choosing Articles
4303 @section Choosing Articles
4304 @cindex selecting articles
4307 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4308 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4312 @node Choosing Commands
4313 @subsection Choosing Commands
4315 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4316 and they all select and display an article.
4320 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4321 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4322 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4323 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4328 @kindex G n (Summary)
4329 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4330 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4331 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4336 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4337 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4338 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4343 @kindex G N (Summary)
4344 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4345 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4350 @kindex G P (Summary)
4351 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4352 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4355 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4356 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4357 Go to the next article with the same subject
4358 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4361 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4362 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4363 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4364 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4368 @kindex G f (Summary)
4370 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4371 Go to the first unread article
4372 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4376 @kindex G b (Summary)
4378 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4379 Go to the article with the highest score
4380 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4385 @kindex G l (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4387 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4390 @kindex G o (Summary)
4391 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4393 @cindex article history
4394 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4395 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4396 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4397 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4398 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4399 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4403 @node Choosing Variables
4404 @subsection Choosing Variables
4406 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4409 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4410 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4411 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4412 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4413 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4414 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4416 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4417 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4418 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4419 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4421 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4422 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4423 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4424 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4425 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4426 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4427 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4428 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4429 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4430 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4431 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4432 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4433 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4434 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4439 @node Paging the Article
4440 @section Scrolling the Article
4441 @cindex article scrolling
4446 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4447 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4448 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4449 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4450 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4453 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4454 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4455 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4458 @kindex RET (Summary)
4459 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4460 Scroll the current article one line forward
4461 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4464 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4465 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4466 Scroll the current article one line backward
4467 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4471 @kindex A g (Summary)
4473 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4474 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4475 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4476 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4477 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4478 the way it came from the server.
4480 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4481 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4482 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4485 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4490 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4495 @kindex A < (Summary)
4496 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4497 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4498 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4503 @kindex A > (Summary)
4504 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4505 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4509 @kindex A s (Summary)
4511 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4512 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4513 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4517 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4518 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4523 @node Reply Followup and Post
4524 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4527 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4528 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4529 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4530 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4534 @node Summary Mail Commands
4535 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4537 @cindex composing mail
4539 Commands for composing a mail message:
4545 @kindex S r (Summary)
4547 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4548 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4549 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4550 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4551 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4556 @kindex S R (Summary)
4557 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4558 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4559 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4560 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4561 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4564 @kindex S w (Summary)
4565 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4566 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4567 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4568 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4569 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4572 @kindex S W (Summary)
4573 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4574 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4575 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4576 the process/prefix convention.
4580 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4581 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4582 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4583 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4584 Forward the current article to some other person
4585 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4586 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4587 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4588 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, foward message
4589 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4590 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, foward message
4591 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4592 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4593 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4598 @kindex S m (Summary)
4599 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4600 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4601 Send a mail to some other person
4602 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4605 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4606 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4607 @cindex bouncing mail
4608 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4609 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4610 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4611 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4612 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4613 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4614 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4615 very well fail, though.
4618 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4619 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4620 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4621 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4622 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4623 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4624 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4625 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4626 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4627 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4629 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4630 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4631 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4632 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4633 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4635 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4636 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4639 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4640 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4641 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4642 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4643 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4646 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4647 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4648 @cindex crossposting
4649 @cindex excessive crossposting
4650 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4651 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4653 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4654 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4655 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4656 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4657 command understands the process/prefix convention
4658 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4662 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4665 @node Summary Post Commands
4666 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4668 @cindex composing news
4670 Commands for posting a news article:
4676 @kindex S p (Summary)
4677 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4678 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4679 Post an article to the current group
4680 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4685 @kindex S f (Summary)
4686 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4687 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4688 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4692 @kindex S F (Summary)
4694 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4695 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4696 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4697 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4698 process/prefix convention.
4701 @kindex S n (Summary)
4702 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4703 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4704 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4707 @kindex S N (Summary)
4708 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4709 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4710 message through mail and include the original message
4711 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4712 the process/prefix convention.
4715 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4716 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4717 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4718 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
4719 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
4720 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
4721 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4722 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, foward message
4723 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4724 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, foward message
4725 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4726 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4727 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4730 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4731 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4733 @cindex making digests
4734 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4735 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4736 process/prefix convention.
4739 @kindex S u (Summary)
4740 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4741 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4742 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4743 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4746 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4749 @node Summary Message Commands
4750 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4754 @kindex S y (Summary)
4755 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4756 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4757 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4758 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4759 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4764 @node Canceling and Superseding
4765 @subsection Canceling Articles
4766 @cindex canceling articles
4767 @cindex superseding articles
4769 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4770 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4772 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4774 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4776 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4777 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4778 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4779 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4780 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4781 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4783 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4784 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4787 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4788 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4789 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4791 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4792 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4793 your original article.
4795 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4797 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4798 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4799 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4802 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4803 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4804 have posted almost the same article twice.
4806 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4807 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4808 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4809 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4810 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4811 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4812 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4813 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4814 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4815 canceled/superseded.
4817 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4820 @node Marking Articles
4821 @section Marking Articles
4822 @cindex article marking
4823 @cindex article ticking
4826 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4828 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4829 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4830 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4832 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4835 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4836 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4837 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4841 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4845 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4846 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4847 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4851 @node Unread Articles
4852 @subsection Unread Articles
4854 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4859 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4860 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4862 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4863 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4864 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4865 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4866 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4870 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4871 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4873 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4874 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4875 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4878 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4879 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4881 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4886 @subsection Read Articles
4887 @cindex expirable mark
4889 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4894 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4895 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4896 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4899 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4900 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4903 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4904 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4905 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4908 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4909 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4912 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4913 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4916 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4917 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4920 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4921 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4924 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4925 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4928 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4929 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4932 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4933 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4937 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4938 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4939 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4943 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4944 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4946 One more special mark, though:
4950 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4951 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4953 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4954 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4955 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4956 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4962 @subsection Other Marks
4963 @cindex process mark
4966 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4972 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4973 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4974 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4975 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4976 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4979 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4980 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4981 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4982 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4985 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4986 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4987 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4990 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4991 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4992 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4993 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4996 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4997 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4998 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4999 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5000 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5003 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5004 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5005 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5006 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5007 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5008 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5012 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5013 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5014 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5016 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5017 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5018 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5022 @subsection Setting Marks
5023 @cindex setting marks
5025 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5030 @kindex M c (Summary)
5031 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5032 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5033 @cindex mark as unread
5034 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5035 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5041 @kindex M t (Summary)
5042 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5043 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5044 @xref{Article Caching}.
5049 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5050 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5051 Mark the current article as dormant
5052 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5056 @kindex M d (Summary)
5058 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5059 Mark the current article as read
5060 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5064 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5065 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5066 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5071 @kindex M k (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5073 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5074 and then select the next unread article
5075 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5079 @kindex M K (Summary)
5080 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5081 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5082 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5083 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5086 @kindex M C (Summary)
5087 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5088 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5089 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5092 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5094 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5095 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5098 @kindex M H (Summary)
5099 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5100 Catchup the current group to point
5101 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5104 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5105 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5106 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5107 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5110 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5112 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5113 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5117 @kindex M e (Summary)
5119 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5120 Mark the current article as expirable
5121 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5124 @kindex M b (Summary)
5125 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5126 Set a bookmark in the current article
5127 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5130 @kindex M B (Summary)
5131 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5132 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5133 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5136 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5137 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5138 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5139 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5142 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5144 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5145 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5148 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5149 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5150 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5151 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5152 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5155 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5156 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5157 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5158 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5159 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5160 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5161 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5162 The default is @code{t}.
5165 @node Generic Marking Commands
5166 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5168 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5169 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5170 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5171 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5172 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5175 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5176 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5179 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5180 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5181 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5182 to list in this manual.
5184 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5185 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5186 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5187 article, you could say something like:
5190 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5191 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5192 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5198 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5199 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5203 @node Setting Process Marks
5204 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5205 @cindex setting process marks
5212 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5213 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5214 Mark the current article with the process mark
5215 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5216 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5220 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5221 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5222 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5223 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5226 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5227 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5228 Remove the process mark from all articles
5229 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5232 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5233 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5234 Invert the list of process marked articles
5235 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5238 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5239 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5240 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5241 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5244 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5245 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5246 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5247 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5250 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5251 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5252 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5255 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5256 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5257 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5258 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5261 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5262 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5263 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5264 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5267 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5269 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5270 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5273 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5275 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5278 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5279 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5280 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5281 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5284 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5286 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5289 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5290 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5291 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5292 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5295 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5296 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5297 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5298 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5301 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5302 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5303 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5304 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5307 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5308 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5309 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5310 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5314 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5315 set process marks based on article body contents.
5322 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5323 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5324 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5327 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5328 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5329 additional articles.
5335 @kindex / / (Summary)
5336 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5337 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5338 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5341 @kindex / a (Summary)
5342 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5343 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5344 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5347 @kindex / x (Summary)
5348 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5349 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5350 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5351 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5355 @kindex / u (Summary)
5357 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5358 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5359 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5360 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5361 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5364 @kindex / m (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5366 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5367 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5370 @kindex / t (Summary)
5371 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5372 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5373 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5374 articles younger than that number of days.
5377 @kindex / n (Summary)
5378 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5379 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5380 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5381 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5384 @kindex / w (Summary)
5385 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5386 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5387 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5391 @kindex / v (Summary)
5392 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5393 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5394 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5398 @kindex M S (Summary)
5399 @kindex / E (Summary)
5400 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5401 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5402 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5405 @kindex / D (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5407 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5408 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5411 @kindex / * (Summary)
5412 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5413 Include all cached articles in the limit
5414 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5417 @kindex / d (Summary)
5418 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5419 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5420 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5423 @kindex / M (Summary)
5424 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5425 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5428 @kindex / T (Summary)
5429 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5430 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5433 @kindex / c (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5435 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5436 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5439 @kindex / C (Summary)
5440 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5441 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5442 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5443 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5451 @cindex article threading
5453 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5454 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5455 hierarchical fashion.
5457 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5458 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5459 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5460 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5461 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5462 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5463 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5465 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5469 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5472 A tree-like article structure.
5475 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5478 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5479 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5480 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5481 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5482 called loose threads.
5484 @item thread gathering
5485 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5487 @item sparse threads
5488 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5489 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5495 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5496 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5500 @node Customizing Threading
5501 @subsection Customizing Threading
5502 @cindex customizing threading
5505 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5506 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5507 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5508 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5513 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5516 @cindex loose threads
5519 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5520 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5521 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5522 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5523 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5524 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5526 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5527 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5528 There are four possible values:
5532 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5533 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5534 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5535 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5536 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5541 @cindex adopting articles
5546 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5547 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5548 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5549 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5552 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5553 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5554 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5555 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5556 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5557 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5558 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5561 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5562 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5563 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5567 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5568 display them after one another.
5571 Don't gather loose threads.
5574 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5575 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5576 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5577 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5578 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5579 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5580 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5581 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5582 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5583 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5584 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5586 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5587 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5588 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5591 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5592 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5593 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5594 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5595 simplification is used.
5597 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5598 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5599 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5600 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5602 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5604 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5610 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5611 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5612 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5613 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5618 (mapconcat 'identity
5619 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5621 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5624 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5627 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5628 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5629 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5630 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5631 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5632 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5634 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5637 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5638 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5639 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5641 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5642 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5645 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5646 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5647 Remove excessive whitespace.
5650 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5653 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5654 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5655 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5656 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5657 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5658 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5659 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5660 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5662 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5663 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5664 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5665 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5666 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5667 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5668 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5669 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5670 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5674 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5675 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5676 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5677 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5679 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5680 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5681 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5684 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5688 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5689 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5695 @node Filling In Threads
5696 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5699 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5700 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5701 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5702 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5703 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5704 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5705 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5706 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5707 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5708 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5709 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5710 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5712 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5713 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5714 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5716 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5717 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5718 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5719 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5720 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5721 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5722 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5723 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5724 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5725 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5726 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5727 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5728 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5729 @code{nil} by default.
5734 @node More Threading
5735 @subsubsection More Threading
5738 @item gnus-show-threads
5739 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5740 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5741 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5742 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5743 slower and more awkward.
5745 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5746 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5747 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5750 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5751 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5752 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5753 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5754 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5755 threads are expunged.
5757 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5758 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5759 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5762 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5763 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5764 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5765 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5766 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5769 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5770 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5771 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5774 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5775 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5776 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5777 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5778 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5779 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5780 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5781 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5782 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5783 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5784 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5789 @node Low-Level Threading
5790 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5794 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5795 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5796 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5798 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5799 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5800 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5801 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5802 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5803 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5804 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5805 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5806 meaningful. Here's one example:
5809 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5811 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5812 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5814 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5816 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5823 @node Thread Commands
5824 @subsection Thread Commands
5825 @cindex thread commands
5831 @kindex T k (Summary)
5832 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5833 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5834 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5835 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5836 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5841 @kindex T l (Summary)
5842 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5843 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5844 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5845 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5848 @kindex T i (Summary)
5849 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5850 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5851 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5854 @kindex T # (Summary)
5855 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5856 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5857 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5860 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5861 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5862 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5863 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5866 @kindex T T (Summary)
5867 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5868 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5871 @kindex T s (Summary)
5872 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5873 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5874 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5877 @kindex T h (Summary)
5878 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5879 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5882 @kindex T S (Summary)
5883 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5884 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5887 @kindex T H (Summary)
5888 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5889 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5892 @kindex T t (Summary)
5893 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5894 Re-thread the current article's thread
5895 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5896 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5899 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5900 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5901 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5902 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5906 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5907 understand the numeric prefix.
5912 @kindex T n (Summary)
5914 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5916 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5917 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5918 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5921 @kindex T p (Summary)
5923 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5925 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5927 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5930 @kindex T d (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5932 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5935 @kindex T u (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5937 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5940 @kindex T o (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5942 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5945 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5946 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5947 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5948 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5949 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5950 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5951 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5952 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5953 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5954 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5955 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5956 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5963 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5964 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5965 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5966 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5967 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5968 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5969 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5970 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5971 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5972 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5973 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5975 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5976 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5977 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5978 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5979 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5981 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5982 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5983 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5985 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5986 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5987 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5988 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5989 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5990 ascending article order.
5992 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5993 by number, you could do something like:
5996 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5997 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5998 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5999 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6002 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6003 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6004 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6005 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6006 which the articles arrived.
6008 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6012 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6014 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6015 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6018 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6019 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6020 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6021 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6024 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6025 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6026 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6027 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6028 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6029 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6030 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6031 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6032 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6033 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6034 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6035 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6036 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6038 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6042 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6043 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6044 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6049 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6050 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6051 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6052 @cindex article pre-fetch
6055 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6056 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6057 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6058 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6059 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6061 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6062 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6064 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6065 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6066 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6067 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6068 connection is blocked.
6070 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6071 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6072 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6073 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6075 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6076 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6077 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6078 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6081 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6084 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6085 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6086 happen automatically.
6088 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6089 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6090 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6091 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6092 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6093 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6094 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6096 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6097 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6098 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6099 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6100 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6101 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6102 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6103 data structure as the only parameter.
6105 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6108 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6109 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6110 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6111 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6114 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6117 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6118 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6119 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6121 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6122 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6123 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6124 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6128 Remove articles when they are read.
6131 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6134 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6136 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6137 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6138 @c from the next group.
6141 @node Article Caching
6142 @section Article Caching
6143 @cindex article caching
6146 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6147 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6148 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6149 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6150 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6152 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6154 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6155 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6156 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6157 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6158 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6159 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6160 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6161 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6163 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6164 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6165 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6166 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6167 as dormant, and don't worry.
6169 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6171 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6172 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6173 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6174 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6175 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6176 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6177 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6178 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6179 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6180 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6182 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6183 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6184 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6185 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6186 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6187 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6188 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6189 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6190 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6191 not then be downloaded by this command.
6193 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6194 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6195 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6196 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6197 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6198 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6200 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6201 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6202 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6203 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6204 variables, the group is not cached.
6206 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6207 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6208 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6209 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6210 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6211 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6212 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6213 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6214 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6218 @node Persistent Articles
6219 @section Persistent Articles
6220 @cindex persistent articles
6222 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6223 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6224 useful in my opinion.
6226 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6227 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6228 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6229 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6230 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6231 the expiry going on at the news server.
6233 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6234 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6235 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6241 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6242 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6245 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6246 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6247 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6248 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6252 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6254 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6255 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6256 interested in persistent articles:
6259 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6263 @node Article Backlog
6264 @section Article Backlog
6266 @cindex article backlog
6268 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6269 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6270 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6271 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6272 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6273 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6274 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6275 increase memory usage some.
6277 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6278 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6279 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6280 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6281 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6282 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6283 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6285 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6288 @node Saving Articles
6289 @section Saving Articles
6290 @cindex saving articles
6292 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6293 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6294 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6295 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6296 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6298 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6299 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6300 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6302 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6303 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6304 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6305 deleted before saving.
6311 @kindex O o (Summary)
6313 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6314 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6315 Save the current article using the default article saver
6316 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6319 @kindex O m (Summary)
6320 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6321 Save the current article in mail format
6322 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6325 @kindex O r (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6327 Save the current article in rmail format
6328 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6331 @kindex O f (Summary)
6332 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6333 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6334 Save the current article in plain file format
6335 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6338 @kindex O F (Summary)
6339 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6340 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6341 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6344 @kindex O b (Summary)
6345 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6346 Save the current article body in plain file format
6347 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6350 @kindex O h (Summary)
6351 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6352 Save the current article in mh folder format
6353 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6356 @kindex O v (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6358 Save the current article in a VM folder
6359 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6362 @kindex O p (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6364 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6365 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6368 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6369 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6370 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6371 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6372 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6373 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6374 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6375 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6376 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6377 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6378 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6379 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6383 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6384 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6385 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6386 functions below, or you can create your own.
6390 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6391 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6392 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6393 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6394 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6395 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6396 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6398 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6399 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6400 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6401 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6402 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6403 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6405 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6406 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6407 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6408 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6409 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6410 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6411 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6413 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6414 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6415 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6416 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6417 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6419 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6420 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6421 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6422 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6423 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6426 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6427 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6428 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6429 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6430 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6432 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6433 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6434 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6435 reader to use this setting.
6438 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6439 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6440 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6441 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6444 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6445 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6446 available functions that generate names:
6450 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6451 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6452 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6454 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6455 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6456 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6458 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6459 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6460 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6462 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6463 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6464 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6467 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6468 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6469 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6470 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6471 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6475 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6476 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6477 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6478 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6481 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6482 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6483 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6484 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6485 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6486 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6487 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6488 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6489 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6491 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6492 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6493 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6494 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6496 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6497 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6498 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6501 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6502 lots of mail groups called things like
6503 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6504 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6505 following will do just that:
6508 (defun my-save-name (group)
6509 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6510 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6512 (setq gnus-split-methods
6513 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6518 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6519 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6520 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6521 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6522 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6523 all the files in the top level directory
6524 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6525 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6526 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6527 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6529 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6530 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6531 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6532 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6533 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6536 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6540 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6541 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6544 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6545 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6546 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6547 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6550 @node Decoding Articles
6551 @section Decoding Articles
6552 @cindex decoding articles
6554 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6555 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6558 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6559 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6560 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6561 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6562 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6563 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6567 @cindex article series
6568 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6569 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6570 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6571 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6572 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6574 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6575 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6576 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6578 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6579 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6580 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6582 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6583 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6584 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6587 @node Uuencoded Articles
6588 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6590 @cindex uuencoded articles
6595 @kindex X u (Summary)
6596 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6597 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6598 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6601 @kindex X U (Summary)
6602 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6603 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6604 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6607 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6608 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6609 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6612 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6613 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6614 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6615 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6619 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6620 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6621 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6622 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6623 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6625 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6626 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6627 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6628 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6631 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6632 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6633 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6634 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6635 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6636 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6640 @node Shell Archives
6641 @subsection Shell Archives
6643 @cindex shell archives
6644 @cindex shared articles
6646 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6647 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6648 some commands to deal with these:
6653 @kindex X s (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6655 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6658 @kindex X S (Summary)
6659 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6660 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6663 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6664 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6665 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6668 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6669 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6670 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6671 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6675 @node PostScript Files
6676 @subsection PostScript Files
6682 @kindex X p (Summary)
6683 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6684 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6687 @kindex X P (Summary)
6688 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6689 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6690 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6693 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6694 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6695 View the current PostScript series
6696 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6699 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6700 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6701 View and save the current PostScript series
6702 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6707 @subsection Other Files
6711 @kindex X o (Summary)
6712 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6713 Save the current series
6714 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6717 @kindex X b (Summary)
6718 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6719 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6720 doesn't really work yet.
6724 @node Decoding Variables
6725 @subsection Decoding Variables
6727 Adjective, not verb.
6730 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6731 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6732 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6736 @node Rule Variables
6737 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6738 @cindex rule variables
6740 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6741 variables are of the form
6744 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6751 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6752 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6754 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6755 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6758 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6759 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6762 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6763 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6764 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6765 user and default view rules.
6767 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6768 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6769 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6774 @node Other Decode Variables
6775 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6778 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6780 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6781 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6782 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6783 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6784 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6788 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6789 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6792 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6793 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6794 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6797 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6798 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6799 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6800 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6801 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6804 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6805 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6806 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6808 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6809 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6810 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6811 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6812 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6815 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6816 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6817 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6819 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6820 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6821 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6822 looking for files to display.
6824 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6825 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6826 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6829 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6830 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6831 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6834 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6835 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6836 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6839 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6840 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6841 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6844 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6845 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6846 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6847 decoded articles as unread.
6849 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6850 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6851 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6852 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6854 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6855 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6856 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6858 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6859 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6861 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6862 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6863 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6864 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6866 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6867 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6868 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6869 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6870 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6871 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6872 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6873 simply dropped them.
6878 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6879 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6883 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6884 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6885 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6886 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6887 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6888 for you when you post the article.
6890 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6891 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6892 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6893 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6895 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6896 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6897 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6898 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6899 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6900 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6901 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6903 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6904 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6905 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6906 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6907 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6908 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6909 Default is @code{t}.
6915 @subsection Viewing Files
6916 @cindex viewing files
6917 @cindex pseudo-articles
6919 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6920 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6921 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6922 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6923 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6924 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6925 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6927 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6928 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6929 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6930 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6932 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6933 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6934 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6936 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6937 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6938 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6939 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6940 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6942 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6943 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6944 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6945 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6946 a list of parameters to that command.
6948 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6949 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6950 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6952 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6953 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6954 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6957 @node Article Treatment
6958 @section Article Treatment
6960 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6961 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6962 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6963 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6964 these articles easier.
6967 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6968 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6969 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6970 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6971 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6972 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6973 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6974 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6978 @node Article Highlighting
6979 @subsection Article Highlighting
6980 @cindex highlighting
6982 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6983 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6988 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6989 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6990 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6991 Do much highlighting of the current article
6992 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6993 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6996 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6997 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6998 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6999 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7000 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7001 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7002 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7003 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7004 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7005 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7006 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7007 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7010 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7011 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7012 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7014 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7017 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7019 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7020 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7021 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7023 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7024 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7025 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7027 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7028 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7029 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7030 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7031 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7032 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7034 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7035 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7036 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7038 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7039 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7040 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7042 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7043 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7044 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7045 that it's a citation.
7047 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7048 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7049 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7051 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7052 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7053 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7055 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7056 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7057 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7058 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7064 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7065 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7066 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7067 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7068 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7069 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7070 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7071 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7076 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7079 @node Article Fontisizing
7080 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7082 @cindex article emphasis
7084 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7085 @kindex W e (Summary)
7086 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7087 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7088 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7089 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7091 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7092 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7093 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7094 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7095 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7096 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7097 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7098 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7102 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
7103 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7104 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7113 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7114 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7115 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7116 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7117 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7118 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7119 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7120 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7121 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7122 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7123 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7124 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7125 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7127 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7128 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7129 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7133 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7136 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7138 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7139 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7140 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7141 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7143 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7146 @node Article Hiding
7147 @subsection Article Hiding
7148 @cindex article hiding
7150 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7151 too much cruft in most articles.
7156 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7157 @findex gnus-article-hide
7158 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7159 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7160 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7163 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7164 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7165 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7169 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7170 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7171 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7172 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7175 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7176 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7177 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7181 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7182 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7183 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7184 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7185 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7186 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7187 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7188 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7192 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7193 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7194 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7195 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7200 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7201 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7202 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7203 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7204 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7205 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7206 articles that have signatures in them do:
7208 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7210 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7212 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7213 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7215 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7218 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7223 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7224 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7225 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7226 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7229 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7230 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7233 @cindex stripping advertisments
7234 @cindex advertisments
7235 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7236 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7237 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7238 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7239 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7240 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7241 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7242 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7243 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7244 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7248 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7249 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7250 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7251 customizing the hiding:
7255 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7256 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7257 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7258 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7259 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7260 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7261 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7266 Starting point of the hidden text.
7268 Ending point of the hidden text.
7270 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7272 Number of lines of hidden text.
7275 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7276 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7277 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7278 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7279 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7284 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7287 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7288 following two variables:
7291 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7292 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7293 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7294 50), hide the cited text.
7296 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7297 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7298 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7303 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7304 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7305 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7306 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7307 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7308 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7312 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7313 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7314 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7316 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7317 citation customization.
7319 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7323 @node Article Washing
7324 @subsection Article Washing
7326 @cindex article washing
7328 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7329 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7331 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7332 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7338 @kindex W l (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7340 Remove page breaks from the current article
7341 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7345 @kindex W r (Summary)
7346 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7347 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7348 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7349 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7350 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7351 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7353 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7354 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7355 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7356 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7360 @kindex W t (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7363 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7364 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7367 @kindex W v (Summary)
7368 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7369 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7370 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7373 @kindex W o (Summary)
7374 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7375 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7378 @kindex W d (Summary)
7379 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7380 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7382 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7384 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7385 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7386 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7387 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7390 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7391 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7392 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7393 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7396 @kindex W w (Summary)
7397 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7398 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7400 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7404 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7405 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7406 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7409 @kindex W C (Summary)
7410 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7411 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7412 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7415 @kindex W c (Summary)
7416 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7417 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7418 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7419 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7420 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7423 @kindex W q (Summary)
7424 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7425 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7426 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7427 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7428 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7429 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7430 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7431 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7434 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7435 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7436 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7437 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7438 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7439 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7440 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7444 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7445 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7446 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7447 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7448 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7451 @kindex W h (Summary)
7452 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7453 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7454 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7455 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7459 @kindex W f (Summary)
7461 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7462 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7463 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7464 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7470 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7471 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7472 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7473 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7474 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7475 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7476 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7477 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7478 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7479 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7480 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7481 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7482 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7483 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7484 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7485 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7486 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7487 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7488 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7489 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7493 @kindex W b (Summary)
7494 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7495 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7496 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7499 @kindex W B (Summary)
7500 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7501 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7502 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7505 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7506 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7507 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7508 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7511 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7512 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7513 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7514 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7517 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7518 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7519 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7520 lines with a single empty line.
7521 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7524 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7525 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7526 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7527 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7530 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7531 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7532 Do all the three commands above
7533 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7536 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7537 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7538 Remove all blank lines
7539 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7542 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7543 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7544 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7545 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7548 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7549 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7550 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7551 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7555 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7558 @node Article Buttons
7559 @subsection Article Buttons
7562 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7563 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7564 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7565 button on these references.
7567 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7568 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7569 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7574 @item gnus-button-alist
7575 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7576 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7579 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7585 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7586 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7587 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7590 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7591 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7592 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7595 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7596 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7597 avoid false matches.
7600 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7603 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7604 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7608 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7611 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7614 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7615 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7616 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7617 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7618 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7621 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7624 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7626 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7627 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7628 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7629 default values of the variables above.
7631 @item gnus-article-button-face
7632 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7633 Face used on buttons.
7635 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7636 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7637 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7641 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7645 @subsection Article Date
7647 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7648 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7649 when the article was sent.
7654 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7655 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7656 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7657 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7660 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7661 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7663 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7664 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7667 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7668 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7669 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7672 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7673 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7674 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7675 @findex format-time-string
7676 Display the date using a user-defined format
7677 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7678 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7679 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7680 for a list of possible format specs.
7683 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7684 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7685 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7686 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7687 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7688 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7691 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7694 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7695 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7698 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7699 into wonderful absurdities.
7701 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7704 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7707 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7708 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7712 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7713 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7714 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7715 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7716 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7717 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7718 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7722 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7723 preferred format automatically.
7726 @node Article Signature
7727 @subsection Article Signature
7729 @cindex article signature
7731 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7732 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7733 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7734 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7735 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7736 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7737 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7738 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7739 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7742 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7743 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7744 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7745 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7746 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7747 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7748 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7749 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7752 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7755 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7756 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7757 signature when displaying articles.
7761 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7764 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7767 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7768 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7770 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7771 in question is not a signature.
7774 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7775 listed above. Here's an example:
7778 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7779 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7782 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7783 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7784 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7785 signature after all.
7788 @node Article Miscellania
7789 @subsection Article Miscellania
7793 @kindex A t (Summary)
7794 @findex gnus-article-babel
7795 Translate the article from one language to another
7796 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7802 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7803 @cindex MIME decoding
7805 @cindex viewing attachments
7807 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7808 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7814 @kindex K v (Summary)
7815 View the @sc{mime} part.
7818 @kindex K o (Summary)
7819 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7822 @kindex K c (Summary)
7823 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7826 @kindex K e (Summary)
7827 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7830 @kindex K i (Summary)
7831 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7834 @kindex K | (Summary)
7835 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7838 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7843 @kindex K b (Summary)
7844 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7845 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7849 @kindex K m (Summary)
7850 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7851 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7852 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7853 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7854 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7857 @kindex X m (Summary)
7858 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7859 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7860 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7861 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7864 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7865 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7866 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7867 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7870 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7871 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7872 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7875 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7876 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7877 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7879 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7880 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7881 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7882 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7883 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7884 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7887 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7888 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7889 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7896 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7897 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7898 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7899 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7902 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7905 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7909 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7910 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7911 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7912 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7913 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7915 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7916 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7917 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7918 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7919 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7920 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7921 save all jpegs into some directory).
7923 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7926 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7927 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7929 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7930 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7931 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7932 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7933 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7936 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7937 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7938 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7947 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7948 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7949 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7950 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7951 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7952 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7953 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7955 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7956 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7957 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7958 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7960 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7961 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7962 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7963 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7964 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7965 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7966 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7967 something some agents insist on having in there.
7969 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7970 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7971 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7972 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7973 quoted-printable header encoding.
7975 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7976 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7977 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7981 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7984 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7985 means encode all charsets),
7987 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7988 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7989 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7996 @cindex coding system aliases
7997 @cindex preferred charset
7999 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8001 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8002 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8005 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8006 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8009 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8010 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8012 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8015 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8018 This will almost do the right thing.
8020 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8024 (codepage-setup 1251)
8025 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8029 @node Article Commands
8030 @section Article Commands
8037 @kindex A P (Summary)
8038 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8039 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8040 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8041 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8042 run just before printing the buffer.
8047 @node Summary Sorting
8048 @section Summary Sorting
8049 @cindex summary sorting
8051 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8052 can't really see why you'd want that.
8057 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8058 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8059 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8062 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8063 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8064 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8067 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8068 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8069 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8072 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8073 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8074 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8077 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8078 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8079 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8082 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8083 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8084 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8087 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8088 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8089 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8092 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8093 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8094 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8095 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8096 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8100 @node Finding the Parent
8101 @section Finding the Parent
8102 @cindex parent articles
8103 @cindex referring articles
8108 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8109 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8110 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8111 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8112 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8113 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8114 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8115 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8116 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8118 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8119 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8120 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8121 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8122 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8126 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8127 @kindex A R (Summary)
8128 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8129 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8132 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8133 @kindex A T (Summary)
8134 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8135 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8136 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8137 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8138 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8139 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8140 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8142 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8143 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8144 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8145 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8146 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8147 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8150 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8151 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8153 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8154 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8155 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8156 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8157 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8158 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8159 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8162 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8163 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8164 by giving this command a prefix.
8166 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8167 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8168 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8169 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8170 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8171 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8174 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8175 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8176 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8179 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8180 then ask Deja if that fails:
8183 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8185 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8188 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8189 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8190 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8191 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8192 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8193 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8196 @node Alternative Approaches
8197 @section Alternative Approaches
8199 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8200 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8203 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8204 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8209 @subsection Pick and Read
8210 @cindex pick and read
8212 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8213 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8214 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8215 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8217 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8218 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8219 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8220 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8221 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8222 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8224 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8229 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8230 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8231 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8232 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8233 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8234 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8235 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8236 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8239 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8240 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8241 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8242 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8246 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8247 Unpick the thread or article
8248 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8249 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8250 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8251 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8252 the thread or article at that line.
8256 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8257 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8258 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8259 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8260 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8261 will still be visible when you are reading.
8265 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8266 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8267 which is mapped to the same function
8268 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8270 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8273 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8276 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8277 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8279 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8280 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8281 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8283 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8284 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8285 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8286 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8287 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8288 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8289 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8293 @subsection Binary Groups
8294 @cindex binary groups
8296 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8297 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8298 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8299 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8300 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8301 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8302 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8305 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8306 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8307 command, when you have turned on this mode
8308 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8310 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8311 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8315 @section Tree Display
8318 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8319 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8320 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8321 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8324 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8327 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8328 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8329 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8331 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8332 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8333 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8334 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8335 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8337 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8338 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8339 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8340 default is @code{modeline}.
8342 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8343 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8344 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8345 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8346 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8347 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8348 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8354 The name of the poster.
8356 The @code{From} header.
8358 The number of the article.
8360 The opening bracket.
8362 The closing bracket.
8367 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8369 Variables related to the display are:
8372 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8373 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8374 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8375 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8376 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8377 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8379 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8380 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8381 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8382 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8386 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8387 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8388 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8389 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8390 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8391 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8392 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8393 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8394 other windows displayed next to it.
8396 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8397 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8398 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8399 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8400 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8401 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8402 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8406 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8409 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8419 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8423 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8424 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8426 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8428 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8433 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8434 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8435 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8438 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8439 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8440 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8441 (gnus-add-configuration
8445 (summary 0.75 point)
8450 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8453 @node Mail Group Commands
8454 @section Mail Group Commands
8455 @cindex mail group commands
8457 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8458 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8460 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8461 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8466 @kindex B e (Summary)
8467 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8468 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8469 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8472 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8473 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8474 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8475 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8476 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8477 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8480 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8481 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8482 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8483 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8484 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8485 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8488 @kindex B m (Summary)
8490 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8491 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8492 Move the article from one mail group to another
8493 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8494 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8497 @kindex B c (Summary)
8499 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8500 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8501 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8502 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8503 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8506 @kindex B B (Summary)
8507 @cindex crosspost mail
8508 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8509 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8510 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8511 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8512 be properly updated.
8515 @kindex B i (Summary)
8516 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8517 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8518 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8519 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8522 @kindex B r (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8524 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8525 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8526 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8527 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8528 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8529 (which is the default).
8533 @kindex B w (Summary)
8535 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8536 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8537 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8538 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8539 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8540 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8543 @kindex B q (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8545 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8546 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8547 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8550 @kindex B t (Summary)
8551 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8552 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8553 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8556 @kindex B p (Summary)
8557 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8558 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8559 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8560 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8561 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8562 article from your news server (or rather, from
8563 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8564 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8565 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8566 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8567 just not have arrived yet.
8571 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8572 @cindex moving articles
8573 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8574 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8575 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8576 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8577 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8578 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8579 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8582 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8583 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8584 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8585 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8589 @node Various Summary Stuff
8590 @section Various Summary Stuff
8593 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8594 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8595 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8596 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8600 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8601 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8602 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8604 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8605 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8606 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8607 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8608 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8609 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8612 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8613 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8614 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8615 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8616 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8618 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8619 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8620 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8623 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8624 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8625 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8626 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8627 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8628 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8629 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8630 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8631 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8632 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8634 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8635 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8636 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8637 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8638 list of articles to be selected.
8640 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8641 the list in one particular group:
8644 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8645 (if (string= group "some.group")
8646 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8653 @node Summary Group Information
8654 @subsection Summary Group Information
8659 @kindex H f (Summary)
8660 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8661 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8662 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8663 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8664 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8665 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8666 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8667 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8668 be used for fetching the file.
8671 @kindex H d (Summary)
8672 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8673 Give a brief description of the current group
8674 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8675 rereading the description from the server.
8678 @kindex H h (Summary)
8679 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8680 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8681 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8684 @kindex H i (Summary)
8685 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8686 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8690 @node Searching for Articles
8691 @subsection Searching for Articles
8696 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8697 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8698 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8699 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8702 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8703 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8704 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8705 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8709 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8710 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8711 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8712 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8713 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8714 search backward instead.
8716 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8717 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8720 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8721 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8722 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8723 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8726 @node Summary Generation Commands
8727 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8732 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8733 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8734 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8737 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8739 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8740 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8745 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8746 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8752 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8753 @kindex A D (Summary)
8754 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8755 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8756 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8757 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8758 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8759 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8760 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8761 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8765 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8766 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8767 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8768 several documents into one biiig group
8769 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8770 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8771 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8772 command understands the process/prefix convention
8773 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8776 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8777 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8778 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8779 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8780 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8781 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8785 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8786 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8787 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8790 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8791 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8792 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8793 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8796 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8797 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8798 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8799 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8804 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8805 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8806 @cindex summary exit
8807 @cindex exiting groups
8809 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8810 group and return you to the group buffer.
8816 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8818 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8819 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8820 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8821 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8822 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8823 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8824 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8825 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8826 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8827 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8828 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8832 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8834 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8835 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8836 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8840 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8842 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8843 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8844 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8845 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8848 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8849 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8850 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8851 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8854 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8855 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8856 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8857 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8860 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8861 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8862 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8863 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8864 all articles, both read and unread.
8868 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8869 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8870 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8871 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8872 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8873 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8874 articles, both read and unread.
8877 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8878 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8879 Exit the group and go to the next group
8880 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8883 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8884 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8885 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8886 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8889 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8890 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8891 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8892 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8893 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8894 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8897 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8898 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8899 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8900 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8902 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8903 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8904 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8905 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8906 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8907 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8908 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8909 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8910 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8911 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8912 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8913 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8915 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8917 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8918 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8919 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8920 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8921 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8922 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8923 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8924 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8925 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8928 @node Crosspost Handling
8929 @section Crosspost Handling
8933 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8934 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8935 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8936 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8937 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8938 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8941 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8942 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8943 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8944 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8945 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8947 @cindex cross-posting
8950 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8951 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8952 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8953 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8954 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8955 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8956 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8957 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8958 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8959 the cross reference mechanism.
8961 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8962 @cindex overview.fmt
8963 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8964 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8965 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8966 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8967 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8968 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8971 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8972 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8973 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8978 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8981 @node Duplicate Suppression
8982 @section Duplicate Suppression
8984 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8985 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8986 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8987 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8992 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8993 is evil and not very common.
8996 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8997 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9000 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9001 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9004 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9007 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9008 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9010 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9011 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9012 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9013 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9014 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9015 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9016 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9019 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9020 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9021 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9022 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9023 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9027 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9028 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9029 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9031 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9032 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9033 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9034 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9035 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9036 session are suppressed.
9038 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9039 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9040 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9041 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9043 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9044 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9045 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9046 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9049 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9050 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9051 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9052 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9053 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9054 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9055 to you to figure out, I think.
9060 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9065 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9071 @item mm-verify-option
9072 @vindex mm-verify-option
9073 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9074 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9075 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9077 @item mm-decrypt-option
9078 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9079 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9080 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9081 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9085 @node The Article Buffer
9086 @chapter The Article Buffer
9087 @cindex article buffer
9089 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9090 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9091 tell Gnus otherwise.
9094 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9095 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9096 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9097 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9098 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9102 @node Hiding Headers
9103 @section Hiding Headers
9104 @cindex hiding headers
9105 @cindex deleting headers
9107 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9108 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9110 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9111 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9112 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9113 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9114 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9115 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9116 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9117 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9118 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9120 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9124 @item gnus-visible-headers
9125 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9126 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9127 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9128 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9130 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9131 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9134 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9137 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9140 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9141 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9142 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9143 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9144 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9145 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9147 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9148 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9151 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9154 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9157 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9158 variable will have no effect.
9162 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9163 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9164 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9165 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9166 the headers are to be displayed.
9168 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9169 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9172 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9175 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9176 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9178 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9179 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9180 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9181 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-header} to @code{head}. What this function
9182 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9183 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9184 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9187 These conditions are:
9190 Remove all empty headers.
9192 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9193 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9195 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9198 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9201 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9204 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9206 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9209 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9212 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9213 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9216 This is also the default value for this variable.
9220 @section Using @sc{mime}
9223 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9224 while people stand around yawning.
9226 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9227 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9229 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9230 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9231 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9233 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9234 @findex gnus-display-mime
9235 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9236 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9237 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9238 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9240 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9244 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9246 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9247 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9248 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9250 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9251 @item M-RET (Article)
9253 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9254 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9256 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9258 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9259 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9261 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9263 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9264 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9266 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9268 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9269 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9271 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9273 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9275 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9277 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9278 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9279 the raw contens without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9280 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9281 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
9284 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
9286 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
9287 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
9291 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9292 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9295 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9296 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9297 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9298 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9299 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9300 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9301 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9302 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9303 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9305 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9307 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9310 @node Customizing Articles
9311 @section Customizing Articles
9312 @cindex article customization
9314 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9315 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9316 called automatically when you select the articles.
9318 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9319 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9320 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9321 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9323 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9324 for sensible values.
9328 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9331 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9334 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9337 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9340 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9344 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9345 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9346 regexps in the list.
9349 A list where the first element is not a string:
9351 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9352 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9353 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9357 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9362 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9363 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9364 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9365 considered to contain just a single part.
9367 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9368 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9369 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9370 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9371 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9372 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9373 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9375 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9376 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9377 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9378 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9381 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9382 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9383 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9384 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9385 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9386 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9387 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9388 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9389 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9390 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9391 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9392 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9393 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9394 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9395 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9396 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9397 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9398 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9399 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9400 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9401 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9402 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9403 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9404 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9405 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9406 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9407 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9408 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9409 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9410 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9411 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9412 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9413 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9414 @item gnus-treat-translate
9417 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9418 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9419 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9420 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9421 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9425 @node Article Keymap
9426 @section Article Keymap
9428 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9429 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9430 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9431 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9434 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9439 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9440 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9441 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9444 @kindex DEL (Article)
9445 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9446 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9449 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9450 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9451 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9452 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9453 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9456 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9457 @findex gnus-article-mail
9458 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9459 given a prefix, include the mail.
9463 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9464 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9465 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9469 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9470 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9471 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9474 @kindex TAB (Article)
9475 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9476 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9477 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9480 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9481 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9482 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9488 @section Misc Article
9492 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9493 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9494 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9495 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9498 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9499 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9501 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9502 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9504 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9505 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9506 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9507 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9508 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9509 the contents of the article buffer.
9511 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9512 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9513 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9515 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9516 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9517 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9518 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9520 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9521 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9522 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9523 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9524 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9529 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9530 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9533 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9536 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9538 @item gnus-break-pages
9539 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9540 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9541 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9542 paging will not be done.
9544 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9545 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9546 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9551 @node Composing Messages
9552 @chapter Composing Messages
9553 @cindex composing messages
9556 @cindex sending mail
9562 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9563 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9564 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9565 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9566 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9567 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9570 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9571 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9572 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9573 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9574 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9575 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9576 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9577 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9578 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9581 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9582 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9588 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9591 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9592 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9593 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9594 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9596 @item gnus-add-to-list
9597 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9598 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9599 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9601 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
9602 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
9603 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial.
9604 The lower bound of message size in characters, beyond which the message
9605 should be sent in several parts. If it is nil, the size is unlimited.
9613 Variables for composing news articles:
9616 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9617 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9618 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9619 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9620 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9621 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9622 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9623 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9624 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
9627 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9628 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9629 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9630 file. It is 1000 by default.
9635 @node Posting Server
9636 @section Posting Server
9638 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9639 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9641 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9643 @vindex gnus-post-method
9645 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
9646 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9647 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9648 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9649 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9652 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9655 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9656 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9657 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9658 the ``current'' server for posting.
9660 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9661 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9663 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9664 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9667 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9668 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9669 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9674 @section Mail and Post
9676 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9680 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9681 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9682 @cindex mailing lists
9684 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9685 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9686 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9687 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9688 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9689 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9690 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9691 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9692 still a pain, though.
9696 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9697 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9698 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9701 @findex ispell-message
9703 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9706 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9707 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9710 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9713 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9714 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9716 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9719 Modify to suit your needs.
9722 @node Archived Messages
9723 @section Archived Messages
9724 @cindex archived messages
9725 @cindex sent messages
9727 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9728 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9729 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9730 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9733 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9734 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
9735 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9739 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9740 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9741 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9742 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9745 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9746 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9747 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9748 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9751 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9752 '(nnfolder "archive"
9753 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9754 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9755 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9758 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9760 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9761 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9762 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9764 This variable can be used to do the following:
9768 Messages will be saved in that group.
9770 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
9771 message will not be stored in the select method given by
9772 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
9773 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
9774 has the default value shown above. Then setting
9775 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
9776 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
9777 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
9779 @item a list of strings
9780 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9781 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9782 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9784 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9789 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9791 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9794 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9796 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9799 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9801 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9802 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9803 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9804 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9809 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9810 '((if (message-news-p)
9815 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9816 messages in one file per month:
9819 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9820 '((if (message-news-p)
9822 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9825 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9826 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9828 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9829 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9830 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9831 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9832 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9833 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9834 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9835 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9836 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9837 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9839 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9840 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9841 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9842 this will disable archiving.
9845 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9846 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9847 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9848 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9849 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9852 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9853 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9854 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9857 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9858 but the latter is the preferred method.
9860 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9861 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9862 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
9867 @node Posting Styles
9868 @section Posting Styles
9869 @cindex posting styles
9872 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9874 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9875 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9876 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9879 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9880 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9881 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9882 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9883 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9888 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9889 (organization "What me?"))
9891 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9892 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9893 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9896 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9897 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9898 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9899 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9900 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9901 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9902 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9903 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9905 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9906 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9907 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9908 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9909 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9910 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9911 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9912 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9915 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9916 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9917 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9918 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9919 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9920 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9921 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
9922 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
9923 result is thrown away.
9925 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9926 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9927 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9928 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9929 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9930 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9932 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9933 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9934 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9936 @findex message-mail-p
9937 @findex message-news-p
9939 So here's a new example:
9942 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9944 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9946 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9947 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9949 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9950 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9951 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9953 (signature my-news-signature))
9954 (header "From\\|To" "larsi.*org"
9955 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9956 ((posting-from-work-p)
9957 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9958 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9959 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9960 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9962 (From (save-excursion
9963 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
9964 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
9966 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9969 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
9970 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
9971 if you fill many roles.
9978 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9979 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9980 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9981 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9982 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9984 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9985 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9986 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9987 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9988 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9992 @vindex nndraft-directory
9993 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9994 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9995 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9996 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9997 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9998 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10000 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10001 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10004 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10005 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10006 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10007 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10008 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10009 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10010 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10011 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10012 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10013 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10014 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10015 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10016 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10017 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10019 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10020 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10021 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10023 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10024 @kindex D e (Draft)
10025 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10026 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10027 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10029 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10032 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10033 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10034 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10035 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10036 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10037 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10038 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10041 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10042 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10043 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10046 @node Rejected Articles
10047 @section Rejected Articles
10048 @cindex rejected articles
10050 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10051 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10052 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10053 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10055 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10056 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10057 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10058 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10059 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10061 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10062 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10063 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10069 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el} and
10070 @file{mml2015.el}. When viewing signed or encrypted messages, Gnus automatically
10071 asks if you want to verify or decrypt them.
10073 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10074 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10077 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10078 (setq gpg-temp-directory "~/.gnupg/tmp")
10081 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10082 to 700, for your own safety.
10084 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10085 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10089 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10092 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10093 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10096 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10099 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security menu or
10100 @kbd{M-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{M-m s s} to sign your
10101 message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{M-m c p} to encrypt your message with
10102 PGP/MIME and @kbd{M-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME.
10104 Gnus will ask for your passphrase three times and then it will send your
10105 message, if you've typed it correctly.
10108 @node Select Methods
10109 @chapter Select Methods
10110 @cindex foreign groups
10111 @cindex select methods
10113 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10114 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10115 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10116 personal mail group.
10118 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10119 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10120 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10121 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10122 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10123 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10125 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10126 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
10128 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10131 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10132 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10133 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10134 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10135 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10137 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10140 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10141 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10142 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10143 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10144 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10145 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10146 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10150 @node The Server Buffer
10151 @section The Server Buffer
10153 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10154 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10155 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10156 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10157 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10158 backend represents a virtual server.
10160 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10161 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10162 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10163 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10165 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10166 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10167 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10168 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10169 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10170 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10171 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10173 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10174 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10177 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10178 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10179 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10180 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10181 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10182 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10183 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10186 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10187 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10190 @node Server Buffer Format
10191 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10192 @cindex server buffer format
10194 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10195 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10196 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10197 variable, with some simple extensions:
10202 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10205 The name of this server.
10208 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10211 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10214 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10215 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10216 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10217 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10227 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10230 @node Server Commands
10231 @subsection Server Commands
10232 @cindex server commands
10238 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10239 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10243 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10244 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10247 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10248 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10249 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10253 @findex gnus-server-exit
10254 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10258 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10259 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10263 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10264 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10268 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10269 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10273 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10274 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10278 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10279 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10280 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10285 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10286 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10287 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10288 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
10293 @node Example Methods
10294 @subsection Example Methods
10296 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10299 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10302 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10308 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10309 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10312 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10313 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10315 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10316 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10320 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10323 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10324 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10326 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10327 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10328 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10332 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10335 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10338 Here's the method for a public spool:
10342 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10343 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10349 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10350 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10351 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10352 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10353 should probably look something like this:
10357 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10358 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10359 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10360 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10361 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10364 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10365 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10366 server that would look something like this:
10370 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10371 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10372 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10373 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10374 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10375 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10378 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10379 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10380 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10381 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10384 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10385 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10387 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10388 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10390 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10391 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10392 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10394 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10396 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10397 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10398 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10399 will contain the following:
10409 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10410 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10411 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10414 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10415 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10416 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10419 @node Server Variables
10420 @subsection Server Variables
10422 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10423 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10424 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10425 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10426 won't change the "derived" variables.
10428 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10429 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10430 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10431 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10432 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10433 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10434 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10435 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10436 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10440 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10441 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10442 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10446 @node Servers and Methods
10447 @subsection Servers and Methods
10449 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10450 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10451 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10452 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10456 @node Unavailable Servers
10457 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10459 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10460 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10461 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10462 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10463 actually the case or not.
10465 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10466 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10467 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10468 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10469 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10470 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10471 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10472 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10474 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10475 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10477 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10478 with the following commands:
10484 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10485 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10486 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10490 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10491 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10492 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10496 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10497 Mark the current server as unreachable
10498 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10501 @kindex M-o (Server)
10502 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10503 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10504 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10507 @kindex M-c (Server)
10508 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10509 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10510 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10514 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10515 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10516 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10522 @section Getting News
10523 @cindex reading news
10524 @cindex news backends
10526 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10527 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10528 or it can read from a local spool.
10531 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10532 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10537 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10540 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10541 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10542 server as the, uhm, address.
10544 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10545 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10546 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10547 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10549 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10550 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10551 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10553 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10558 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10559 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10560 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10562 @cindex authentification
10563 @cindex nntp authentification
10564 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10565 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10566 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10567 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10568 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10569 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10570 present in this hook.
10572 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10573 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10574 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10575 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10576 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10577 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10578 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10579 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10580 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10581 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10582 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10583 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10587 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10590 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10593 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10594 @samp{default}. Gnus introduce two new tokens, not present in the
10595 original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10596 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10597 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10598 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to, @samp{force}
10599 is explained below.
10601 Here's an example file:
10604 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10605 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10608 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10609 have to be first, for instance.
10611 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10612 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10613 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10614 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10615 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10616 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10617 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10619 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10620 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10626 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10627 previously mentioned.
10629 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10631 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10632 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10633 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10634 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10635 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10638 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10639 '(("innd" (ding))))
10642 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10644 The default value is
10647 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10648 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10651 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10652 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10654 @item nntp-maximum-request
10655 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10656 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10657 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10658 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10659 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10660 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10661 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10663 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10664 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10665 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10666 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10667 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10668 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10669 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10670 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10671 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10672 no timeouts are done.
10674 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10675 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10676 @c @cindex PPP connections
10677 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10678 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10679 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10680 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10681 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10682 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10683 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10684 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10685 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10686 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10688 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10689 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10690 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10691 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10692 @c described above.
10694 @item nntp-server-hook
10695 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10696 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10699 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10700 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10701 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10702 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10703 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10704 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10705 functions are supplied:
10708 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10709 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10712 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10713 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10714 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10717 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10721 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10722 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10723 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10724 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10726 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10727 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10728 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10730 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10731 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10732 User name on the remote system.
10736 @item nntp-open-telnet
10737 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10738 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10740 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10743 @item nntp-telnet-command
10744 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10745 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10747 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10748 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10749 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10751 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10752 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10753 User name for log in on the remote system.
10755 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10756 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10757 Password to use when logging in.
10759 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10760 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10761 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10764 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10765 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10766 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10767 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10769 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10770 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10771 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10772 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10773 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10777 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10778 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10779 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10780 you must have SSLay installed
10781 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10782 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10783 define a server as follows:
10786 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10788 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10790 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10791 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10792 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10793 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10798 @item nntp-end-of-line
10799 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10800 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10801 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10802 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10804 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10805 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10806 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10810 @vindex nntp-address
10811 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10813 @item nntp-port-number
10814 @vindex nntp-port-number
10815 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10818 @item nntp-buggy-select
10819 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10820 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10822 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10823 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10824 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10825 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10828 @item nntp-xover-commands
10829 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10832 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10833 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10837 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10838 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10839 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10840 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10841 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10842 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10843 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10844 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10845 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10846 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10847 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10849 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10850 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10851 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10853 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10854 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10855 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10856 server closes connection.
10858 @item nntp-record-commands
10859 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10860 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10861 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10862 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10863 that doesn't seem to work.
10869 @subsection News Spool
10873 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10874 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10875 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10878 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10879 anything else) as the address.
10881 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10882 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10883 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10884 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10888 @item nnspool-inews-program
10889 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10890 Program used to post an article.
10892 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10893 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10894 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10896 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10897 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10898 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10899 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10901 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10902 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10903 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10904 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10906 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10907 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10908 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10910 @item nnspool-active-file
10911 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10912 The path to the active file.
10914 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10915 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10916 The path to the group descriptions file.
10918 @item nnspool-history-file
10919 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10920 The path to the news history file.
10922 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10923 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10924 The path to the active date file.
10926 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10927 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10928 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10931 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10932 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10934 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10935 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10936 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10942 @section Getting Mail
10943 @cindex reading mail
10946 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10950 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10951 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10952 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10953 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10954 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10955 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10956 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10957 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10958 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10959 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10960 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10961 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10962 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10966 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10967 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10969 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10970 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10971 of a culture shock.
10973 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10974 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10976 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10977 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10978 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10979 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10981 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10983 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10984 deleted? How awful!
10986 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10987 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10988 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10989 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10992 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10993 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10994 they want to treat a message.
10996 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10997 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10998 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10999 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11000 archived somewhere else.
11002 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11003 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11004 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11005 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11006 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11008 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11009 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11010 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11012 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11013 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11016 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11017 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11018 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11019 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11020 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11022 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11023 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11024 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11025 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11026 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11027 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11031 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11032 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11034 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11035 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11036 and things will happen automatically.
11038 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11039 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11042 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11043 '((nnml "private")))
11046 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11047 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11048 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11049 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11050 like any other group.
11052 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11055 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11056 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11057 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11061 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11062 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11063 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11066 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11067 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11068 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11071 @node Splitting Mail
11072 @subsection Splitting Mail
11073 @cindex splitting mail
11074 @cindex mail splitting
11076 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11077 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11078 to be split into groups.
11081 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11082 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11083 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11084 ("mail.other" "")))
11087 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11088 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11089 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11090 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11091 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11092 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11093 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11096 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11099 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11100 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11101 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11102 mail belongs in that group.
11104 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11105 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11106 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11107 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11108 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11109 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11111 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11112 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11113 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11114 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11115 thinks should carry this mail message.
11117 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11118 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11119 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11120 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11122 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11123 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11124 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11125 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11126 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11128 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11131 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11132 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11133 links. If that's the case for you, set
11134 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11135 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11137 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11138 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11139 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11140 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11141 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11142 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11145 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11146 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11147 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11148 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11149 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11150 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11151 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11152 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11153 month's rent money.
11157 @subsection Mail Sources
11159 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11160 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11164 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11165 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11166 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11170 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11171 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11173 @cindex mail server
11176 @cindex mail source
11178 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11179 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11184 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11187 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11188 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11189 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11192 The following mail source types are available:
11196 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11202 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11203 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11206 An example file mail source:
11209 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11212 Or using the default path:
11218 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11219 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11220 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11223 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11227 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11230 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11234 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11237 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11239 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11242 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11246 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11247 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11248 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil force Gnus to
11249 scan the mail source only once.
11255 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11259 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11263 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11264 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11265 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11266 predicate are considered.
11270 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11274 An example directory mail source:
11277 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11282 Get mail from a POP server.
11288 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11289 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11292 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11293 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11294 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11295 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}.
11298 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11302 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11306 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
11307 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11310 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11313 The valid format specifier characters are:
11317 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11318 included in this string.
11321 The name of the server.
11324 The port number of the server.
11327 The user name to use.
11330 The password to use.
11333 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11334 corresponding keywords.
11337 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11338 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11341 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11342 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11345 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11346 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11349 @item :authentication
11350 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11351 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11356 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11357 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11359 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11360 default user name, and default fetcher:
11366 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11369 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11370 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11373 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11376 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11380 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11381 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11382 contains exactly one mail.
11388 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11389 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11392 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11393 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11395 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11396 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11397 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11400 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11401 from locking problems).
11405 Two example maildir mail sources:
11408 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11412 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11416 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11417 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11418 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11419 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11425 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11426 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11429 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11430 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11433 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11437 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11441 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11442 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11443 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11445 @item :authentication
11446 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11447 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11448 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11452 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11453 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11456 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11457 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11458 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11459 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11460 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11461 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11464 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11465 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11466 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11467 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11470 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11471 after finishing the fetch.
11475 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11478 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11482 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11483 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11485 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11488 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11489 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11491 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11497 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11498 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11501 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11505 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11509 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11510 folder after finishing the fetch.
11514 An example webmail source:
11517 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11522 @item Common Keywords
11523 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11529 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11530 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11534 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11539 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11540 useful when you use local mail and news.
11545 @subsubsection Function Interface
11547 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11548 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11549 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11550 consider the following mail-source setting:
11553 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11554 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11557 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11558 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11559 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11560 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11561 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11563 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11566 @node Mail Source Customization
11567 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11569 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11570 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11574 @item mail-source-crash-box
11575 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11576 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11577 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11579 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11580 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11581 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11583 @item mail-source-directory
11584 @vindex mail-source-directory
11585 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11586 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11587 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11590 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11591 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11592 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
11593 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
11594 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
11595 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
11597 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11598 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11599 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11604 @node Fetching Mail
11605 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11607 @vindex mail-sources
11608 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11609 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11610 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11611 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11613 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11614 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11617 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11618 mail server, you'd say something like:
11623 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11624 :password "secret")))
11627 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11631 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11632 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11635 :password "secret")))
11639 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11640 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11641 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11642 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11643 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11644 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11648 @node Mail Backend Variables
11649 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11651 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11655 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11656 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11657 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11658 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11660 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11661 @item nnmail-split-hook
11662 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11663 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11664 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11665 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11666 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11667 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11668 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11669 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11670 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11673 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11674 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11675 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11676 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11677 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11678 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11679 starting to handle the new mail) and
11680 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11681 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11682 default file modes the new mail files get:
11685 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11686 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11688 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11689 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11692 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11693 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11694 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11695 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11696 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11697 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11698 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11700 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11701 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11702 @findex delete-file
11703 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11705 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11706 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11707 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11708 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11709 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11714 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11715 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11716 @cindex mail splitting
11717 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11719 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11720 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11721 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11722 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11723 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11724 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11726 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11729 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11730 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11731 ;; from real errors.
11732 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11734 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11735 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11736 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11737 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11738 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11739 ;; Other mailing lists...
11740 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11741 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11742 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11743 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11744 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11745 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11746 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11747 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11749 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11750 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11754 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11755 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11756 the five possible split syntaxes:
11761 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11762 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11766 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11767 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11768 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11769 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11770 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11771 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11772 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11773 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11776 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11777 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11778 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11779 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11782 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11783 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11786 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11787 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11790 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11791 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11792 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11793 function should return a @var{split}.
11795 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
11796 body of the messages:
11799 (defun split-on-body ()
11801 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
11802 (goto-char (point-min))
11803 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
11808 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11809 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11810 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11814 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11818 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11819 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11820 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11821 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11822 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11824 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11825 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11826 are expanded as specified by the variable
11827 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11828 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11831 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11832 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11833 when all this splitting is performed.
11835 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11836 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11837 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11840 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11843 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11844 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11846 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11847 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11848 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11849 groupings 1 through 9.
11851 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
11852 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
11853 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
11854 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
11855 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
11856 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
11857 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
11858 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
11859 it once per thread.
11861 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
11862 non-nil value. And then you can include
11863 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
11865 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11866 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
11867 ;; other splits go here
11871 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
11872 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
11873 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
11874 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
11875 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
11876 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
11877 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
11878 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
11879 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name. It
11880 is recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
11881 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
11882 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300
11883 kBytes in size.) When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is
11884 non-nil, Gnus also records the message ids of moved articles, so that
11885 the followup messages goes into the new group.
11888 @node Group Mail Splitting
11889 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11890 @cindex mail splitting
11891 @cindex group mail splitting
11893 @findex gnus-group-split
11894 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11895 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11896 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11897 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11898 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11899 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11900 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11901 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11903 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11904 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11905 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11906 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11908 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11909 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11910 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11911 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11912 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11913 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11914 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11916 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11917 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11918 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11919 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11920 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11921 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11922 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11924 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11925 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11926 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11927 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11928 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11929 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11930 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
11931 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
11932 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
11933 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
11934 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
11935 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
11936 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
11938 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11943 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11944 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11946 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11947 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11948 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11949 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11951 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11954 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11955 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11956 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11959 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11960 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11961 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11965 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11966 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11967 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11971 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11974 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11975 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11976 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11977 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
11978 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
11979 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11980 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11981 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11982 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11984 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11985 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11986 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11987 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11988 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11989 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11990 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11991 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11992 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11994 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11995 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
11996 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11997 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11998 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11999 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12002 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12005 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12006 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12007 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12008 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional; same as nil),
12009 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12012 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12013 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12014 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12015 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12017 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12018 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12020 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12021 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12022 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12025 Doing so can be quite easy.
12027 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12028 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12029 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12030 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12031 your @code{nnml} groups.
12037 Go to the group buffer.
12040 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12041 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12044 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12047 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12048 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12051 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12052 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12055 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12056 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12057 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12058 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12059 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12061 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12062 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12063 using the new mail backend.
12066 @node Expiring Mail
12067 @subsection Expiring Mail
12068 @cindex article expiry
12070 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12071 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12072 different approach to mail reading.
12074 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12075 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12076 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12077 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12078 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12079 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12082 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12083 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12084 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12085 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12086 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12087 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12088 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12089 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12091 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12092 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12093 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12094 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12095 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12096 column in the summary buffer.
12098 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12099 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12100 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12101 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12104 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12106 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12107 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12108 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12111 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12112 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12113 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12114 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12115 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12117 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12118 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12121 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12122 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12125 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12126 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12128 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12129 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12130 don't really mix very well.
12132 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12133 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12134 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12135 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12138 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12139 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12140 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12141 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12144 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12146 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12148 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12150 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12152 ((string= group "important")
12158 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12159 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12161 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12162 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12163 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12166 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12167 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12169 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12170 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12171 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12172 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12173 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12174 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12175 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12176 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12177 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12178 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12179 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12180 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12183 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12185 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12189 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12190 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12191 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12192 easier for procmail users.
12194 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12195 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12196 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12197 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12198 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12199 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12200 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12201 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12202 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12203 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12204 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12205 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12206 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12209 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12211 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12212 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12213 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12214 auto-expire turned on.
12218 @subsection Washing Mail
12219 @cindex mail washing
12220 @cindex list server brain damage
12221 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12223 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12224 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12225 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12226 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12227 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12228 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12230 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12231 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12232 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12235 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12236 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12237 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12238 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12241 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12242 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12243 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12244 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12245 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12248 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12249 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12250 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12251 Emacs running on MS machines.
12255 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12256 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12257 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12258 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12261 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12262 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12263 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12264 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12266 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12267 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12268 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12269 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12270 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12271 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12272 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12275 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12276 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12279 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12280 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12283 This can also be done non-destructively with
12284 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12286 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12287 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12288 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12290 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12291 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12293 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12294 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12295 @code{References} headers.
12299 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12300 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12301 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12305 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12306 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12307 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12314 @subsection Duplicates
12316 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12317 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12318 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12319 @cindex duplicate mails
12320 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12321 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12322 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12323 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12324 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12325 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12326 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12327 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12328 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12329 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12330 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12331 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12332 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12334 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12335 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12336 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12337 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12339 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12342 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12343 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12347 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12348 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12349 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12350 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12351 (any mail "mail.misc")
12358 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12359 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12364 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12365 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12366 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12367 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12368 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12371 @node Not Reading Mail
12372 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12374 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12375 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12376 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12378 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12379 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12380 mail, which should help.
12382 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12383 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12384 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12385 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12386 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12387 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12388 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12389 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12390 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12391 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12392 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12394 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12395 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12399 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12400 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12402 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12403 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12404 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12406 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12407 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12408 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12409 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12412 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12413 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12414 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12415 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12416 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12417 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12421 @node Unix Mail Box
12422 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12424 @cindex unix mail box
12426 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12427 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12428 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12429 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12430 which group it belongs in.
12432 Virtual server settings:
12435 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12436 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12437 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12439 @item nnmbox-active-file
12440 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12441 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12443 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12444 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12445 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12451 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12455 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12456 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12457 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12458 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12459 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12461 Virtual server settings:
12464 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12465 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12466 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12468 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12469 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12470 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12472 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12473 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12474 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12479 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12481 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12483 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12484 format. It should be used with some caution.
12486 @vindex nnml-directory
12487 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12488 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12489 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12490 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12492 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12495 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12496 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12497 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12498 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12499 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12500 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12501 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12502 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12504 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12505 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12506 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12507 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12509 Virtual server settings:
12512 @item nnml-directory
12513 @vindex nnml-directory
12514 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12516 @item nnml-active-file
12517 @vindex nnml-active-file
12518 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12520 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12521 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12522 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12525 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12526 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12527 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12529 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12530 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12531 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12533 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12534 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12535 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12537 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12538 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12539 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12543 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12544 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12545 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12546 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12547 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12548 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12549 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12554 @subsubsection MH Spool
12556 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12558 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12559 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12560 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12561 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12563 Virtual server settings:
12566 @item nnmh-directory
12567 @vindex nnmh-directory
12568 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12570 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12571 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12572 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12575 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12576 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12577 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12578 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12579 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12580 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12581 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12586 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12588 @cindex mbox folders
12589 @cindex mail folders
12591 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12592 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12593 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12596 Virtual server settings:
12599 @item nnfolder-directory
12600 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12601 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12603 @item nnfolder-active-file
12604 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12605 The name of the active file.
12607 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12608 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12609 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12611 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12612 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12613 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12615 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12616 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12617 @cindex backup files
12618 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12619 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12620 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12621 your @file{.emacs} file:
12624 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12625 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12627 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12630 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12631 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12632 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12633 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12634 extract some information from it before removing it.
12636 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12637 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12638 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12643 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12644 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12645 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12646 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12647 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12648 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12651 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12652 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12654 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12655 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12656 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12657 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12658 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12660 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12661 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12662 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12663 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12664 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12665 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12666 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12667 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12670 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12671 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12672 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12673 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12678 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12679 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12680 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12681 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12682 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12683 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12684 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12685 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12686 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12687 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12688 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12689 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12690 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12695 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12696 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12697 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12698 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12699 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12700 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12701 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12702 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12703 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12704 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12705 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12706 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12707 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12708 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12710 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12711 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12716 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12717 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12718 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12719 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12720 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12721 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12722 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12723 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12724 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12725 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12726 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12727 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12728 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12729 provided by the active file and overviews.
12731 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12732 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12733 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12734 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12735 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12738 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12739 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12744 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12745 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12746 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12747 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12748 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12749 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12750 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12754 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12755 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12756 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12757 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12758 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12759 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12760 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12761 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12762 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12764 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12765 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12766 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12767 friendly mail backend all over.
12772 @node Browsing the Web
12773 @section Browsing the Web
12775 @cindex browsing the web
12779 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12780 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12781 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12782 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12783 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12784 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12785 even know what a news group is.
12787 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12788 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12789 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12790 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12791 you mad in the end.
12793 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12796 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12797 interfaces to these sources.
12800 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12801 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12802 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12803 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12804 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12807 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12809 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12810 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12811 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12812 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12813 though, you should be ok.
12815 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12816 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12817 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12818 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12819 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12823 @subsection Web Searches
12827 @cindex InReference
12828 @cindex Usenet searches
12829 @cindex searching the Usenet
12831 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12832 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12833 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12834 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12835 searches without having to use a browser.
12837 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12838 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12839 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12840 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12841 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12843 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12844 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12845 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12846 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12847 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12848 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12849 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12850 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12851 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12852 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12855 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12856 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12857 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12858 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12859 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12860 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12862 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12863 to use @code{nnweb}.
12865 Virtual server variables:
12870 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12871 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12875 @vindex nnweb-search
12876 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12878 @item nnweb-max-hits
12879 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12880 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12883 @item nnweb-type-definition
12884 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12885 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12886 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12891 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12895 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12898 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12901 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12905 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12912 @subsection Slashdot
12916 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12917 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12918 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12920 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12921 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12924 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12925 '((nnslashdot "")))
12928 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12929 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12930 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12931 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12932 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12935 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12936 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12938 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12939 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12940 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12941 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12942 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12943 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12946 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12949 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12950 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12951 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12952 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12953 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12954 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12955 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12957 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12958 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12959 The login name to use when posting.
12961 @item nnslashdot-password
12962 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12963 The password to use when posting.
12965 @item nnslashdot-directory
12966 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12967 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12968 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12970 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12971 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12972 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12973 news articles and comments. The default is
12974 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12976 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12977 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12978 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12980 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12982 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12983 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12984 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12986 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12988 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12989 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12990 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12992 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12993 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12994 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12995 updated. The default is 0.
13002 @subsection Ultimate
13004 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13006 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13007 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13008 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13009 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13011 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13012 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13013 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13014 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13015 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13016 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13017 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13019 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13022 @item nnultimate-directory
13023 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13024 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13025 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13030 @subsection Web Archive
13032 @cindex Web Archive
13034 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13035 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13036 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13037 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13040 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13041 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13042 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13043 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13044 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13045 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13046 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13048 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13051 @item nnwarchive-directory
13052 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13053 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13054 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13056 @item nnwarchive-login
13057 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13058 The account name on the web server.
13060 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13061 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13062 The password for your account on the web server.
13066 @node Customizing w3
13067 @subsection Customizing w3
13073 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13074 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13075 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13077 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13078 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13079 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13082 (eval-after-load "w3"
13084 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13085 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13086 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13087 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13089 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13092 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13093 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13097 @node Other Sources
13098 @section Other Sources
13100 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13101 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13105 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13106 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13107 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13108 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13109 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13110 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13114 @node Directory Groups
13115 @subsection Directory Groups
13117 @cindex directory groups
13119 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13120 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13123 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13124 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13125 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13126 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13128 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13129 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13130 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13131 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13132 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13134 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13136 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13137 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13138 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13139 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13142 @node Anything Groups
13143 @subsection Anything Groups
13146 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13147 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13148 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13151 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13152 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13153 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13154 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13155 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13156 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13157 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13158 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13159 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13160 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13163 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13164 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13165 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13166 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13168 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13169 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13170 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13171 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13173 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13174 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13175 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13176 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13177 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13178 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13179 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13180 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13185 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13186 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13187 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13188 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13190 @item nneething-exclude-files
13191 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13192 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13193 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13195 @item nneething-include-files
13196 @vindex nneething-include-files
13197 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13198 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13200 @item nneething-map-file
13201 @vindex nneething-map-file
13202 Name of the map files.
13206 @node Document Groups
13207 @subsection Document Groups
13209 @cindex documentation group
13212 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13213 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13220 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13225 The standard Unix mbox file.
13227 @cindex MMDF mail box
13229 The MMDF mail box format.
13232 Several news articles appended into a file.
13235 @cindex rnews batch files
13236 The rnews batch transport format.
13237 @cindex forwarded messages
13240 Forwarded articles.
13243 Netscape mail boxes.
13246 MIME multipart messages.
13248 @item standard-digest
13249 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13252 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13255 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13256 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13257 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13260 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13261 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13262 group. And that's it.
13264 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13265 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13266 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13267 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13268 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13269 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13270 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13271 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13272 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13273 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13275 Virtual server variables:
13278 @item nndoc-article-type
13279 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13280 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13281 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13282 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13283 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13285 @item nndoc-post-type
13286 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13287 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13288 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13293 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13297 @node Document Server Internals
13298 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13300 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13301 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13302 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13303 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13305 First, here's an example document type definition:
13309 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13310 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13313 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13314 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13315 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13316 types can be defined with very few settings:
13319 @item first-article
13320 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13321 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13324 @item article-begin
13325 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13326 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13328 @item head-begin-function
13329 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13332 @item nndoc-head-begin
13333 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13336 @item nndoc-head-end
13337 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13338 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13340 @item body-begin-function
13341 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13345 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13348 @item body-end-function
13349 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13353 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13356 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13357 regexp will be totally ignored.
13361 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13362 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13363 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13364 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13365 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13368 @item prepare-body-function
13369 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13370 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13371 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13373 @item article-transform-function
13374 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13375 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13376 body of the article.
13378 @item generate-head-function
13379 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13380 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13381 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13382 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13386 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13391 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13392 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13393 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13394 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13395 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13396 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13397 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13398 (subtype digest guess))
13401 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13402 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13403 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13404 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13405 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13407 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13408 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13409 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13410 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13411 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
13412 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13413 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13414 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13415 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13416 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13424 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13425 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13426 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13428 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13429 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13430 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13433 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13434 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13435 that interested in doing things properly.
13437 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13438 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13441 First some terminology:
13446 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13447 get news and/or mail from.
13450 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13451 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13454 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13458 @item message packets
13459 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13460 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13461 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13463 @item response packets
13464 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13465 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13466 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13476 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13477 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13478 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13479 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13482 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13485 You put the packet in your home directory.
13488 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13489 the native or secondary server.
13492 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13493 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13496 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13500 You transfer this packet to the server.
13503 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13506 You then repeat until you die.
13510 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13511 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13514 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13515 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13516 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13520 @node SOUP Commands
13521 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13523 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13527 @kindex G s b (Group)
13528 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13529 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13530 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13531 process/prefix convention.
13534 @kindex G s w (Group)
13535 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13536 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13539 @kindex G s s (Group)
13540 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13541 Send all replies from the replies packet
13542 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13545 @kindex G s p (Group)
13546 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13547 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13550 @kindex G s r (Group)
13551 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13552 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13555 @kindex O s (Summary)
13556 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13557 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13558 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13559 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13564 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13569 @item gnus-soup-directory
13570 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13571 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13572 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13574 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13575 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13576 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13577 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13579 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13580 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13581 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13582 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13584 @item gnus-soup-packer
13585 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13586 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13587 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13589 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13590 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13591 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13592 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13594 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13595 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13596 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13598 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13599 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13600 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13601 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13607 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13610 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13611 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13612 you can read them at leisure.
13614 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13618 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13619 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13620 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13621 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13623 @item nnsoup-directory
13624 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13625 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13626 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13628 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13629 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13630 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13631 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13633 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13634 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13635 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13636 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13637 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13639 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13640 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13641 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13642 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13644 @item nnsoup-active-file
13645 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13646 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13647 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13648 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13649 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13651 @item nnsoup-packer
13652 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13653 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13654 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13656 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13657 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13658 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13659 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13661 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13662 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13663 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13666 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13667 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13668 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13671 @item nnsoup-always-save
13672 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13673 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13679 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13681 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13682 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13683 more for that to happen.
13685 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13686 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13687 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13690 In specific, this is what it does:
13693 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13694 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13697 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13698 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13699 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13702 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13703 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13704 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13707 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13708 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13709 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13711 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13717 @item nngateway-address
13718 @vindex nngateway-address
13719 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13721 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13722 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13723 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13724 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13725 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13726 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13727 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13730 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13731 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13732 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13735 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13738 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13741 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13744 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13746 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13749 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13750 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13751 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13753 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13755 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13756 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13757 @code{nngateway-address}.
13762 (setq gnus-post-method
13763 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13764 (nngateway-header-transformation
13765 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13773 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13776 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13782 @subsection @sc{imap}
13786 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13787 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13788 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13789 network address of the server.
13791 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
13792 might look something like this:
13795 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13796 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
13797 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
13799 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13800 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
13801 ; a UW server running on localhost
13803 (nnimap-server-port 143)
13804 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13805 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
13806 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
13807 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
13808 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
13809 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
13810 (nnimap-stream network))
13811 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
13813 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
13814 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
13815 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
13818 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13823 @item nnimap-address
13824 @vindex nnimap-address
13826 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13827 server name if not specified.
13829 @item nnimap-server-port
13830 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13831 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13833 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
13836 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13837 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
13840 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13841 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13842 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13843 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13844 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13845 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13846 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13848 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13849 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13850 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13853 Example server specification:
13856 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13857 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
13858 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
13861 @item nnimap-stream
13862 @vindex nnimap-stream
13863 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13864 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13865 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13866 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13868 Example server specification:
13871 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13872 (nnimap-stream ssl))
13875 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
13879 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13880 @samp{imtest} program.
13882 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13884 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13885 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13888 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13889 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13891 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start IMAP connection.
13893 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13896 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
13897 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13898 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
13899 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
13902 @vindex imap-ssl-program
13903 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13904 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13905 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
13906 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
13907 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
13908 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
13911 @vindex imap-shell-program
13912 @vindex imap-shell-host
13913 For IMAP connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
13914 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
13916 @item nnimap-authenticator
13917 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13919 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13920 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13922 Example server specification:
13925 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13926 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
13929 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
13933 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13934 external program @code{imtest}.
13936 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13939 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13940 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13942 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13944 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13946 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13949 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13951 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13952 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13953 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13954 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13955 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13956 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13959 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13960 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13961 running in circles yet?
13963 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13964 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13967 The possible options are:
13972 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13975 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13976 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13977 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13978 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13980 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13985 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
13986 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
13988 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format
13989 is (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See
13990 `nntp-authinfo-file' for exact syntax.
13992 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
13993 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
13994 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14000 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14001 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14002 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14007 @node Splitting in IMAP
14008 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14009 @cindex splitting imap mail
14011 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14012 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14013 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14014 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14015 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14019 Here are the variables of interest:
14023 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14024 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14026 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14028 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14029 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14031 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14033 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14034 @cindex splitting, inbox
14036 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14038 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14039 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14043 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14044 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14047 No nnmail equivalent.
14049 @item nnimap-split-rule
14050 @cindex Splitting, rules
14051 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14053 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14056 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14057 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14058 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14059 Neither did I, we need examples.
14062 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14063 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14064 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14065 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14068 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14069 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14070 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
14072 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14073 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14077 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14080 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14081 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14082 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14083 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14085 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14086 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14087 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14088 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
14089 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14090 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14092 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14093 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14094 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14096 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14097 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14098 thinks the article should be splitted to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14100 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14102 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14103 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14104 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14107 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14108 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14109 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14110 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14111 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14112 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14115 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14116 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14117 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14118 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14119 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14120 group/function elements.
14122 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14124 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14126 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14128 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14129 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14131 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14132 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14133 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14136 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14137 @cindex splitting, fancy
14138 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14139 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14141 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14142 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14143 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14145 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14146 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14147 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14148 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14153 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14154 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14157 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14161 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14162 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14163 @cindex editing imap acls
14164 @cindex Access Control Lists
14165 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14167 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14169 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14170 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14171 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14174 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14175 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14176 editing window with detailed instructions.
14178 Some possible uses:
14182 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14183 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14184 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14186 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14187 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14188 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14192 @node Expunging mailboxes
14193 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14197 @cindex Manual expunging
14199 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14201 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
14202 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14203 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14205 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14210 @node Combined Groups
14211 @section Combined Groups
14213 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14217 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14218 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14222 @node Virtual Groups
14223 @subsection Virtual Groups
14225 @cindex virtual groups
14226 @cindex merging groups
14228 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14231 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14232 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14233 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14235 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14236 regexp to match component groups.
14238 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14239 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14240 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14241 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14242 the virtual group.)
14244 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14245 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14248 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14251 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14252 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14254 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14255 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14256 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14257 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14260 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14263 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14264 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14265 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14267 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14268 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14269 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14270 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14271 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14273 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14274 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14275 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14277 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14278 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14279 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14280 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14281 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14282 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14283 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14284 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14285 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14286 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14287 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14289 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14290 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14291 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14292 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14293 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14294 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14295 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14297 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14298 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14302 @node Kibozed Groups
14303 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14307 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14308 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14309 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14310 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14312 @kindex G k (Group)
14313 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14316 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14317 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14318 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14319 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14321 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14322 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14323 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14325 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14326 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14327 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14328 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14329 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14330 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14331 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14332 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14334 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14335 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14336 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14337 Stranger things have happened.
14339 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14340 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14342 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14343 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14344 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14345 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14346 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14347 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14349 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14350 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14353 @node Gnus Unplugged
14354 @section Gnus Unplugged
14359 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14361 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14362 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14363 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14364 read news. Believe it or not.
14366 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14367 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14368 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14369 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14370 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14372 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14373 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14374 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14375 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14376 reading news on a machine.
14378 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14382 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14383 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14387 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14388 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14395 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14397 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14400 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14401 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14402 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14403 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14404 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14405 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14406 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14407 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14408 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14409 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14414 @subsection Agent Basics
14416 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14418 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14419 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14420 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14421 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14423 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14424 connected to the net continuously.
14426 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14427 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14429 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14434 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14435 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14436 already fetched while in this mode.
14439 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14440 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14441 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14442 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14443 Source Specifiers}).
14446 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14447 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14448 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14449 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14450 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14453 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14454 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14455 then you read the news offline.
14458 And then you go to step 2.
14461 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14467 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14468 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14469 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14470 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14471 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14472 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14475 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14482 @node Agent Categories
14483 @subsection Agent Categories
14485 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14486 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14487 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14488 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14489 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14490 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14491 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14493 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14494 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14495 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14496 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14497 managing categories.
14500 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14501 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14502 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14506 @node Category Syntax
14507 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14509 A category consists of two things.
14513 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14514 are eligible for downloading; and
14517 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14518 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14519 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14522 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14523 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14524 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14525 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14527 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14528 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14529 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
14531 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14532 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14533 operators sprinkled in between.
14535 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14537 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14538 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14544 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14545 short (for some value of ``short'').
14547 Here's a more complex predicate:
14556 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14557 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14560 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14561 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14562 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14564 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14565 you want to do, you can write your own.
14569 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14570 lines; default 100.
14573 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14574 lines; default 200.
14577 True iff the article has a download score less than
14578 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14581 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14582 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14585 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14586 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14587 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14596 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14597 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14598 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14601 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14602 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14603 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14604 something along the lines of the following:
14607 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14608 "Say whether an article is old."
14609 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14610 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14613 with the predicate then defined as:
14616 (not my-article-old-p)
14619 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14620 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14621 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14622 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14625 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
14626 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14627 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14630 and simply specify your predicate as:
14636 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14637 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14638 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14639 just don't give a damm.
14641 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14642 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14643 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14644 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14645 parameters like so:
14648 (agent-predicate . short)
14651 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14652 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14653 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14655 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14658 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14661 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14662 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14663 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14666 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14667 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14668 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14669 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14670 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14671 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14673 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14674 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14675 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14676 if it's to be specific to that group.
14678 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14685 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14686 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14692 Category specification
14696 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14702 Group Parameter specification
14705 (agent-score ("from"
14706 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14711 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14717 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14724 Category specification
14727 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14733 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14737 Group Parameter specification
14740 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14743 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14748 Use @code{normal} score files
14750 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14751 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14752 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14753 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14755 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14756 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14757 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14758 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14762 Category Specification
14769 Group Parameter specification
14772 (agent-score . file)
14777 @node The Category Buffer
14778 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14780 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14781 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14782 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14784 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14788 @kindex q (Category)
14789 @findex gnus-category-exit
14790 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14793 @kindex k (Category)
14794 @findex gnus-category-kill
14795 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14798 @kindex c (Category)
14799 @findex gnus-category-copy
14800 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14803 @kindex a (Category)
14804 @findex gnus-category-add
14805 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14808 @kindex p (Category)
14809 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14810 Edit the predicate of the current category
14811 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14814 @kindex g (Category)
14815 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14816 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14817 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14820 @kindex s (Category)
14821 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14822 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14823 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14826 @kindex l (Category)
14827 @findex gnus-category-list
14828 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14832 @node Category Variables
14833 @subsubsection Category Variables
14836 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14837 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14838 Hook run in category buffers.
14840 @item gnus-category-line-format
14841 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14842 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14843 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14847 The name of the category.
14850 The number of groups in the category.
14853 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14854 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14855 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14857 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14858 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14859 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14861 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14862 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14863 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14865 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14866 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14867 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14870 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14871 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14872 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14878 @node Agent Commands
14879 @subsection Agent Commands
14881 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14882 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14883 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14887 * Group Agent Commands::
14888 * Summary Agent Commands::
14889 * Server Agent Commands::
14892 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14893 following incantation:
14895 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14897 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14902 @node Group Agent Commands
14903 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14907 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14908 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14909 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14910 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14913 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14914 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14915 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14918 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14919 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14920 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14921 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14924 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14925 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14926 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14927 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14930 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14931 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14932 Add the current group to an Agent category
14933 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14934 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14937 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14938 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14939 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14940 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14941 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14944 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
14945 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
14946 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
14952 @node Summary Agent Commands
14953 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14957 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14958 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14959 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14962 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14963 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14964 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14965 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14968 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14969 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14970 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14973 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14974 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14975 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14980 @node Server Agent Commands
14981 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14985 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14986 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14987 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14988 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14991 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14992 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14993 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14994 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15000 @subsection Agent Expiry
15002 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15003 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15004 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15005 @cindex Agent expiry
15006 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15009 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15010 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15011 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15012 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15013 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15014 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15016 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15017 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15018 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15019 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15020 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15023 @node Agent and IMAP
15024 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15026 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However, since
15027 there are some conceptual differences between NNTP and IMAP, this
15028 section (should) provide you with some information to make Gnus Agent
15029 work smoother as a IMAP Disconnected Mode client.
15031 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15032 are kept on the IMAP server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15033 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15034 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15036 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15037 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15038 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize theese
15039 with the server. This behaviour is customizable with
15040 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15042 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15043 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15044 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15045 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15046 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15047 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15049 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15050 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15051 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15052 in the group buffer by default.
15054 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15055 expect from a disconnected IMAP client, including:
15060 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15063 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15067 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15068 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15069 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15070 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15071 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15072 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15073 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15074 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15077 @node Outgoing Messages
15078 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15080 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15081 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15082 after posting, and edit them at will.
15084 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15085 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15086 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15087 messages in the draft group.
15091 @node Agent Variables
15092 @subsection Agent Variables
15095 @item gnus-agent-directory
15096 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15097 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15098 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15100 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15101 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15102 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15103 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15104 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15107 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15108 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15109 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15111 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15112 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15113 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15118 @node Example Setup
15119 @subsection Example Setup
15121 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15122 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15123 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15126 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15127 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15128 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15130 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15131 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15132 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15134 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15135 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15137 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15141 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15142 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15145 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15146 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15147 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15148 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15149 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15152 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15153 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15154 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15155 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15156 back all the killed groups.)
15158 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15159 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15160 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15163 @node Batching Agents
15164 @subsection Batching Agents
15166 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15167 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15168 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15172 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15176 @node Agent Caveats
15177 @subsection Agent Caveats
15179 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15180 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15184 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15189 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15190 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15196 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15197 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15204 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15205 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15206 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15209 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15210 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15211 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15212 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15213 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15215 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15216 before generating the summary buffer.
15218 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15219 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15220 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15222 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15223 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15224 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15225 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15228 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15229 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15230 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15231 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15232 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15233 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15234 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15235 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15236 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15237 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15238 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15239 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15240 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15241 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15242 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15243 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15247 @node Summary Score Commands
15248 @section Summary Score Commands
15249 @cindex score commands
15251 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15252 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15253 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15254 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15255 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15257 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15258 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15259 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15260 score file the current one.
15262 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15267 @kindex V s (Summary)
15268 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15269 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15272 @kindex V S (Summary)
15273 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15274 Display the score of the current article
15275 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15278 @kindex V t (Summary)
15279 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15280 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15281 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15284 @kindex V R (Summary)
15285 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15286 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15287 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15288 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15289 effect you're having.
15292 @kindex V c (Summary)
15293 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15294 Make a different score file the current
15295 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15298 @kindex V e (Summary)
15299 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15300 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15301 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15305 @kindex V f (Summary)
15306 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15307 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15308 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15311 @kindex V F (Summary)
15312 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15313 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15314 after editing score files.
15317 @kindex V C (Summary)
15318 @findex gnus-score-customize
15319 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15320 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15324 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15329 @kindex V m (Summary)
15330 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15331 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15332 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15335 @kindex V x (Summary)
15336 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15337 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15338 expunge all articles below this score
15339 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15342 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15343 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15346 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15347 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15351 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15352 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15354 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15355 keys are available:
15359 Score on the author name.
15362 Score on the subject line.
15365 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15368 Score on the @code{References} line.
15374 Score on the number of lines.
15377 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15380 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15381 the followups to this author.
15395 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15396 what headers you are scoring on.
15408 Substring matching.
15411 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15440 Greater than number.
15445 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15446 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15447 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15451 Temporary score entry.
15454 Permanent score entry.
15457 Immediately scoring.
15462 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15463 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15464 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15465 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15467 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15468 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15469 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15470 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15471 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15473 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15474 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15475 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15476 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15477 current score file.
15479 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15480 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15481 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15484 @node Group Score Commands
15485 @section Group Score Commands
15486 @cindex group score commands
15488 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.