1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Red Gnus 0.24 Manual
11 @setchapternewpage odd
15 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright]{book}
16 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
17 % \usepackage{fontenc}
19 \usepackage{pagestyle}
21 % \usepackage{ifitricks}
22 \fontfamily{bembo}\selectfont
27 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
28 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
30 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
32 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
33 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
35 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
36 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
38 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\textbf{\textsf{#1}}}}
39 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
40 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``\gnustt{#1}''}
41 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
42 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
43 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
44 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
45 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}
49 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
50 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
51 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
53 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
54 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
55 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
56 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
57 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
58 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
59 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
60 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{\#}
61 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
62 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
63 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
65 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
66 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
67 \marginpar[\hspace{2.5cm}\gnushead]{\gnushead}
70 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[1]{
71 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
73 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#1}
75 % \epsfig{figure=gnus-herd-\arabic{chapter}.eps,height=15cm}
79 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\vspace{-\itemsep}\item#1}
81 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
82 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
86 \newenvironment{codelist}%
91 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
97 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
102 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
107 \newenvironment{samplist}%
112 \newenvironment{varlist}%
117 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
129 \makebox[\headtextwidth]{
131 \textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}}
132 \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}
140 \makebox[\headtextwidth]{
141 \textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}
150 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
152 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
166 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
167 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
169 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
171 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
174 \hspace*{-1cm}\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
177 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
184 \thispagestyle{empty}
186 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
188 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
189 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
190 are preserved on all copies.
192 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
193 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
194 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
195 permission notice identical to this one.
197 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
198 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
207 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
209 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
211 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
212 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
213 are preserved on all copies.
216 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
217 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
218 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
219 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
222 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
223 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
224 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
225 permission notice identical to this one.
227 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
228 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
234 @title Red Gnus 0.24 Manual
236 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
239 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
240 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
242 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
243 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
244 are preserved on all copies.
246 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
247 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
248 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
249 permission notice identical to this one.
251 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
252 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
261 @top The Red Gnus Newsreader
265 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
266 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
267 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
275 \thispagestyle{empty}
278 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
279 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
281 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
282 being accused of plagiarism:
284 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
285 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
286 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
287 even read news with it!
289 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
290 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
291 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
292 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
293 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
300 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
301 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
302 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
303 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
304 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
305 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
306 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
307 * Various:: General purpose settings.
308 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
309 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
310 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
311 * Key Index:: Key Index.
317 @chapter Starting Gnus
322 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
323 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
326 @findex gnus-other-frame
327 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
328 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
329 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
331 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
335 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
336 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
337 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
338 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
339 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
340 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
341 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
342 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
343 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
344 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
345 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
349 @node Finding the News
350 @section Finding the News
352 @vindex gnus-select-method
354 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
355 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
356 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
357 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
360 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
361 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
364 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
367 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
370 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
373 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
374 certainly be much faster.
376 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
378 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
379 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
380 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
381 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
382 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
383 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
384 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long-shot, though.
386 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
387 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
388 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
389 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
391 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
392 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
393 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
394 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
395 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
396 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
398 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
400 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
401 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
402 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
403 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
404 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
405 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
407 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
409 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
410 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
411 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
412 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
413 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
414 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
417 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
418 would typically set this variable to
421 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
426 @section The First Time
427 @cindex first time usage
429 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
430 be subscribed by default.
432 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
433 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
434 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
435 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
438 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
439 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
440 defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
442 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
443 help you with most common problems.
445 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
446 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
450 @node The Server is Down
451 @section The Server is Down
452 @cindex server errors
454 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
455 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
456 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
458 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
459 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
460 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
461 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
462 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
463 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
464 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
466 @findex gnus-no-server
467 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
469 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
470 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
471 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
472 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
473 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
474 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
479 @section Slave Gnusae
482 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
483 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (eg., if you
484 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
485 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
487 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
490 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
491 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
492 @dfn{servants}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
493 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
494 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
495 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
496 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
498 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
499 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
500 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
501 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contains information only
502 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
503 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
504 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
505 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
507 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
508 information in the normal (i. e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
511 @node Fetching a Group
512 @section Fetching a Group
514 @findex gnus-fetch-group
515 It it sometime convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
516 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
517 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
518 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
519 It takes the group name as a parameter.
526 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
527 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
528 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
530 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
535 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
536 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
537 Make all new groups zombies. You can browse the zombies later (with
538 @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly, or subscribe to them.
541 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
542 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
543 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
545 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
546 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
547 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
549 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
550 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
551 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
552 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
553 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
554 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
555 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
556 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
557 up. Or something like that.
559 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
560 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
561 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
562 you about @strong{all} new groups.
564 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
565 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
570 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
571 A closely related variable is
572 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
573 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
574 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
575 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
578 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
579 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
580 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
582 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
583 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
584 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
587 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
590 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
591 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
592 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
593 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
594 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
595 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
596 subscribing these groups.
597 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
598 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
600 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
601 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
602 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
603 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
604 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
605 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
606 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
607 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
609 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
610 Yet another variable that meddles here is
611 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
612 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
613 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
614 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
615 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
616 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
617 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
618 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
620 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
621 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
622 you could set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
623 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
624 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
625 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
626 is @code{t} by default.
628 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
629 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
630 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
631 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
632 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster &
633 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
634 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
635 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
636 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
637 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
639 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
640 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
641 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
642 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
643 few days. If any do, then it works. If any don't, then it doesn't
644 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
645 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
646 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
647 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
648 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
649 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
651 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
652 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
653 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
654 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
655 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
656 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
659 @node Changing Servers
660 @section Changing Servers
662 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
663 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
664 very flake and you want to use another.
666 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
667 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
671 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
672 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
673 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
674 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
677 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
678 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
679 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
680 functions more than absolutely necessary.
682 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
683 @findex gnus-change-server
684 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
685 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map
686 reads and article marks. The @kbd{M-x gnus-change-server} command will
687 do this for all your native groups. It will prompt for the method you
690 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
691 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
692 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
693 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
694 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
696 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
697 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
698 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
699 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
700 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
701 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
705 @section Startup Files
706 @cindex startup files
709 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
710 information is traditionally stored in this file.
712 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
713 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
714 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
715 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
716 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
717 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
718 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
720 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
721 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
722 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
723 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
725 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
726 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
727 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
728 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
729 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
730 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
732 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
733 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
734 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
735 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
736 will also means that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
737 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
738 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
739 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
740 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
741 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
742 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
743 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
745 @vindex gnus-startup-file
746 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
747 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
748 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
750 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
751 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
752 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
753 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
754 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
755 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
756 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
757 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
758 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
759 startup files. If you want to backup creation off, say something like:
762 (defun turn-off-backup ()
763 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
765 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
766 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
769 @vindex gnus-init-file
770 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file} (default
771 @file{.../site-lisp/gnus.el}) and @code{gnus-init-file} (default
772 @file{~/.gnus.el}) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files and can be
773 used to avoid cluttering your @file{.emacs} and @file{site-init} files
782 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
783 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
784 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
785 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
786 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
789 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
790 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
793 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
794 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
795 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
797 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
798 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
799 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
800 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
801 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
802 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
805 @node The Active File
806 @section The Active File
808 @cindex ignored groups
810 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
811 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
812 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
814 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
815 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
816 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
817 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
818 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
819 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
820 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
823 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
824 @c if you set it to anything else.
826 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
828 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
829 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
830 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
832 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
833 you actually subscribe to.
835 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
836 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
837 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
838 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
840 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
841 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
842 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
843 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
844 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
845 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
847 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
848 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
849 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
850 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
851 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
852 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
854 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
855 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
858 @node Startup Variables
859 @section Startup Variables
864 @vindex gnus-load-hook
865 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
866 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
867 times you start Gnus.
869 @item gnus-startup-hook
870 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
871 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
873 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
874 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
875 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
876 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
877 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
878 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
879 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
880 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
882 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
883 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
884 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
885 your boss might not notice that you are reading news instead of doing
888 @item gnus-no-groups-message
889 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
890 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
894 @node The Group Buffer
895 @chapter The Group Buffer
898 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
899 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
900 long as Gnus is active.
903 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
904 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
905 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
906 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
907 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
908 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
909 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
910 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
911 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
912 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
913 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
914 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
915 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
916 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
917 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
918 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
922 @node Group Buffer Format
923 @section Group Buffer Format
924 @cindex group buffer format
927 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
928 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
929 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
933 @node Group Line Specification
934 @subsection Group Line Specification
936 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
937 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
939 Here's a couple of example group lines:
942 25: news.announce.newusers
943 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
948 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
949 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
950 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
951 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
953 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
954 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
955 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
956 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
957 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
958 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
960 The default value that produced those lines above is
961 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n}.
963 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
964 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
965 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
966 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
969 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
970 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
971 instead of wasting time reading news.)
973 Here's a list of all available format characters:
978 Only marked articles.
981 Whether the group is subscribed.
984 Level of subscribedness.
987 Number of unread articles.
990 Number of dormant articles.
993 Number of ticked articles.
996 Number of read articles.
999 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1000 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1003 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1006 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1015 Newsgroup description.
1018 @samp{m} if moderated.
1021 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1030 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1034 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1037 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1038 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1039 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1040 The default is @code{1}.
1043 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1044 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
1045 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1046 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current headers as
1047 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
1048 into the buffer just like information from any other specifier.
1052 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1053 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1054 group, or a bogus (or semi-bogus) native group.
1057 @node Group Modeline Specification
1058 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1060 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1061 The mode line can be changed by setting
1062 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1063 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1067 The native news server.
1069 The native select method.
1073 @node Group Highlighting
1074 @subsection Group Highlighting
1076 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1077 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1078 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1079 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1080 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1082 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1086 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1088 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1089 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1090 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1092 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1094 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1096 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1100 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1107 The number of unread articles in the group.
1111 Whether the group is a mail group.
1113 The level of the group.
1115 The score of the group.
1117 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1119 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1122 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1123 topic being inserted.
1126 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1127 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1128 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1130 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1131 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1132 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1133 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1134 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1137 @node Group Maneuvering
1138 @section Group Maneuvering
1139 @cindex group movement
1141 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1142 expected, hopefully.
1148 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1149 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1150 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1157 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1158 Go to the previous group group that has unread articles
1159 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1163 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1164 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1168 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1169 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1173 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1174 Go to the next unread group on the same level (or lower)
1175 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1179 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1180 Go to the previous unread group on the same level (or lower)
1181 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1184 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1190 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1191 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1192 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1197 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1198 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1199 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1203 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1204 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1205 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1208 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1209 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1210 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1211 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1215 @node Selecting a Group
1216 @section Selecting a Group
1217 @cindex group selection
1222 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1223 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1224 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1225 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1226 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1227 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1228 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, Gnus
1229 will fetch @var{N} number of articles. If @var{N} is positive, fetch
1230 the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is negative, fetch the
1231 @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1235 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1236 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1237 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1238 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1239 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1243 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1244 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1245 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1246 minimum amount off fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1247 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1248 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1249 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1250 (i. e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer.
1251 This might be useful if you want to toggle threading before entering the
1255 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1256 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1257 This is yet one more command that does the same as the one above, but
1258 this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1259 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1263 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1264 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1265 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1266 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1267 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is when catching up a group from
1272 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1273 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1274 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1278 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1279 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1280 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1282 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1283 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1284 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1285 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1286 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1287 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1292 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1293 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1294 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1295 unread articles than this, Gnus will query the user before entering the
1296 group. The user can then specify how many articles should be fetched
1297 from the server. If the user specifies a negative number (@code{-n}),
1298 the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it is positive, the
1299 @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will be fetched.
1301 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1302 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1303 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1304 automatically when entering a group.
1309 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1310 full summary buffer.
1313 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1316 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1320 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1321 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1322 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1326 @node Subscription Commands
1327 @section Subscription Commands
1336 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1337 Toggle subscription to the current group
1338 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1344 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1345 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1346 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1347 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1353 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1354 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1360 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1361 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1364 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1365 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1366 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1367 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1368 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1374 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1375 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1379 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1380 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1383 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1384 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1385 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1386 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1387 be used with some caution. The only thing where this command comes in
1388 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1389 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level @code{7} will
1390 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1391 @file{.newsrc} file.
1395 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1399 @section Group Levels
1402 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1403 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1404 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1405 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1406 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1408 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1414 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1415 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1416 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1417 prompted for a level.
1420 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1421 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1422 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1423 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1424 Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
1425 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1426 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1427 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1428 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1429 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
1430 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1431 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1432 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1433 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1434 for reasons of efficiency.
1436 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1437 low levels (eg. 1 or 2).
1439 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1440 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1441 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1443 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1444 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1445 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1446 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1447 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1448 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1449 relevant legal ranges.
1451 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1452 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1453 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1454 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1455 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1456 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1459 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1460 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1461 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1464 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1465 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1466 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1467 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1470 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1471 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1472 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1473 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1475 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1476 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1477 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1478 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1483 @section Group Score
1486 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1487 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1488 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1491 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1492 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1493 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1494 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1495 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1496 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1497 part and the score is the least significant part.)
1499 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1500 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1501 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1502 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1503 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1504 action after each summary exit, you can add
1505 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1506 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1507 slow things down somewhat.
1510 @node Marking Groups
1511 @section Marking Groups
1512 @cindex marking groups
1514 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1515 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1516 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1517 bidding on those groups.
1519 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1520 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1521 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1529 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1530 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1536 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1537 Remove the mark from the current group
1538 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1542 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1543 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1547 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1548 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1552 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1553 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1557 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1558 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1559 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1562 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1564 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1565 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1566 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1567 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1568 the command to be executed.
1571 @node Foreign Groups
1572 @section Foreign Groups
1574 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1575 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1576 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1577 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1584 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1585 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1586 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1587 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1591 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1592 Rename the current group to something else
1593 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some
1594 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1599 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1600 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1601 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1605 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1606 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1607 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1611 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1612 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1613 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1617 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1618 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1619 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1623 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1624 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1628 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1629 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1630 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1631 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1632 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1633 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1634 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1638 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1639 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1640 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1641 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1642 @xref{Kibozed Groups}
1646 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1647 Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1648 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1649 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1653 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1654 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1655 Make a group based on some file or other
1656 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1657 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1658 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1659 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1660 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1661 guess at the file type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1665 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1669 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1670 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1671 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1672 search engine type and the search string. Legal search engine types
1673 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1674 @xref{Web Searches}.
1677 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1678 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1679 This function will delete the current group
1680 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1681 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1682 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1683 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1687 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1688 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1689 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1693 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1694 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1695 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1698 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1701 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1702 If the @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1703 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1704 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1705 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1708 @node Group Parameters
1709 @section Group Parameters
1710 @cindex group parameters
1712 Gnus stores all information on a group in a list that is usually known
1713 as the @dfn{group info}. This list has from three to six elements.
1714 Here's an example info.
1717 ("nnml:mail.ding" 3 ((1 . 232) 244 (256 . 270)) ((tick 246 249))
1718 (nnml "private") ((to-address . "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
1721 The first element is the @dfn{group name}, as Gnus knows the group,
1722 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
1723 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
1724 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
1725 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
1726 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
1727 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
1729 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
1730 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
1731 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
1733 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1738 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1739 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1740 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1741 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1742 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1743 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1744 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1745 copies of your followups.
1747 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1748 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1749 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1750 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1751 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1752 list address instead.
1756 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1757 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1758 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1759 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1760 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1762 @item broken-reply-to
1763 @cindex broken-reply-to
1764 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1765 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1766 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1767 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1768 broken behavior. So there!
1772 If the group parameter list contains an element like @code{(to-group
1773 . "some.group.name")}, all posts will be sent to that group.
1777 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
1778 @code{t}, new composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
1779 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
1780 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
1781 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence over
1782 any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later).
1786 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all articles that
1787 are read will be marked as expirable. For an alternative approach,
1788 @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1791 @cindex total-expire
1792 If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through the
1793 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1798 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1799 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1800 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1801 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1802 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1803 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1806 @cindex score file group parameter
1807 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1808 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1809 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1812 @cindex adapt file group parameter
1813 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
1814 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
1815 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
1818 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1819 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1820 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1821 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1824 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} says which articles to
1825 display on entering the group. Legal values are:
1829 Display all articles, both read and unread.
1832 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
1837 This parameter allows you to enter a arbitrary comment on the group.
1839 @item @var{(variable form)}
1840 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1841 are entering. Say you want to turn threading off in
1842 @samp{news.answers}. You'd then put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in
1843 the group parameters of that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be
1844 made into a local variable in the summary buffer you enter, and the form
1845 @code{nil} will be @code{eval}ed there.
1847 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1848 If you want to hear a beep when you enter the group
1849 @samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, you could put something like
1850 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
1851 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the @code{(ding)}
1852 form, but who cares?
1856 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
1858 Also @xref{Topic Parameters}.
1861 @node Listing Groups
1862 @section Listing Groups
1863 @cindex group listing
1865 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
1873 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
1874 List all groups that have unread articles
1875 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
1876 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
1877 only lists groups of level five or lower (i.e., just subscribed groups).
1883 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
1884 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
1885 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
1886 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
1887 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
1888 unsubscribed groups).
1892 @findex gnus-group-list-level
1893 List all unread groups on a specific level
1894 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
1895 with no unread articles.
1899 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
1900 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
1901 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
1902 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
1907 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
1908 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
1912 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
1913 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
1914 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
1918 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
1919 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
1923 @findex gnus-group-list-active
1924 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
1925 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
1926 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
1927 to do a @kbd{A m} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
1928 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list group that
1929 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they are killed groups.
1930 Take the output with some grains of salt.
1934 @findex gnus-group-apropos
1935 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
1936 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
1940 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
1941 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
1942 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
1946 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
1947 @cindex visible group parameter
1948 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
1949 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
1950 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
1951 get the same effect.
1953 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
1954 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
1955 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
1956 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
1957 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
1960 @node Sorting Groups
1961 @section Sorting Groups
1962 @cindex sorting groups
1964 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
1965 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
1966 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
1967 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
1968 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
1969 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
1974 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
1975 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
1976 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
1978 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
1979 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
1980 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
1982 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
1983 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
1984 Sort by group level.
1986 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
1987 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
1988 Sort by group score.
1990 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
1991 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
1992 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
1993 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
1995 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
1996 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
1997 Sort by number of unread articles.
1999 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2000 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2001 Sort by alphabetically on the select method.
2006 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2007 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2011 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2012 some sorting criteria:
2016 @kindex G S a (Group)
2017 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2018 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2019 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2022 @kindex G S u (Group)
2023 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2024 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2025 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2028 @kindex G S l (Group)
2029 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2030 Sort the group buffer by group level
2031 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2034 @kindex G S v (Group)
2035 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2036 Sort the group buffer by group score
2037 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
2040 @kindex G S r (Group)
2041 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2042 Sort the group buffer by group level
2043 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2046 @kindex G S m (Group)
2047 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2048 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2049 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2053 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2055 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2059 @kindex G P a (Group)
2060 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2061 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2062 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2065 @kindex G P u (Group)
2066 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2067 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2068 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2071 @kindex G P l (Group)
2072 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2073 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2074 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2077 @kindex G P v (Group)
2078 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2079 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2080 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
2083 @kindex G P r (Group)
2084 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2085 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2086 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
2089 @kindex G P m (Group)
2090 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2091 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2092 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2098 @node Group Maintenance
2099 @section Group Maintenance
2100 @cindex bogus groups
2105 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2106 Find bogus groups and delete them
2107 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2111 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
2112 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
2113 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
2117 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2118 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2119 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2120 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2123 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2124 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2125 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2126 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2131 @node Browse Foreign Server
2132 @section Browse Foreign Server
2133 @cindex foreign servers
2134 @cindex browsing servers
2139 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2140 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2141 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2142 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2145 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2146 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2147 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit
2148 (well, a lot) like a normal group buffer, but with one major difference
2149 - you can't enter any of the groups. If you want to read any of the
2150 news available on that server, you have to subscribe to the groups you
2151 think may be interesting, and then you have to exit this buffer. The
2152 new groups will be added to the group buffer, and then you can read them
2153 as you would any other group.
2155 Future versions of Gnus may possibly permit reading groups straight from
2158 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2163 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2164 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2168 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2169 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2172 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2173 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2174 Enter the current group and display the first article
2175 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2178 @kindex RET (Browse)
2179 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2180 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2184 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2185 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2186 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2192 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2193 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2197 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2198 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2199 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2204 @section Exiting Gnus
2205 @cindex exiting Gnus
2207 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2212 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2213 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2214 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2215 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2219 @findex gnus-group-exit
2220 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2224 @findex gnus-group-quit
2225 Quit Gnus without saving any startup files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2228 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2229 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2230 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2231 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2232 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2237 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2238 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2239 trying to customize meta-variables.
2244 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, feels her feet go
2245 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2246 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2252 @section Group Topics
2255 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2256 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2257 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2258 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2259 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2260 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2262 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2264 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2265 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2266 is a toggling command.)
2268 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2269 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2270 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2271 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2274 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2275 the hook for the group mode:
2278 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2282 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2283 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2284 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2285 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2286 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2290 @node Topic Variables
2291 @subsection Topic Variables
2292 @cindex topic variables
2294 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2295 really neat, I think.
2297 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2298 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2299 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2312 Number of groups in the topic.
2314 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2316 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2319 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2320 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2321 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2322 The default is @code{2}.
2324 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2325 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2327 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2328 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2329 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2332 @node Topic Commands
2333 @subsection Topic Commands
2334 @cindex topic commands
2336 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2337 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2338 definitions slightly.
2344 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2345 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2346 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2350 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2351 Move the current group to some other topic
2352 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command understands the
2353 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2357 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2358 Copy the current group to some other topic
2359 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command understands the
2360 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2364 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2365 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2366 This command understands the process/prefix convention
2367 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2371 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2372 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2373 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2377 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2378 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2379 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2383 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2384 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2385 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2388 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2389 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2390 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2391 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2395 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2397 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2398 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2399 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2400 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2401 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2402 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2405 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2406 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2407 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2408 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2409 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2413 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2414 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}).
2418 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2419 Yank the previously killed group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}).
2420 Note that all topics will be yanked before all groups.
2424 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2425 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2428 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2429 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2430 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2434 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2435 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2436 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2440 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2441 @cindex group parameters
2442 @cindex topic parameters
2444 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2445 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2451 @subsection Topic Sorting
2452 @cindex topic sorting
2454 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2460 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2461 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2462 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2463 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2466 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2467 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2468 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2469 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2472 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2473 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2474 Sort the current topic by group level
2475 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2478 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2479 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2480 Sort the current topic by group score
2481 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
2484 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2485 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2486 Sort the current topic by group level
2487 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2490 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2491 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2492 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2493 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2497 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2500 @node Topic Topology
2501 @subsection Topic Topology
2502 @cindex topic topology
2505 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2511 2: alt.religion.emacs
2514 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2516 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2517 13: comp.sources.unix
2520 So, here we have one top-level topic, two topics under that, and one
2521 sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always just one (1)
2522 top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as follows:
2526 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2527 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2531 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2532 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2533 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2534 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2535 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2536 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2538 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2539 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2540 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2543 @node Topic Parameters
2544 @subsection Topic Parameters
2546 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2547 ancestor) topic parameters. All legal group parameters are legal topic
2548 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2550 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2551 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2552 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2553 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2559 2: alt.religion.emacs
2563 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2565 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2566 13: comp.sources.unix
2570 Now, the @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter
2571 @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic
2572 parameter @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc}
2573 topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In
2574 addition, @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter
2575 @code{(score-file . "religion.SCORE")}.
2577 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2578 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2579 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2580 score file. If you enter @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll get the
2581 @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2583 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2584 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2585 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2586 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2587 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2588 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2589 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2590 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2593 @node Misc Group Stuff
2594 @section Misc Group Stuff
2597 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2598 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2599 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2606 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2607 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}). @xref{The
2612 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2613 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2614 group name will be used as the default.
2618 @findex gnus-group-mail
2619 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2623 Variables for the group buffer:
2627 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2628 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2629 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2632 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2633 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2634 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2635 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2638 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2639 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2640 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2641 whether they are empty or not.
2646 @node Scanning New Messages
2647 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2648 @cindex new messages
2649 @cindex scanning new news
2655 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2656 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2657 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2658 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2659 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2664 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2665 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2666 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2667 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}). The
2668 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} variable controls whether
2669 this command is to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t}
2672 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2673 @cindex activating groups
2675 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2676 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2681 @findex gnus-group-restart
2682 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}).
2686 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2687 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2689 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2690 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2694 @node Group Information
2695 @subsection Group Information
2696 @cindex group information
2697 @cindex information on groups
2703 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2704 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
2707 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2708 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2709 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2710 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
2711 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
2712 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} will be used for fetching
2715 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
2716 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
2720 @cindex describing groups
2721 @cindex group description
2722 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2723 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2724 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2728 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2729 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2730 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2735 @findex gnus-version
2736 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2740 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2741 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2744 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2747 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2748 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2753 @subsection File Commands
2754 @cindex file commands
2760 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2761 @vindex gnus-init-file
2762 @cindex reading init file
2763 Read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2764 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2768 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2769 @cindex saving .newsrc
2770 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2771 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2772 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2775 @c @kindex Z (Group)
2776 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2777 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2782 @node The Summary Buffer
2783 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2784 @cindex summary buffer
2786 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2787 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2790 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2791 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2792 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2793 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2794 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2795 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2796 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2797 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2798 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2799 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
2800 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
2801 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
2802 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
2803 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
2804 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
2805 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
2806 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
2807 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
2808 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
2809 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
2810 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
2811 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
2812 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
2813 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
2814 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
2815 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
2819 @node Summary Buffer Format
2820 @section Summary Buffer Format
2821 @cindex summary buffer format
2824 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
2825 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
2826 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
2829 @findex mail-extract-address-components
2830 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
2831 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
2832 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
2833 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
2834 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
2835 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
2836 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
2837 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
2838 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
2839 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
2841 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
2842 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
2843 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
2844 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
2847 @node Summary Buffer Lines
2848 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
2850 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
2851 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
2852 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
2853 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
2854 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2856 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
2858 The following format specification characters are understood:
2866 Subject if the article is the root or the previous article had a
2867 different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
2868 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
2870 Full @code{From} header.
2872 The name (from the @code{From} header).
2874 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
2875 spec in that it uses @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is
2876 slower, but may be more thorough.
2878 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
2881 Number of lines in the article.
2883 Number of characters in the article.
2885 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2887 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
2888 pushes everything after it off the screen).
2890 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{\[}, but can also be @samp{<}
2891 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2893 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{\]}, but can also be @samp{>}
2894 for adopted articles.
2896 One space for each thread level.
2898 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
2906 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
2907 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
2908 default level. If the difference between
2909 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
2910 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
2918 The @code{Date} in @code{YY-MMM} format.
2920 The @code{Date} in @code{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS} format.
2926 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
2927 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
2929 A single character will be displayed if the article has any children.
2933 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
2934 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
2935 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
2936 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
2937 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
2938 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
2941 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
2942 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
2943 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
2944 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
2945 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
2946 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
2948 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
2949 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
2951 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
2954 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
2955 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
2957 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
2958 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
2959 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. Here are the
2960 elements you can play with:
2966 Unprefixed group name.
2968 Current article number.
2972 Number of unread articles in this group.
2974 Number of unselected articles in this group.
2976 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
2977 either as @samp{<%U(+%u) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
2978 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
2979 and no unselected ones.
2981 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
2982 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
2984 Subject of the current article.
2988 Name of the current score file.
2990 Number of dormant articles.
2992 Number of ticked articles.
2994 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
2996 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3000 @node Summary Highlighting
3001 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3005 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3006 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3007 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3008 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3009 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3011 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3012 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3013 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3014 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3016 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3017 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3018 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
3019 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3021 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3022 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3023 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3024 list where the elements are on the format @code{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3025 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3026 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3028 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3029 ((> score default) . bold))
3031 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3032 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3036 @node Summary Maneuvering
3037 @section Summary Maneuvering
3038 @cindex summary movement
3040 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3041 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3043 None of these commands select articles.
3048 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3049 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3050 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3051 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3052 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3056 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3057 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3058 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3059 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3060 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3065 @kindex G j (Summary)
3066 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3067 Ask for an article number and then go that article
3068 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3071 @kindex G g (Summary)
3072 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3073 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
3074 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3077 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3078 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3079 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3080 to the group buffer.
3082 Variables related to summary movement:
3086 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3087 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3088 If you are at the end of the group and issue one of the movement
3089 commands, Gnus will offer to go to the next group. If this variable is
3090 @code{t} and the next group is empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and
3091 return to the group buffer. If this variable is neither @code{t} nor
3092 @code{nil}, Gnus will select the next group, no matter whether it has
3093 any unread articles or not. As a special case, if this variable is
3094 @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
3095 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same will
3096 happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
3097 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
3098 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
3099 @pxref{Group Levels}.
3101 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3102 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3103 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3104 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3105 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3106 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3107 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3109 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3110 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3111 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3112 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3113 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3115 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3116 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3117 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3118 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3119 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3120 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3121 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3122 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3128 @node Choosing Articles
3129 @section Choosing Articles
3130 @cindex selecting articles
3132 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3133 and they all select and display an article.
3137 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3138 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3139 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3140 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3145 @kindex G n (Summary)
3146 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3147 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3152 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3153 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3158 @kindex G N (Summary)
3159 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3160 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3165 @kindex G P (Summary)
3166 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3167 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3170 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3171 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3172 Go to the next article with the same subject
3173 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3176 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3177 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3178 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3179 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3183 @kindex G f (Summary)
3185 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3186 Go to the first unread article
3187 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3191 @kindex G b (Summary)
3193 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3194 Go to the article with the highest score
3195 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3200 @kindex G l (Summary)
3201 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3202 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3205 @kindex G p (Summary)
3206 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3207 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3208 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3209 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3210 history as you like.
3213 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3216 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3217 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3218 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3219 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3220 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3221 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3223 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3224 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3225 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3226 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3228 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3229 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3230 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3231 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3232 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3233 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3234 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3235 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3236 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3237 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3238 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3239 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3240 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3241 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3246 @node Paging the Article
3247 @section Scrolling the Article
3248 @cindex article scrolling
3253 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3254 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3255 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3256 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3257 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3260 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3261 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3262 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3265 @kindex RET (Summary)
3266 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3267 Scroll the current article one line forward
3268 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3272 @kindex A g (Summary)
3274 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3275 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3276 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3277 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3278 the way it came from the server.
3283 @kindex A < (Summary)
3284 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3285 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3286 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3291 @kindex A > (Summary)
3292 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3293 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3296 @kindex A s (Summary)
3297 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3298 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3299 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3304 @node Reply Followup and Post
3305 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3308 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3309 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3313 @node Summary Mail Commands
3314 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3316 @cindex composing mail
3318 Commands for composing a mail message:
3324 @kindex S r (Summary)
3326 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3327 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3328 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3333 @kindex S R (Summary)
3334 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3335 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3336 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3337 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3340 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3341 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3342 Forward the current article to some other person
3343 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}).
3346 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3347 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3348 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3349 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
3354 @kindex S m (Summary)
3355 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3356 Send a mail to some other person
3357 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3360 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3361 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3362 @cindex bouncing mail
3363 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3364 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3365 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3366 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3367 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3368 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3369 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3370 very well fail, though.
3373 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3374 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3375 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3376 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3377 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3378 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3379 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3380 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3381 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3382 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3384 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3385 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3386 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3387 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3388 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
3391 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3392 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3393 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3394 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3395 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3398 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3399 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3400 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3401 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3404 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3405 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3406 @cindex crossposting
3407 @cindex excessive crossposting
3408 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3409 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3411 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3412 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3413 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3414 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3415 command understands the process/prefix convention
3416 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3421 @node Summary Post Commands
3422 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3424 @cindex composing news
3426 Commands for posting an article:
3432 @kindex S p (Summary)
3433 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3434 Post an article to the current group
3435 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3440 @kindex S f (Summary)
3441 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3442 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3446 @kindex S F (Summary)
3448 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3449 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3450 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3451 process/prefix convention.
3454 @kindex S u (Summary)
3455 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3456 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3457 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3461 @node Canceling and Superseding
3462 @section Canceling Articles
3463 @cindex canceling articles
3464 @cindex superseding articles
3466 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3467 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3469 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3471 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3473 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3474 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3475 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3476 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3478 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3479 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3482 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3483 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3484 your original article.
3486 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3488 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3489 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3490 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3493 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3494 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3495 have posted almost the same article twice.
3497 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3498 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3499 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3500 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*post-buf*}). There you will
3501 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3502 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3503 header by substituting one of those words for @code{Message-ID}. Then
3504 just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as you would do normally.
3505 The previous article will be canceled/superseded.
3507 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3510 @node Marking Articles
3511 @section Marking Articles
3512 @cindex article marking
3513 @cindex article ticking
3516 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3518 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3519 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3520 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3522 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3525 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3526 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3527 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3531 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3535 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3536 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3540 @node Unread Articles
3541 @subsection Unread Articles
3543 The following marks mark articles as unread, in one form or other.
3545 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3546 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3549 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3550 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3551 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3552 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3553 article forever, you'll have to save it. Ticked articles have a
3554 @samp{!} (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}) in the first column.
3557 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3558 A @dfn{dormant} article is marked with a @samp{?}
3559 (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}), and will only appear in the summary buffer
3560 if there are followups to it.
3563 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3564 An @dfn{unread} article is marked with a @samp{SPACE}
3565 (@code{gnus-unread-mark}). These are articles that haven't been read at
3571 @subsection Read Articles
3572 @cindex expirable mark
3574 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3579 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3580 Articles that are marked as read. They have a @samp{r}
3581 (@code{gnus-del-mark}) in the first column. These are articles that the
3582 user has marked as read more or less manually.
3585 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3586 Articles that are actually read are marked with @samp{R}
3587 (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3590 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3591 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions are now
3592 @dfn{old} and marked with @samp{O} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3595 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3596 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3599 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3600 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3603 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3604 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3607 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3608 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3611 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3612 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3615 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3616 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}
3619 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3620 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
3624 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
3625 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
3626 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}
3630 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3631 They are interpreted differently by the adaptive scoring scheme,
3634 One more special mark, though:
3638 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3639 You can also mark articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as
3640 such automatically). That doesn't make much sense in normal groups,
3641 because a user does not control the expiring of news articles, but in
3642 mail groups, for instance, articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable}
3643 can be deleted by Gnus at any time. Expirable articles are marked with
3644 @samp{E} (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3649 @subsection Other Marks
3650 @cindex process mark
3653 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3659 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3660 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3661 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3662 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3663 encounters the article.
3666 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3667 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3668 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3669 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3672 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3673 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3674 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3677 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3678 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3679 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3680 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3683 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3684 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3685 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3686 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3687 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3690 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3691 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3692 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3693 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3694 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3695 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3699 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3700 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3701 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3703 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3704 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3705 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3709 @subsection Setting Marks
3710 @cindex setting marks
3712 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3718 @kindex M t (Summary)
3719 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3720 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3725 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3726 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3727 Mark the current article as dormant
3728 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3732 @kindex M d (Summary)
3734 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3735 Mark the current article as read
3736 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3740 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
3741 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
3742 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
3747 @kindex M k (Summary)
3748 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3749 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3750 and then select the next unread article
3751 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3755 @kindex M K (Summary)
3756 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3757 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3758 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3759 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
3762 @kindex M C (Summary)
3763 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
3764 Mark all unread articles in the group as read
3765 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
3768 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
3769 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
3770 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
3771 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
3774 @kindex M H (Summary)
3775 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
3776 Catchup the current group to point
3777 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
3780 @kindex C-w (Summary)
3781 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
3782 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
3783 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
3786 @kindex M V k (Summary)
3787 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
3788 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
3789 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
3793 @kindex M c (Summary)
3794 @kindex M-u (Summary)
3795 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
3796 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
3797 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
3801 @kindex M e (Summary)
3803 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
3804 Mark the current article as expirable
3805 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
3808 @kindex M b (Summary)
3809 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
3810 Set a bookmark in the current article
3811 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
3814 @kindex M B (Summary)
3815 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
3816 Remove the bookmark from the current article
3817 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
3820 @kindex M V c (Summary)
3821 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
3822 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
3823 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3826 @kindex M V u (Summary)
3827 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
3828 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
3829 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
3832 @kindex M V m (Summary)
3833 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
3834 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
3835 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
3836 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3839 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
3840 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
3841 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
3842 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
3843 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
3844 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
3845 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
3846 The default is @code{t}.
3849 @node Setting Process Marks
3850 @subsection Setting Process Marks
3851 @cindex setting process marks
3858 @kindex M P p (Summary)
3859 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
3860 Mark the current article with the process mark
3861 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
3862 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
3866 @kindex M P u (Summary)
3867 @kindex M-# (Summary)
3868 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
3869 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
3872 @kindex M P U (Summary)
3873 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
3874 Remove the process mark from all articles
3875 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
3878 @kindex M P i (Summary)
3879 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
3880 Invert the list of process marked articles
3881 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
3884 @kindex M P R (Summary)
3885 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
3886 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
3889 @kindex M P r (Summary)
3890 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
3891 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
3894 @kindex M P t (Summary)
3895 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
3896 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3897 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
3900 @kindex M P T (Summary)
3901 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
3902 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3903 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
3906 @kindex M P v (Summary)
3907 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
3908 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
3909 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
3912 @kindex M P s (Summary)
3913 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
3914 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
3917 @kindex M P S (Summary)
3918 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
3919 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
3920 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
3923 @kindex M P a (Summary)
3924 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
3925 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
3928 @kindex M P b (Summary)
3929 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
3930 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
3931 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
3934 @kindex M P k (Summary)
3935 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
3936 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
3937 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
3940 @kindex M P y (Summary)
3941 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
3942 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
3943 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
3946 @kindex M P w (Summary)
3947 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
3948 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
3949 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
3958 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
3959 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
3960 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
3967 @kindex / / (Summary)
3968 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
3969 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
3970 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
3973 @kindex / a (Summary)
3974 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
3975 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
3976 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
3980 @kindex / u (Summary)
3982 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
3983 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
3984 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
3985 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
3986 dormant articles will also be excluded.
3989 @kindex / m (Summary)
3990 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
3991 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
3992 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
3995 @kindex / n (Summary)
3996 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
3997 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
3998 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
3999 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4002 @kindex / w (Summary)
4003 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4004 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4005 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4009 @kindex / v (Summary)
4010 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4011 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4012 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4016 @kindex M S (Summary)
4017 @kindex / E (Summary)
4018 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4019 Display all expunged articles
4020 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4023 @kindex / D (Summary)
4024 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4025 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4028 @kindex / d (Summary)
4029 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4030 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4033 @kindex / c (Summary)
4034 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4035 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4036 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4039 @kindex / C (Summary)
4040 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4041 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4042 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4043 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4051 @cindex article threading
4053 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
4054 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
4058 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4059 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4063 @node Customizing Threading
4064 @subsection Customizing Threading
4065 @cindex customizing threading
4071 @item gnus-show-threads
4072 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4073 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4074 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4075 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4076 slower and more awkward.
4078 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4079 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4080 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4081 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
4082 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4083 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4084 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4085 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4086 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4087 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4088 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4089 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4091 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4092 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4093 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4094 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4095 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4096 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
4097 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4098 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4099 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4100 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4101 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4102 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4103 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4104 @code{nil} by default.
4106 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4107 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4108 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4109 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4110 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4111 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4112 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
4113 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4114 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4115 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4116 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4118 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4119 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4120 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
4122 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4123 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4124 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4125 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4126 simplification is used.
4128 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4129 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4130 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4131 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4133 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4135 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4138 (mapconcat 'identity
4140 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4141 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4142 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4143 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4148 (mapconcat 'identity
4149 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4151 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4154 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4157 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4158 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4159 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4160 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4161 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4162 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4163 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
4164 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4166 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4167 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4168 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4169 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4170 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4171 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4172 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
4173 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
4174 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4178 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4179 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4180 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4181 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4183 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4184 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4185 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4188 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4192 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4193 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4196 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4197 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4198 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4199 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4200 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4201 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4203 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4204 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4205 There are four possible values:
4207 @cindex adopting articles
4212 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4213 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4214 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4215 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4218 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4219 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4220 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4221 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4222 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4223 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4224 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4227 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4228 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4229 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4233 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4234 display them after one another.
4237 Don't gather loose threads.
4240 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4241 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4242 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4245 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4246 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4247 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4250 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4251 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4252 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4253 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4254 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4257 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4258 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4259 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4260 The default is @code{4}.
4264 @node Thread Commands
4265 @subsection Thread Commands
4266 @cindex thread commands
4272 @kindex T k (Summary)
4273 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4274 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4275 Mark all articles in the current sub-thread as read
4276 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4277 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4282 @kindex T l (Summary)
4283 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4284 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4285 Lower the score of the current thread
4286 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4289 @kindex T i (Summary)
4290 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4291 Increase the score of the current thread
4292 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4295 @kindex T # (Summary)
4296 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4297 Set the process mark on the current thread
4298 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4301 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4302 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4303 Remove the process mark from the current thread
4304 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4307 @kindex T T (Summary)
4308 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4309 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4312 @kindex T s (Summary)
4313 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4314 Expose the thread hidden under the current article, if any
4315 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4318 @kindex T h (Summary)
4319 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4320 Hide the current (sub)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4323 @kindex T S (Summary)
4324 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4325 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4328 @kindex T H (Summary)
4329 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4330 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4333 @kindex T t (Summary)
4334 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4335 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
4336 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4337 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4340 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4341 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4342 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4343 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
4347 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4348 understand the numeric prefix.
4353 @kindex T n (Summary)
4354 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4355 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4358 @kindex T p (Summary)
4359 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4360 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4363 @kindex T d (Summary)
4364 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4365 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4368 @kindex T u (Summary)
4369 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4370 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4373 @kindex T o (Summary)
4374 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4375 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4378 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4379 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4380 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4381 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4382 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4383 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4384 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4385 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4386 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4387 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4388 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4389 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4395 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4396 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4397 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4398 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4399 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4400 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4401 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4402 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4403 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4404 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4405 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4406 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4407 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4408 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4410 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
4411 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4412 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4413 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4414 in the list. You should probably always include
4415 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4416 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4417 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4418 ascending article order.
4420 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4421 number, you could do something like:
4424 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4425 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4426 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4427 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4430 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4431 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4432 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4433 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4434 which the articles arrived.
4436 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4440 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4442 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
4443 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4446 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4447 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4448 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4449 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4452 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4453 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4454 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4455 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4456 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4457 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4458 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4459 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4460 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4461 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4462 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4463 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4464 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4466 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4470 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4471 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4472 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4477 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4478 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4479 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4481 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4482 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4483 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4484 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4485 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4487 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4488 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4490 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4491 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4492 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4493 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4494 connection is blocked.
4496 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4497 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4498 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4499 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4501 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4502 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4503 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4504 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4507 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4510 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4511 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4512 happen automatically.
4514 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
4515 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4516 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
4517 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
4518 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
4519 pre-fetch all the articles that it can without bound. If it is
4520 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be made.
4522 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
4523 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
4524 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
4525 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
4529 Remove articles when they are read.
4532 Remove articles when exiting the group.
4535 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
4537 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
4538 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
4539 from the next group.
4542 @node Article Caching
4543 @section Article Caching
4544 @cindex article caching
4547 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4548 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4549 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4550 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4551 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4553 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4555 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4556 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4557 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4558 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4559 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4560 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4561 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4562 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4564 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4565 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4566 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4567 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4568 as dormant, and don't worry.
4570 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4572 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4573 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4574 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4575 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4576 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4577 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4578 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4579 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4580 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4581 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4583 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4584 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4585 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4586 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4587 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
4588 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4589 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4591 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4592 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4593 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4594 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4595 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4596 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4597 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4600 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4601 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4602 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4603 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4604 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4605 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4606 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4607 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4608 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4612 @node Persistent Articles
4613 @section Persistent Articles
4614 @cindex persistent articles
4616 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4617 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4618 useful in my opinion.
4620 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4621 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4622 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4623 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4624 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4625 the expiry going on at the news server.
4627 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4628 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4629 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4635 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4636 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4639 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4640 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4641 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4642 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4646 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4648 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4649 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4650 interested in persistent articles:
4653 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4657 @node Article Backlog
4658 @section Article Backlog
4660 @cindex article backlog
4662 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4663 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4664 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4665 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4666 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4667 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4668 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4669 increase memory usage some.
4671 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4672 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4673 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4674 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4675 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4676 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4677 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4679 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4682 @node Saving Articles
4683 @section Saving Articles
4684 @cindex saving articles
4686 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4687 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4688 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4689 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4690 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4692 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4693 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4694 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4696 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4697 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4698 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4699 deleted before saving.
4705 @kindex O o (Summary)
4707 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4708 Save the current article using the default article saver
4709 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4712 @kindex O m (Summary)
4713 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4714 Save the current article in mail format
4715 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4718 @kindex O r (Summary)
4719 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4720 Save the current article in rmail format
4721 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4724 @kindex O f (Summary)
4725 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4726 Save the current article in plain file format
4727 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4730 @kindex O b (Summary)
4731 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
4732 Save the current article body in plain file format
4733 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
4736 @kindex O h (Summary)
4737 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
4738 Save the current article in mh folder format
4739 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
4742 @kindex O v (Summary)
4743 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
4744 Save the current article in a VM folder
4745 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
4748 @kindex O p (Summary)
4749 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
4750 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
4751 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
4754 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
4755 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
4756 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
4757 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
4758 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
4759 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
4760 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
4761 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
4762 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
4763 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
4764 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
4765 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
4769 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
4770 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
4771 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
4772 functions below, or you can create your own.
4776 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4777 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4778 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
4779 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4780 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
4781 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4782 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4784 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4785 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4786 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
4787 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
4788 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4789 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4791 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
4792 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
4793 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
4794 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4795 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
4796 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4797 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4799 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4800 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4801 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
4802 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4803 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4805 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4806 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4807 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
4808 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
4809 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
4812 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
4813 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
4814 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
4815 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
4816 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
4817 the latter does not.
4819 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4820 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4821 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
4822 reader to use this setting.
4825 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
4826 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
4827 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
4828 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
4831 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
4832 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
4833 available functions that generate names:
4837 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
4838 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
4839 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4841 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
4842 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4843 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4845 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
4846 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
4847 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4849 @item gnus-plain-save-name
4850 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4851 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4854 @vindex gnus-split-methods
4855 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
4856 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
4857 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
4858 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
4862 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
4863 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
4864 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
4865 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
4868 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
4869 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
4870 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
4871 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
4872 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
4873 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
4874 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
4875 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
4876 called returns a string or a list of strings.
4878 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
4879 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
4880 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
4881 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
4883 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
4884 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
4885 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
4888 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4889 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
4890 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
4891 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
4892 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
4893 all the files in the toplevel directory
4894 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
4895 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
4896 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
4897 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
4899 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
4900 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
4901 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
4902 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
4903 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
4906 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
4910 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
4911 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
4914 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
4915 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
4916 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
4917 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
4920 @node Decoding Articles
4921 @section Decoding Articles
4922 @cindex decoding articles
4924 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
4925 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
4928 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
4929 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
4930 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
4931 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
4932 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
4935 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
4936 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
4937 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
4938 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
4939 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
4941 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
4942 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
4943 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
4945 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
4946 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
4947 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
4949 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
4950 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
4951 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
4954 @node Uuencoded Articles
4955 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
4957 @cindex uuencoded articles
4962 @kindex X u (Summary)
4963 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
4964 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
4967 @kindex X U (Summary)
4968 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
4969 Uudecodes and saves the current series
4970 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
4973 @kindex X v u (Summary)
4974 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
4975 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
4978 @kindex X v U (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
4980 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
4981 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
4984 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
4985 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
4986 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
4987 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
4988 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
4990 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
4991 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
4992 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
4993 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
4996 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
4997 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
4998 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
4999 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5000 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5001 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5005 @node Shared Articles
5006 @subsection Shared Articles
5008 @cindex shared articles
5013 @kindex X s (Summary)
5014 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5015 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5018 @kindex X S (Summary)
5019 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5020 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5023 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5024 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5025 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5028 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5029 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5030 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5031 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5035 @node PostScript Files
5036 @subsection PostScript Files
5042 @kindex X p (Summary)
5043 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5044 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5047 @kindex X P (Summary)
5048 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5049 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5050 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5053 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5055 View the current PostScript series
5056 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5059 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5061 View and save the current PostScript series
5062 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5066 @node Decoding Variables
5067 @subsection Decoding Variables
5069 Adjective, not verb.
5072 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5073 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5074 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5078 @node Rule Variables
5079 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5080 @cindex rule variables
5082 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5083 variables are on the form
5086 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5093 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5094 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5096 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5097 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5100 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5101 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5104 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5105 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5106 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5107 user and default view rules.
5109 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5110 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5111 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5116 @node Other Decode Variables
5117 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5120 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5122 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5123 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
5124 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5125 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5126 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5130 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5131 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5134 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5135 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5136 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5139 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5140 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5141 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5143 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5144 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5145 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5146 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5147 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5150 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5151 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5152 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5154 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5155 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5156 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5157 looking for files to display.
5159 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5160 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5161 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5164 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5165 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5166 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5169 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5170 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5171 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5174 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5175 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5176 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5179 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5180 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5181 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
5182 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
5184 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5185 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5186 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5187 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5189 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5190 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5192 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5193 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5194 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5195 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5197 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5198 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5199 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5200 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5201 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5202 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5203 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5204 simply dropped them.
5209 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5210 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5214 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5215 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5216 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5217 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5218 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5219 for you when you post the article.
5221 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5222 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5223 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5224 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5226 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5227 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5228 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5229 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
5230 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5231 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5232 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5234 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5235 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5236 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5237 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5238 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5239 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5240 Default is @code{t}.
5246 @subsection Viewing Files
5247 @cindex viewing files
5248 @cindex pseudo-articles
5250 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5251 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5252 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5253 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5254 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5255 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5256 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5258 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5259 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5260 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5261 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5263 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5264 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5265 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5267 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5268 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5269 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5270 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5271 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5273 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5274 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5275 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5276 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5277 a list of parameters to that command.
5279 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5280 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5281 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5283 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5284 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5285 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5288 @node Article Treatment
5289 @section Article Treatment
5291 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5292 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
5293 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
5294 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
5295 these articles easier.
5298 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
5299 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
5300 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
5301 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
5302 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
5303 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
5307 @node Article Highlighting
5308 @subsection Article Highlighting
5311 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
5312 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
5317 @kindex W H a (Summary)
5318 @findex gnus-article-highlight
5319 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
5322 @kindex W H h (Summary)
5323 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
5324 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
5325 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
5326 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
5327 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
5328 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
5329 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
5330 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
5331 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
5332 prepended---Gnus will add one.
5335 @kindex W H c (Summary)
5336 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
5337 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
5339 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
5342 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5344 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5345 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
5346 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
5348 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5349 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5350 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
5352 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
5353 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
5354 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
5356 @item gnus-cite-face-list
5357 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
5358 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
5359 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
5360 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
5363 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
5364 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
5365 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
5367 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5368 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5369 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
5371 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5372 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5373 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
5374 that it's a citation.
5376 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5377 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5378 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
5380 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5381 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5382 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
5384 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
5385 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
5386 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5387 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5393 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5394 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5395 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5396 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5397 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5398 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
5399 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
5400 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
5406 @node Article Hiding
5407 @subsection Article Hiding
5408 @cindex article hiding
5410 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5411 too much cruft in most articles.
5416 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5417 @findex gnus-article-hide
5418 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5421 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5422 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5423 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5427 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5428 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5429 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5430 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5433 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5435 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
5439 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5440 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5441 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5444 @kindex W W P (Summary)
5445 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
5446 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) gruft
5447 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
5450 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5451 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5452 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5453 customizing the hiding:
5457 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5458 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5459 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5460 50), hide the cited text.
5462 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5463 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5464 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5467 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5468 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5469 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5470 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5471 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
5476 Start point of the hidden text.
5478 End point of the hidden text.
5480 Length of the hidden text.
5483 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5484 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5485 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5490 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5491 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5492 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5493 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5494 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5495 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5499 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5500 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5501 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5503 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5504 citation customization.
5507 @node Article Washing
5508 @subsection Article Washing
5510 @cindex article washing
5512 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5513 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5515 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5516 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5522 @kindex W l (Summary)
5523 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5524 Remove page breaks from the current article
5525 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5528 @kindex W r (Summary)
5529 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5530 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5531 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5534 @kindex W t (Summary)
5535 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5536 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5537 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5540 @kindex W v (Summary)
5541 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5542 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5543 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5546 @kindex W m (Summary)
5547 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5548 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5549 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5552 @kindex W o (Summary)
5553 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5554 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5557 @kindex W w (Summary)
5558 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5559 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
5560 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
5561 late and certainly after any highlighting.
5564 @kindex W c (Summary)
5565 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5566 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5569 @kindex W q (Summary)
5570 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5571 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5574 @kindex W f (Summary)
5576 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5577 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5578 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5579 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5580 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5581 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5582 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
5583 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
5584 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
5585 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
5586 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
5587 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
5588 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
5589 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
5590 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
5591 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
5592 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
5593 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
5597 @kindex W b (Summary)
5598 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5599 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5602 @kindex W B (Summary)
5603 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5604 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5605 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5608 @kindex W E l (Summary)
5609 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
5610 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
5611 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
5614 @kindex W E m (Summary)
5615 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
5616 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
5617 lines with a single empty line.
5618 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
5621 @kindex W E t (Summary)
5622 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5623 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5624 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5627 @kindex W E a (Summary)
5628 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
5629 Do all the three commands above
5630 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
5635 @node Article Buttons
5636 @subsection Article Buttons
5639 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5640 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5641 with the minimum of fuzz.
5643 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5644 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5645 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5650 @item gnus-button-alist
5651 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5652 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5655 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5661 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5662 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5663 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5666 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
5667 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
5668 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use @code{0} here.
5671 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
5672 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
5673 avoid false matches.
5676 This function will be called when you click on this button.
5679 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
5680 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
5684 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
5687 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
5690 @item gnus-header-button-alist
5691 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
5692 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
5693 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
5694 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
5697 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5700 @var{header} is a regular expression.
5702 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
5703 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
5704 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
5705 default values of the variables above.
5707 @item gnus-article-button-face
5708 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
5709 Face used on buttons.
5711 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
5712 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
5713 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
5719 @subsection Article Date
5721 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
5722 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
5723 when the article was sent.
5728 @kindex W T u (Summary)
5729 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
5730 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
5731 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
5734 @kindex W T l (Summary)
5735 @findex gnus-article-date-local
5736 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
5739 @kindex W T e (Summary)
5740 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
5741 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
5742 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
5745 @kindex W T o (Summary)
5746 @findex gnus-article-date-original
5747 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
5748 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
5749 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
5750 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
5751 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
5756 @node Article Signature
5757 @subsection Article Signature
5759 @cindex article signature
5761 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5762 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
5763 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
5764 that says what is to be considered a signature is
5765 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
5766 @samp{"^-- $"} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
5767 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
5768 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
5769 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
5772 (setq gnus-signature-separator
5773 '("^-- $" ; The standard
5774 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
5775 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
5776 ; line of dashes. Shame!
5777 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
5778 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
5779 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
5782 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
5785 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
5786 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
5791 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
5794 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
5797 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
5798 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
5800 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
5801 in question is not a signature.
5804 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
5808 @node Summary Sorting
5809 @section Summary Sorting
5810 @cindex summary sorting
5812 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
5813 can't really see why you'd want that.
5818 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
5819 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
5820 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
5823 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
5824 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
5825 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
5828 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
5829 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
5830 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
5833 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
5835 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
5838 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
5839 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
5840 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
5843 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
5844 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
5845 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
5846 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
5847 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
5851 @node Finding the Parent
5852 @section Finding the Parent
5853 @cindex parent articles
5854 @cindex referring articles
5856 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
5858 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
5859 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
5860 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
5861 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
5862 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
5863 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
5864 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
5865 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
5867 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
5868 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
5869 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
5870 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
5871 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
5874 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
5875 @kindex A R (Summary)
5876 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
5877 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
5878 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
5880 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
5881 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
5882 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
5883 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
5884 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
5885 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long thingies that look
5886 something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You have to get
5887 it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
5889 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
5890 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
5891 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
5892 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
5893 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
5894 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
5895 not really necessary.
5897 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
5898 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
5899 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
5900 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
5901 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
5902 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
5905 @node Alternative Approaches
5906 @section Alternative Approaches
5908 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
5909 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
5912 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
5913 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
5918 @subsection Pick and Read
5919 @cindex pick and read
5921 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
5922 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
5923 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
5924 an article buffer displayed.
5926 @findex gnus-pick-mode
5927 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
5928 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
5929 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
5930 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
5931 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
5934 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
5939 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5940 Pick the article on the current line
5941 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
5942 go to the article on that line and pick that article. (The line number
5943 is normally displayed on the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
5946 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
5947 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
5948 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
5949 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
5953 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5954 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5958 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5959 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5963 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5964 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5968 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5969 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5973 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5974 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5978 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5979 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5983 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5984 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5988 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5989 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5993 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5994 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5998 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
5999 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6003 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6004 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6005 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6006 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6007 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6008 will still be visible when you are reading.
6012 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6015 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6018 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6019 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6021 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6022 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6023 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6025 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6026 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different than the
6027 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6028 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6029 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6030 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6031 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6035 @subsection Binary Groups
6036 @cindex binary groups
6038 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6039 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6040 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6041 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6042 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6043 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6044 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6047 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6048 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
6049 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6051 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6052 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6056 @section Tree Display
6059 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6060 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6061 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6062 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6065 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6068 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6069 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6070 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6072 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6073 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6074 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6075 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
6078 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6079 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6080 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6081 default is @code{modeline}.
6083 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6084 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6085 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6086 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6087 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6088 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6089 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6095 The name of the poster.
6097 The @code{From} header.
6099 The number of the article.
6101 The opening bracket.
6103 The closing bracket.
6108 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6110 Variables related to the display are:
6113 @item gnus-tree-brackets
6114 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
6115 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
6116 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
6117 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
6118 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
6120 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6121 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6122 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
6123 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
6127 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
6128 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
6129 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
6130 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
6131 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
6132 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
6134 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
6135 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
6136 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6137 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
6138 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
6139 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
6140 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
6144 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
6147 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
6157 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
6161 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
6162 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
6164 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
6166 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
6172 @node Mail Group Commands
6173 @section Mail Group Commands
6174 @cindex mail group commands
6176 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
6177 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
6179 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
6180 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6185 @kindex B e (Summary)
6186 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
6187 Expire all expirable articles in the group
6188 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
6191 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
6193 Expunge all the expirable articles in the group
6194 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
6195 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
6196 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
6199 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
6200 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
6201 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
6202 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
6203 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
6206 @kindex B m (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
6209 Move the article from one mail group to another
6210 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6213 @kindex B c (Summary)
6215 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
6216 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
6217 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
6220 @kindex B C (Summary)
6221 @cindex crosspost mail
6222 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
6223 Crosspost the current article to some other group
6224 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
6225 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
6226 be properly updated.
6229 @kindex B i (Summary)
6230 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
6231 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
6232 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
6233 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
6236 @kindex B r (Summary)
6237 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
6238 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6242 @kindex B w (Summary)
6244 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
6245 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
6246 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
6247 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
6248 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
6251 @kindex B q (Summary)
6252 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
6253 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
6254 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
6255 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
6258 @kindex B p (Summary)
6259 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
6260 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
6261 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
6262 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
6263 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
6264 article from your news server (or rather, from
6265 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
6266 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
6267 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
6268 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
6269 just not have arrived yet.
6273 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
6274 @cindex moving articles
6275 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
6276 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
6277 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
6278 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
6279 suggestions you find reasonable.
6282 @node Various Summary Stuff
6283 @section Various Summary Stuff
6286 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
6287 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
6288 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
6289 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
6293 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
6294 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
6295 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
6297 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
6298 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
6299 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
6300 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
6301 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
6302 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
6305 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6306 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6307 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
6308 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
6309 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
6314 @node Summary Group Information
6315 @subsection Summary Group Information
6320 @kindex H f (Summary)
6321 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
6322 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
6323 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
6324 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
6325 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
6326 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
6327 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
6328 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
6332 @kindex H d (Summary)
6333 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
6334 Give a brief description of the current group
6335 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
6336 rereading the description from the server.
6339 @kindex H h (Summary)
6340 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
6341 Give a very brief description of the most important summary keystrokes
6342 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
6345 @kindex H i (Summary)
6346 @findex gnus-info-find-node
6347 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
6351 @node Searching for Articles
6352 @subsection Searching for Articles
6357 @kindex M-s (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
6359 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
6360 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
6363 @kindex M-r (Summary)
6364 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
6365 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
6366 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
6370 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
6371 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
6372 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
6373 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
6376 @kindex M-& (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
6378 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
6379 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
6382 @node Summary Generation Commands
6383 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
6388 @kindex Y g (Summary)
6389 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
6390 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
6393 @kindex Y c (Summary)
6394 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
6395 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
6396 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
6401 @node Really Various Summary Commands
6402 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
6407 @kindex C-d (Summary)
6408 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
6409 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
6410 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
6411 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
6412 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
6413 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
6414 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
6415 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
6419 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
6420 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
6421 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
6422 several documents into one biiig group
6423 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
6424 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
6425 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
6426 command understands the process/prefix convention
6427 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6430 @kindex C-t (Summary)
6431 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
6432 Toggle truncation of summary lines
6433 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
6434 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
6435 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
6439 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
6440 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
6441 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
6446 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
6447 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
6448 @cindex summary exit
6449 @cindex exiting groups
6451 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
6452 group and return you to the group buffer.
6458 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
6460 @findex gnus-summary-exit
6461 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
6462 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
6463 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
6464 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
6465 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
6466 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
6467 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
6472 @kindex Z E (Summary)
6474 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
6475 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
6476 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
6480 @kindex Z c (Summary)
6482 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
6483 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
6484 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
6487 @kindex Z C (Summary)
6488 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
6489 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
6490 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
6493 @kindex Z n (Summary)
6494 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
6495 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
6496 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
6499 @kindex Z R (Summary)
6500 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
6501 Exit this group, and then enter it again
6502 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
6503 all articles, both read and unread.
6507 @kindex Z G (Summary)
6508 @kindex M-g (Summary)
6509 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
6510 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
6511 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
6512 articles, both read and unread.
6515 @kindex Z N (Summary)
6516 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
6517 Exit the group and go to the next group
6518 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
6521 @kindex Z P (Summary)
6522 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
6523 Exit the group and go to the previous group
6524 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
6527 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
6528 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
6531 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
6532 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
6533 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
6534 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
6535 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
6536 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
6537 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
6538 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6539 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6540 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6541 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6542 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6544 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6546 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6547 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6548 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6549 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6550 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6551 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6552 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6553 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6554 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
6557 @node Crosspost Handling
6558 @section Crosspost Handling
6562 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6563 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6564 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6565 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6566 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6567 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
6570 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6571 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
6572 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
6573 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
6574 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
6576 @cindex cross-posting
6579 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6580 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6581 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6582 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6583 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6584 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6585 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6586 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6587 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6588 the cross reference mechanism.
6590 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6591 @cindex overview.fmt
6592 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6593 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
6594 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
6595 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
6596 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
6597 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
6600 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6601 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6602 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6607 For an alternative approach, @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6610 @node Duplicate Suppression
6611 @section Duplicate Suppression
6613 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
6614 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
6615 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
6616 approach may not work satisfactorily for some users for various
6621 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
6622 is evil and not very common.
6625 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
6626 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
6629 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
6630 different @sc{nntp} servers.
6633 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
6636 I'm sure there are other situations that @code{Xref} handling fails as
6637 well, but these four are the most common situations.
6639 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
6640 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
6641 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
6642 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
6643 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
6644 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
6645 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
6648 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
6649 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
6650 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
6651 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
6652 article as read the the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
6656 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
6657 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
6658 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
6660 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
6661 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
6662 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
6663 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
6664 However, this means that only duplicate articles that is read in a
6665 single Gnus session are suppressed.
6667 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
6668 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
6669 This variables says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
6670 suppression list. The default is 10000.
6672 @item gnus-duplicate-file
6673 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
6674 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list. The
6675 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
6678 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
6679 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
6680 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
6681 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
6682 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
6683 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
6684 to you to figure out, I think.
6687 @node The Article Buffer
6688 @chapter The Article Buffer
6689 @cindex article buffer
6691 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
6692 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
6693 tell Gnus otherwise.
6696 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
6697 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
6698 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
6699 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer
6700 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
6704 @node Hiding Headers
6705 @section Hiding Headers
6706 @cindex hiding headers
6707 @cindex deleting headers
6709 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
6710 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
6712 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
6713 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
6714 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
6715 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
6716 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
6717 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
6718 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
6719 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
6720 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
6722 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
6726 @item gnus-visible-headers
6727 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
6728 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
6729 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
6730 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
6732 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
6733 the article and the subject, you'd say:
6736 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
6739 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6742 @item gnus-ignored-headers
6743 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
6744 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
6745 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
6746 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
6747 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
6749 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
6750 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
6753 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
6756 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6759 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
6760 variable will have no effect.
6764 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
6765 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
6766 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
6767 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
6768 the headers are to be displayed.
6770 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
6771 and then the subject, you might say something like:
6774 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
6777 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
6778 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
6779 are listed in this variable.
6781 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6782 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6783 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
6784 You can hide further boring headers by entering
6785 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
6786 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
6787 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
6788 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
6789 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
6791 These conditions are:
6794 Remove all empty headers.
6796 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
6799 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
6800 @code{Newsgroups} header.
6802 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
6805 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
6809 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
6812 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
6813 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
6816 This is also the default value for this variable.
6820 @section Using @sc{mime}
6823 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
6824 while people stand around yawning.
6826 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
6827 while all newsreaders die of fear.
6829 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
6830 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
6831 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
6833 @vindex gnus-show-mime
6834 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
6835 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
6836 @findex metamail-buffer
6837 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by shoving the articles through
6838 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
6839 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
6840 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
6841 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
6842 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
6843 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
6844 buffer. These can't be avoided.
6846 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
6847 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
6848 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
6849 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
6850 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
6851 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
6852 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
6853 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
6854 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
6856 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
6859 @node Customizing Articles
6860 @section Customizing Articles
6861 @cindex article customization
6863 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6864 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
6865 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
6866 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
6868 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6869 By default it contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
6870 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
6871 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
6872 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
6873 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
6874 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
6877 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
6878 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
6879 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
6880 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
6881 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
6884 @node Article Keymap
6885 @section Article Keymap
6887 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
6888 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
6889 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
6890 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
6893 A few additional keystrokes are available:
6898 @kindex SPACE (Article)
6899 @findex gnus-article-next-page
6900 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
6903 @kindex DEL (Article)
6904 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
6905 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
6908 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
6909 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
6910 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
6911 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
6912 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
6915 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
6916 @findex gnus-article-mail
6917 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
6918 given a prefix, include the mail.
6922 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
6923 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
6924 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
6928 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
6929 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
6930 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
6933 @kindex TAB (Article)
6934 @findex gnus-article-next-button
6935 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
6936 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
6939 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
6940 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
6941 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
6947 @section Misc Article
6951 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
6952 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
6953 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
6954 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
6957 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
6958 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
6959 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
6960 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
6961 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
6962 the contents of the article buffer.
6964 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6965 @item gnus-article-display-hook
6966 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
6967 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
6968 hiding headers, and the like.
6970 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
6971 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
6972 Hook called in article mode buffers.
6974 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
6975 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
6976 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
6977 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
6978 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
6982 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
6983 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
6987 @vindex gnus-break-pages
6989 @item gnus-break-pages
6990 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
6991 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
6992 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
6993 paging will not be done.
6995 @item gnus-page-delimiter
6996 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
6997 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7002 @node Composing Messages
7003 @chapter Composing Messages
7008 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7009 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7010 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7011 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7012 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7013 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7014 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7017 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
7018 * Post:: Posting and following up.
7019 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
7020 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
7021 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
7022 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
7023 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
7024 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
7027 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
7028 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
7034 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
7037 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
7038 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
7039 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
7040 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
7048 Variables for composing news articles:
7051 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7052 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7053 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
7054 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
7055 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
7056 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
7057 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
7058 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
7059 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
7062 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7063 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7064 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
7065 file. It is 1000 by default.
7070 @node Posting Server
7071 @section Posting Server
7073 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
7074 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
7076 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
7078 @vindex gnus-post-method
7080 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
7081 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
7082 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
7083 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
7084 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
7087 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
7090 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
7091 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
7092 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
7093 the ``current'' server for posting.
7095 If you give a zero prefix (i. e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
7096 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
7098 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
7099 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
7104 @section Mail and Post
7106 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
7110 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7111 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7112 @cindex mailing lists
7114 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
7115 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7116 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7117 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7118 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7119 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
7120 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7121 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7122 still a pain, though.
7126 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
7127 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
7128 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
7131 @findex ispell-message
7133 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
7137 @node Archived Messages
7138 @section Archived Messages
7139 @cindex archived messages
7140 @cindex sent messages
7142 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
7143 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
7144 the mail. If you want to disable this completely, you should set
7145 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}.
7147 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
7148 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
7149 use to store sent messages. It is @code{(nnfolder "archive"
7150 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))} by default, but you can use any
7151 mail select method (@code{nnml}, @code{nnmbox}, etc.). However,
7152 @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method for doing this sort of
7153 thing. If you don't like the default directory chosen, you could say
7157 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
7158 '(nnfolder "archive"
7159 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
7160 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
7161 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
7164 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
7166 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
7167 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
7168 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
7170 This variable can be:
7174 Messages will be saved in that group.
7175 @item a list of strings
7176 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
7177 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
7178 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
7180 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
7185 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
7187 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
7190 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
7192 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
7195 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
7197 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7198 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
7199 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
7200 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
7205 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7206 '((if (message-news-p)
7211 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
7212 messages in one file per month:
7215 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7216 '((if (message-news-p)
7218 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
7219 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
7222 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
7223 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
7224 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
7225 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
7226 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
7227 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
7228 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
7229 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
7230 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
7231 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
7233 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also offers two
7234 other variables for the people who don't like the default method. In
7235 that case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to
7236 @code{nil}; this will disable archiving.
7238 XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
7239 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
7243 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
7244 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
7245 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
7246 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
7247 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
7250 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
7251 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
7252 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
7257 @c @node Posting Styles
7258 @c @section Posting Styles
7259 @c @cindex posting styles
7262 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
7264 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
7265 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
7266 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
7269 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
7270 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
7271 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
7272 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
7273 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
7278 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
7279 @c (organization . "What me?"))
7281 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
7282 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
7283 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
7286 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
7287 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
7288 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
7289 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
7290 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
7291 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
7292 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
7293 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
7295 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
7296 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
7297 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
7298 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
7299 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
7300 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
7303 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
7304 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
7305 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
7306 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
7307 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
7310 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
7311 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
7312 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
7314 @c So here's a new example:
7317 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
7319 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
7320 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
7321 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
7322 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
7324 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
7325 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
7326 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
7327 @c (posting-from-work-p
7328 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
7329 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
7330 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
7332 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
7339 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
7340 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
7341 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
7342 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
7343 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
7345 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
7346 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
7347 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
7348 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
7349 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
7353 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
7354 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
7355 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
7356 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
7357 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
7358 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
7359 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
7360 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
7362 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
7365 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
7366 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
7367 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
7368 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
7369 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
7370 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
7371 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
7372 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
7373 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
7374 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
7375 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
7376 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
7377 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
7378 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
7380 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
7381 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
7382 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
7384 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
7385 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
7386 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
7387 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
7388 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
7390 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
7393 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
7394 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
7395 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
7396 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
7397 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7400 @c @node Rejected Articles
7401 @c @section Rejected Articles
7402 @c @cindex rejected articles
7404 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
7405 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
7406 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
7407 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
7409 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
7410 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
7411 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
7412 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
7413 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
7415 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
7416 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
7417 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
7420 @node Select Methods
7421 @chapter Select Methods
7422 @cindex foreign groups
7423 @cindex select methods
7425 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
7426 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
7427 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
7428 personal mail group.
7430 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
7431 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
7432 list where the first element says what backend to use (eg. @code{nntp},
7433 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
7434 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
7435 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
7437 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
7438 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
7440 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
7443 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
7444 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
7445 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group, in
7446 all circumstances, @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the
7447 @code{nntp} backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
7449 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
7452 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
7453 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
7454 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
7455 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
7456 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
7460 @node The Server Buffer
7461 @section The Server Buffer
7463 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
7464 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
7465 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
7466 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
7467 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
7468 backend represents a virtual server.
7470 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
7471 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
7472 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
7473 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
7475 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
7476 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
7477 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number @code{13}, which
7478 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
7479 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
7480 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
7481 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
7483 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
7484 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
7487 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
7488 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
7489 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
7490 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
7491 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
7492 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
7495 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
7496 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
7499 @node Server Buffer Format
7500 @subsection Server Buffer Format
7501 @cindex server buffer format
7503 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
7504 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
7505 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
7506 variable, with some simple extensions:
7511 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
7514 The name of this server.
7517 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
7520 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
7523 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
7524 The mode line can also be customized by using the
7525 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
7536 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
7539 @node Server Commands
7540 @subsection Server Commands
7541 @cindex server commands
7547 @findex gnus-server-add-server
7548 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
7552 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
7553 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
7556 @kindex SPACE (Server)
7557 @findex gnus-server-read-server
7558 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
7562 @findex gnus-server-exit
7563 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
7567 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
7568 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
7572 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
7573 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
7577 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
7578 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
7582 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
7583 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
7587 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
7588 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
7589 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
7595 @node Example Methods
7596 @subsection Example Methods
7598 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
7601 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
7604 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
7610 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
7611 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
7614 After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
7615 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
7617 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
7618 port @code{15} from that machine. This is what the select method should
7622 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
7625 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
7626 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
7628 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
7629 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
7630 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
7634 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
7637 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
7640 Here's the method for a public spool:
7644 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
7645 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
7649 @node Creating a Virtual Server
7650 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
7652 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
7653 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
7655 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
7656 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
7657 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
7659 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
7661 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
7662 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
7663 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
7664 will contain the following:
7674 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
7675 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
7676 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
7679 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
7680 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
7681 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
7684 @node Servers and Methods
7685 @subsection Servers and Methods
7687 Wherever you would normally use a select method
7688 (eg. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
7689 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
7690 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
7694 @node Unavailable Servers
7695 @subsection Unavailable Servers
7697 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
7698 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
7699 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
7700 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
7701 actually the case or not.
7703 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
7704 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
7705 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
7706 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
7707 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
7708 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
7709 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
7710 regard that server as ``down''.
7712 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
7713 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
7715 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
7716 with the following commands:
7722 @findex gnus-server-open-server
7723 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
7724 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
7728 @findex gnus-server-close-server
7729 Close the connection (if any) to the server
7730 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
7734 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
7735 Mark the current server as unreachable
7736 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
7739 @kindex M-o (Server)
7740 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
7741 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
7742 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
7745 @kindex M-c (Server)
7746 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
7747 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
7748 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
7752 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
7753 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
7754 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
7760 @section Getting News
7761 @cindex reading news
7762 @cindex news backends
7764 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
7765 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
7766 or it can read from a local spool.
7769 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
7770 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
7775 @subsection @sc{nntp}
7778 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
7779 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
7780 server as the, uhm, address.
7782 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
7783 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
7784 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
7785 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
7787 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
7788 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
7789 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
7791 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
7796 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
7797 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
7798 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
7800 @cindex authentification
7801 @cindex nntp authentification
7802 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7803 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
7804 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
7805 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
7806 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
7807 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function.
7809 @item nntp-authinfo-function
7810 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
7811 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
7812 server. Available functions include:
7815 @item nntp-send-authinfo
7816 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7817 This function will used you current login name as the user name and will
7818 prompt you for the password. This is the default.
7820 @item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
7821 @findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
7822 This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
7824 @item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
7825 @findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
7826 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
7827 read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
7830 @item nntp-server-action-alist
7831 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
7832 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
7833 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
7834 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
7837 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
7841 You probably don't want to do that, though.
7843 The default value is
7846 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
7847 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
7850 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
7851 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
7853 @item nntp-maximum-request
7854 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
7855 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
7856 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
7857 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
7858 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
7859 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
7860 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
7862 @item nntp-connection-timeout
7863 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
7864 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
7865 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
7866 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
7867 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
7868 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
7869 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
7870 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
7871 no timeouts are done.
7873 @item nntp-command-timeout
7874 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
7875 @cindex PPP connections
7876 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
7877 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
7878 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
7879 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
7880 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
7881 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
7882 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
7883 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
7884 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
7885 likely number is 30 seconds.
7887 @item nntp-retry-on-break
7888 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
7889 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
7890 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
7893 @item nntp-server-hook
7894 @vindex nntp-server-hook
7895 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
7898 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
7899 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
7900 @item nntp-open-server-function
7901 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
7902 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
7903 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
7904 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
7905 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
7906 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
7908 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
7909 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
7910 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
7911 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
7912 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
7914 @item nntp-end-of-line
7915 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
7916 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
7917 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
7918 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
7920 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
7921 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
7922 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
7926 @vindex nntp-address
7927 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
7929 @item nntp-port-number
7930 @vindex nntp-port-number
7931 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
7934 @item nntp-buggy-select
7935 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
7936 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
7938 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
7939 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
7940 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
7941 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
7942 can be used automatically.
7944 @item nntp-xover-commands
7945 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
7948 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
7949 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
7953 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
7954 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
7955 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
7956 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
7957 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
7958 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
7959 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
7960 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
7961 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
7962 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
7963 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
7965 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
7966 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
7967 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
7969 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
7970 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
7971 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
7972 server closes connection.
7978 @subsection News Spool
7982 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
7983 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups like
7984 @samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}.
7986 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
7987 anything else) as the address.
7989 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
7990 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
7991 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
7992 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
7996 @item nnspool-inews-program
7997 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
7998 Program used to post an article.
8000 @item nnspool-inews-switches
8001 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
8002 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
8004 @item nnspool-spool-directory
8005 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
8006 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
8007 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
8009 @item nnspool-nov-directory
8010 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
8011 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
8012 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
8014 @item nnspool-lib-dir
8015 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
8016 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
8018 @item nnspool-active-file
8019 @vindex nnspool-active-file
8020 The path of the active file.
8022 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
8023 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
8024 The path of the group descriptions file.
8026 @item nnspool-history-file
8027 @vindex nnspool-history-file
8028 The path of the news history file.
8030 @item nnspool-active-times-file
8031 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
8032 The path of the active date file.
8034 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
8035 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
8036 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
8039 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8040 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8042 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
8043 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
8044 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
8050 @section Getting Mail
8051 @cindex reading mail
8054 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
8058 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
8059 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
8060 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
8061 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
8062 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
8063 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
8064 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
8065 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
8066 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
8067 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
8068 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
8072 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
8073 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
8075 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
8076 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
8077 and things will happen automatically.
8079 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
8080 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
8083 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
8084 '((nnml "private")))
8087 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
8088 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
8089 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
8090 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
8091 like any other group.
8093 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
8096 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8097 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8098 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8102 This will result in three new mail groups being created:
8103 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
8104 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
8107 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
8108 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
8109 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
8112 @node Splitting Mail
8113 @subsection Splitting Mail
8114 @cindex splitting mail
8115 @cindex mail splitting
8117 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
8118 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
8119 to be split into groups.
8122 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8123 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8124 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8128 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
8129 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
8130 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
8131 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
8132 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
8134 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
8135 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
8138 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
8139 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
8140 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
8141 mail belongs in that group.
8143 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
8144 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
8145 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
8147 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
8148 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
8149 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
8150 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
8151 thinks should carry this mail message.
8153 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
8154 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
8155 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
8156 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
8158 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
8159 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
8160 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
8161 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
8162 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
8164 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
8167 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
8168 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
8169 links. If that's the case for you, set
8170 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
8171 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
8173 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
8174 @kindex nnmail-split-history
8175 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
8176 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
8178 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
8179 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
8180 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
8181 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
8182 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
8183 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
8184 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
8185 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
8189 @node Mail Backend Variables
8190 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
8192 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
8196 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8197 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8198 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
8199 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
8201 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
8202 @item nnmail-spool-file
8206 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
8207 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
8208 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
8209 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
8210 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
8211 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
8212 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
8213 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
8214 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
8215 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
8216 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
8217 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
8218 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
8219 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
8220 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
8222 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
8223 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
8224 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
8225 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
8226 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
8227 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
8229 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
8230 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8231 @item nnmail-use-procmail
8232 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
8233 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
8234 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
8235 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
8238 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
8239 @item nnmail-crash-box
8240 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
8241 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
8242 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
8245 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8246 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8247 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
8248 used for, well, anything, really.
8250 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
8251 @item nnmail-split-hook
8252 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
8253 @findex RFC1522 decoding
8254 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
8255 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
8256 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
8257 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
8258 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{article-decode-rfc1522}
8259 is one likely function to add to this hook.
8261 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8262 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8263 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8264 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8265 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
8266 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
8267 starting to handle the new mail) and
8268 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
8269 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
8270 default file modes the new mail files get:
8273 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8274 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
8276 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
8277 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
8280 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
8281 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
8282 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
8283 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
8284 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
8285 it will be used instead.
8287 @item nnmail-movemail-program
8288 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
8289 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
8290 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
8292 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
8293 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
8296 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
8297 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
8298 @cindex incoming mail files
8299 @cindex deleting incoming files
8300 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
8301 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
8302 default for reasons of security.
8304 Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
8305 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
8306 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point.) By not deleting the
8307 Incoming* files, one can be sure to not lose mail -- if Gnus totally
8308 whacks out, one can always recover what was lost.
8310 Delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
8312 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
8313 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
8314 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
8315 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
8316 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
8319 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
8320 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
8322 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
8327 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
8328 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
8329 @cindex mail splitting
8330 @cindex fancy mail splitting
8332 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
8333 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
8334 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
8335 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
8336 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
8337 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
8339 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
8342 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
8343 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
8344 ;; from real errors.
8345 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
8347 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
8348 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
8349 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
8350 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
8351 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
8352 ;; Other mailing lists...
8353 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
8354 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
8356 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
8357 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
8361 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
8362 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
8363 the five possible split syntaxes:
8368 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
8371 @code{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
8372 element is a string, then that means that if header FIELD (a regexp)
8373 contains VALUE (also a regexp), then store the message as specified by
8377 @code{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8378 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
8379 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
8380 be stored in one or more groups.
8383 @code{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8384 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
8387 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
8388 this message anywhere.
8392 In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name. VALUE must
8393 match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
8394 You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial field names or
8397 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
8398 FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are expanded
8399 as specified by the variable @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is
8400 an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the key, and
8401 the cdr contains a string.
8403 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
8404 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
8405 when all this splitting is performed.
8408 @node Mail and Procmail
8409 @subsection Mail and Procmail
8414 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
8415 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
8416 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
8417 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
8418 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
8420 This also means that you probably don't want to set
8421 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
8424 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
8425 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
8426 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
8427 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
8428 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
8429 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
8431 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
8434 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
8436 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
8437 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
8439 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
8440 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
8441 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
8442 to include all your mail groups.
8444 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
8445 method will be created automatically.
8447 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8448 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
8449 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
8450 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
8451 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
8452 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
8453 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
8454 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
8456 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
8457 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
8458 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
8459 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
8460 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
8462 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8463 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
8464 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
8465 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
8466 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
8470 @node Incorporating Old Mail
8471 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
8473 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
8474 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
8475 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
8478 Doing so can be quite easy.
8480 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
8481 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
8482 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
8483 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
8484 your @code{nnml} groups.
8490 Go to the group buffer.
8493 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
8494 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8497 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
8500 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
8504 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
8505 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8508 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
8509 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
8510 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
8511 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
8512 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
8514 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
8515 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
8516 using the new mail backend.
8520 @subsection Expiring Mail
8521 @cindex article expiry
8523 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
8524 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
8525 different approach to mail reading.
8527 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
8528 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
8529 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
8530 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
8531 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
8532 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
8535 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
8536 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
8537 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
8538 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
8539 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
8540 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
8541 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
8542 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
8544 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8545 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
8546 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
8547 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
8548 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
8549 column in the summary buffer.
8551 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
8552 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
8555 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8556 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
8559 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
8560 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
8562 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
8563 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
8564 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
8566 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
8567 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
8568 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
8569 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
8572 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8574 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8576 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
8578 ((string= group "mail.junk")
8580 ((string= group "important")
8586 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
8587 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
8589 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
8590 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
8591 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
8594 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
8595 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8597 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8598 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
8599 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
8600 easier for procmail users.
8602 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
8603 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
8604 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
8605 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
8606 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
8607 caution. Even more dangerous is the
8608 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
8609 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
8610 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
8611 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
8612 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
8613 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
8614 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
8619 @subsection Washing Mail
8620 @cindex mail washing
8621 @cindex list server brain damage
8622 @cindex incoming mail treatment
8624 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
8625 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
8626 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
8627 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
8628 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
8629 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
8631 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
8632 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
8633 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
8636 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
8637 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
8638 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
8639 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
8642 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8643 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8644 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
8645 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
8648 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
8649 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
8650 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
8651 Emacs running on MS machines.
8655 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
8656 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
8657 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
8658 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
8661 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
8662 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
8663 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
8664 headers too make them look nice. Aaah.
8666 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
8667 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
8668 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
8669 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
8670 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
8671 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
8672 also be a list of regexp.
8674 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
8675 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
8678 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
8679 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
8682 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
8683 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
8684 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
8688 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
8689 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
8690 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
8694 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
8695 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
8696 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
8703 @subsection Duplicates
8705 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
8706 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
8707 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
8708 @cindex duplicate mails
8709 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
8710 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
8711 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
8712 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
8713 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
8714 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
8715 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
8716 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
8717 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
8718 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
8719 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
8720 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
8721 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
8722 duplicate of a different message.
8724 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
8725 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
8726 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
8727 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
8729 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
8732 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
8733 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
8737 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
8738 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
8739 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
8740 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
8741 (any mail "mail.misc")
8748 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8749 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
8754 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
8755 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
8756 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
8757 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
8758 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
8761 @node Not Reading Mail
8762 @subsection Not Reading Mail
8764 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
8765 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
8766 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
8768 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
8769 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
8771 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8772 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8773 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
8774 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
8775 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
8776 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
8777 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
8778 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
8779 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
8780 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
8781 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
8783 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
8784 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
8788 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
8789 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
8791 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
8792 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
8793 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
8796 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
8797 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
8798 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
8799 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
8800 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
8805 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
8807 @cindex unix mail box
8809 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8810 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8811 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
8812 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
8813 which group it belongs in.
8815 Virtual server settings:
8818 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
8819 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8820 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
8822 @item nnmbox-active-file
8823 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8824 The name of the active file for the mail box.
8826 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
8827 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8828 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
8834 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
8838 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8839 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8840 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
8841 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
8842 article to say which group it belongs in.
8844 Virtual server settings:
8847 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
8848 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8849 The name of the rmail mbox file.
8851 @item nnbabyl-active-file
8852 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8853 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
8855 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8856 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8857 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
8862 @subsubsection Mail Spool
8864 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
8866 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
8867 format. It should be used with some caution.
8869 @vindex nnml-directory
8870 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
8871 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
8872 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
8873 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
8875 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
8878 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
8879 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
8880 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
8881 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
8882 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
8883 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
8884 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
8885 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
8887 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
8888 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
8889 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
8890 backend when it comes to reading mail.
8892 Virtual server settings:
8895 @item nnml-directory
8896 @vindex nnml-directory
8897 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
8899 @item nnml-active-file
8900 @vindex nnml-active-file
8901 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
8903 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
8904 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
8905 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
8908 @item nnml-get-new-mail
8909 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
8910 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
8912 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
8913 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
8914 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
8916 @item nnml-nov-file-name
8917 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
8918 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
8920 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
8921 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
8922 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
8926 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
8927 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
8928 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
8929 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
8930 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
8931 might take a while to complete.
8935 @subsubsection MH Spool
8937 @cindex mh-e mail spool
8939 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
8940 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
8941 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
8942 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
8944 Virtual server settings:
8947 @item nnmh-directory
8948 @vindex nnmh-directory
8949 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
8951 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
8952 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
8953 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
8956 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
8957 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
8958 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
8959 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
8960 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
8961 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
8962 to set this variable to @code{t}.
8967 @subsubsection Mail Folders
8969 @cindex mbox folders
8970 @cindex mail folders
8972 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
8973 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
8974 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
8977 Virtual server settings:
8980 @item nnfolder-directory
8981 @vindex nnfolder-directory
8982 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
8984 @item nnfolder-active-file
8985 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
8986 The name of the active file.
8988 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
8989 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
8990 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
8992 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
8993 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
8994 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
8997 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
8998 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
8999 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
9000 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
9001 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
9002 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
9006 @section Other Sources
9008 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
9009 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
9013 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
9014 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
9015 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
9016 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
9017 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
9018 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
9022 @node Directory Groups
9023 @subsection Directory Groups
9025 @cindex directory groups
9027 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
9028 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
9031 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
9032 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
9033 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
9035 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
9036 enter @file{"/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/"} as the the
9037 directory name, ange-ftp will actually allow you to read this directory
9038 over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
9040 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
9042 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
9043 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
9044 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
9045 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
9048 @node Anything Groups
9049 @subsection Anything Groups
9052 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
9053 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
9054 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
9057 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
9058 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
9059 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
9060 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
9061 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
9062 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
9063 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
9064 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (eg. a C source
9065 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
9066 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
9069 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
9070 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
9071 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
9072 in the article buffer, just as usual.
9074 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
9075 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
9076 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
9077 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
9079 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
9080 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
9081 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
9082 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
9083 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
9084 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
9085 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
9086 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
9091 @item nneething-map-file-directory
9092 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
9093 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
9094 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
9096 @item nneething-exclude-files
9097 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
9098 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
9099 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
9101 @item nneething-map-file
9102 @vindex nneething-map-file
9103 Name of the map files.
9107 @node Document Groups
9108 @subsection Document Groups
9110 @cindex documentation group
9113 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
9114 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
9121 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
9126 The standard Unix mbox file.
9128 @cindex MMDF mail box
9130 The MMDF mail box format.
9133 Several news articles appended into a file.
9136 @cindex rnews batch files
9137 The rnews batch transport format.
9138 @cindex forwarded messages
9147 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
9148 @cindex RFC 341 digest
9149 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
9151 @item standard-digest
9152 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
9155 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
9158 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
9159 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
9160 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
9163 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
9164 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
9165 group. And that's it.
9167 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
9168 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
9169 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
9170 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
9171 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
9172 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
9173 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
9174 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
9175 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
9176 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
9178 Virtual server variables:
9181 @item nndoc-article-type
9182 @vindex nndoc-article-type
9183 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
9184 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
9185 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
9187 @item nndoc-post-type
9188 @vindex nndoc-post-type
9189 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
9190 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
9195 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
9199 @node Document Server Internals
9200 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
9202 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
9203 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
9204 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
9205 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
9207 First, here's an example document type definition:
9211 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
9212 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
9215 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
9216 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
9217 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
9218 types can be defined with very few settings:
9222 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
9223 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
9227 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
9228 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
9230 @item head-begin-function
9231 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
9234 @item nndoc-head-begin
9235 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
9238 @item nndoc-head-end
9239 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
9240 @samp{"^$"}---the empty line.
9242 @item body-begin-function
9243 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
9247 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
9250 @item body-end-function
9251 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
9255 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
9257 @item nndoc-file-end
9258 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
9259 regexp will be totally ignored.
9263 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
9264 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
9265 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
9266 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
9267 something that's palatable for Gnus:
9270 @item prepare-body-function
9271 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
9272 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
9273 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
9275 @item article-transform-function
9276 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
9277 meant to be used how more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
9278 body of the article.
9280 @item generate-head-function
9281 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
9282 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
9283 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
9284 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
9288 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
9293 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9294 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9295 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
9296 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
9298 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
9299 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
9300 (subtype digest guess))
9303 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
9304 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
9305 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
9306 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
9307 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
9309 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
9310 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
9311 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
9312 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
9313 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for each
9314 type. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
9315 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
9316 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
9317 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
9318 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
9319 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest legal number.
9327 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
9328 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
9329 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
9331 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
9332 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
9333 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
9336 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
9337 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
9338 that interested in doing things properly.
9340 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
9341 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
9347 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
9348 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie, or you can use Gnus to create the
9349 packet with the @kbd{O s} command.
9352 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
9355 You put the packet in your home directory.
9358 You fire up Gnus using the @code{nnsoup} backend as the native server.
9361 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
9365 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
9369 You transfer this packet to the server.
9372 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
9375 You then repeat until you die.
9379 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
9380 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
9383 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
9384 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
9385 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
9390 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
9394 @kindex G s b (Group)
9395 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
9396 Pack all unread articles in the current group
9397 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
9398 process/prefix convention.
9401 @kindex G s w (Group)
9402 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
9403 Save all data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
9406 @kindex G s s (Group)
9407 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
9408 Send all replies from the replies packet
9409 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
9412 @kindex G s p (Group)
9413 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
9414 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
9417 @kindex G s r (Group)
9418 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
9419 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
9422 @kindex O s (Summary)
9423 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
9424 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
9425 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
9431 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
9436 @item gnus-soup-directory
9437 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
9438 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
9439 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
9441 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
9442 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
9443 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
9444 reply packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/}.
9446 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
9447 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
9448 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
9451 @item gnus-soup-packer
9452 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
9453 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9454 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
9456 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
9457 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
9458 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9459 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9461 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
9462 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
9463 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
9465 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9466 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9467 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
9468 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
9474 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
9477 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
9478 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
9479 you can read them at leisure.
9481 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
9485 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
9486 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
9487 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
9488 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
9490 @item nnsoup-directory
9491 @vindex nnsoup-directory
9492 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
9493 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
9495 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
9496 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
9497 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
9498 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
9500 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
9501 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
9502 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
9503 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
9504 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
9506 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
9507 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
9508 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
9509 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
9511 @item nnsoup-active-file
9512 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
9513 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
9514 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
9515 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
9516 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
9519 @vindex nnsoup-packer
9520 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
9521 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
9523 @item nnsoup-unpacker
9524 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
9525 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
9526 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9528 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
9529 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
9530 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
9533 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
9534 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
9535 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
9542 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
9544 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
9545 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
9546 more for that to happen.
9548 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
9549 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
9550 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
9553 In specific, this is what it does:
9556 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
9557 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
9560 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
9561 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
9562 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
9566 @subsection Web Searches
9571 @cindex Usenet searches
9572 @cindex searching the Usenet
9574 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
9575 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
9576 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
9577 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
9578 searches without having to use a browser.
9580 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
9581 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
9582 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
9583 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
9584 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
9586 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
9587 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
9588 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
9589 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
9590 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@code{Duplicate
9591 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
9592 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
9593 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
9594 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
9595 header---mark all articles that were posted before the last date you
9596 read the group as read.
9598 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
9599 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
9600 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
9601 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
9602 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
9603 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
9605 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
9606 to use @code{nnweb}.
9608 Virtual server variables:
9613 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
9614 are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
9617 @vindex nnweb-search
9618 The search string to feed to the search engine.
9620 @item nnweb-max-hits
9621 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
9622 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
9625 @item nnweb-type-definition
9626 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
9627 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
9628 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
9633 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
9637 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
9640 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
9643 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
9647 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
9654 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
9655 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
9656 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
9659 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
9660 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
9661 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
9663 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
9669 @item nngateway-address
9670 @vindex nngateway-address
9671 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
9673 @item nngateway-header-transformation
9674 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
9675 News headers have often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
9676 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
9677 transformation should be called, and defaults to
9678 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
9679 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
9682 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
9683 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address---an article with this
9684 @code{Newsgroups} header:
9687 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
9690 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
9693 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
9698 So, to use this, simply say something like:
9701 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
9705 @node Combined Groups
9706 @section Combined Groups
9708 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
9712 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
9713 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
9717 @node Virtual Groups
9718 @subsection Virtual Groups
9720 @cindex virtual groups
9722 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
9725 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
9726 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
9727 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
9729 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
9730 regexp to match component groups.
9732 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
9733 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
9734 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
9735 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
9738 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
9739 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
9742 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
9745 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
9746 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
9748 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
9749 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
9750 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
9751 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
9754 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
9757 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
9758 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
9759 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
9760 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
9761 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
9763 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
9764 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
9765 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
9767 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
9768 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
9769 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
9770 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
9771 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
9772 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
9773 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
9774 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
9775 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
9776 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
9777 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
9780 @node Kibozed Groups
9781 @subsection Kibozed Groups
9785 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
9786 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
9787 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
9788 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
9791 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
9794 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
9795 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
9796 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
9797 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
9799 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
9800 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
9801 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
9803 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
9804 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
9805 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
9806 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
9807 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
9808 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
9809 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
9810 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
9812 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
9813 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
9814 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
9815 Stranger things have happened.
9817 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
9818 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
9820 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
9821 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
9822 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
9823 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
9824 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
9825 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
9828 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
9829 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
9836 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
9837 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
9838 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
9841 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
9842 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
9843 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
9844 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
9845 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
9847 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
9848 before generating the summary buffer.
9850 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
9851 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
9852 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
9854 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
9855 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
9856 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
9857 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
9860 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
9861 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
9862 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
9863 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
9864 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
9865 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus @emph{knows} what you read.
9866 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
9867 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
9868 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
9869 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
9870 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
9871 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
9872 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
9873 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
9874 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
9878 @node Summary Score Commands
9879 @section Summary Score Commands
9880 @cindex score commands
9882 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
9883 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
9884 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
9885 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
9886 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
9888 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
9889 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
9890 some other score file (eg. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
9891 score file the current one.
9893 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
9898 @kindex V s (Summary)
9899 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
9900 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
9903 @kindex V S (Summary)
9904 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
9905 Display the score of the current article
9906 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
9909 @kindex V t (Summary)
9910 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
9911 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
9912 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
9915 @cindex V R (Summary)
9916 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
9917 Run the current summary through the scoring process
9918 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
9919 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
9920 effect you're having.
9923 @kindex V a (Summary)
9924 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
9925 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
9926 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
9929 @kindex V c (Summary)
9930 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
9931 Make a different score file the current
9932 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
9935 @kindex V e (Summary)
9936 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
9937 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
9938 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
9942 @kindex V f (Summary)
9943 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
9944 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
9945 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
9948 @kindex V F (Summary)
9949 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
9950 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
9951 after editing score files.
9954 @kindex V C (Summary)
9955 @findex gnus-score-customize
9956 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
9957 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
9960 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
9961 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
9962 Increase the score of the current article
9963 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
9966 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
9967 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
9968 Lower the score of the current article
9969 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
9972 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
9977 @kindex V m (Summary)
9978 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
9979 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
9980 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
9983 @kindex V x (Summary)
9984 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
9985 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
9986 expunge all articles below this score
9987 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
9990 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
9991 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
9996 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
9997 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
9999 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
10000 keys are available:
10004 Score on the author name.
10007 Score on the subject line.
10010 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
10013 Score on thread---the References line.
10019 Score on the number of lines.
10022 Score on the Message-ID.
10025 Score on followups.
10035 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
10036 what headers you are scoring on.
10048 Substring matching.
10080 Greater than number.
10085 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
10086 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
10087 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
10091 Temporary score entry.
10094 Permanent score entry.
10097 Immediately scoring.
10102 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
10103 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
10104 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
10105 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
10107 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
10108 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
10109 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
10110 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
10111 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
10113 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
10114 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
10115 pretend they are keymaps or not.
10118 @node Group Score Commands
10119 @section Group Score Commands
10120 @cindex group score commands
10122 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
10127 @kindex W f (Group)
10128 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10129 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
10130 all the time. This command will flush the cache
10131 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
10136 @node Score Variables
10137 @section Score Variables
10138 @cindex score variables
10142 @item gnus-use-scoring
10143 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
10144 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
10145 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
10147 @item gnus-kill-killed
10148 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
10149 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
10150 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
10151 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
10152 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
10153 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
10154 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
10156 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
10157 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
10158 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
10159 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
10160 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
10162 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
10163 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
10164 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
10165 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
10167 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10168 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10169 @cindex score cache
10170 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
10171 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
10172 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
10173 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
10174 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
10175 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
10176 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
10179 @item gnus-save-score
10180 @vindex gnus-save-score
10181 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
10182 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
10183 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
10185 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10186 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10187 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
10188 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
10189 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
10190 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
10191 manually entered data.
10193 @item gnus-summary-default-score
10194 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
10195 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
10197 @item gnus-score-over-mark
10198 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
10199 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
10200 default. Default is @samp{+}.
10202 @item gnus-score-below-mark
10203 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
10204 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
10205 default. Default is @samp{-}.
10207 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10208 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10209 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
10210 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
10212 Predefined functions available are:
10215 @item gnus-score-find-single
10216 @findex gnus-score-find-single
10217 Only apply the group's own score file.
10219 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
10220 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
10221 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
10222 default. For instance, if the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus},
10223 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
10224 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
10225 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
10226 then a regexp match is done.
10228 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
10229 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
10231 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
10232 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
10233 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
10234 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
10236 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10237 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10238 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
10239 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE} or @file{all.emacs.SCORE},
10240 but you can have @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and
10241 @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
10244 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
10245 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
10246 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
10247 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
10248 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
10249 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
10252 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
10253 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
10254 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
10255 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
10256 are expired. It's 7 by default.
10258 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10259 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10260 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
10261 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
10262 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
10263 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
10264 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
10267 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10268 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10269 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
10274 @node Score File Format
10275 @section Score File Format
10276 @cindex score file format
10278 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
10279 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
10280 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
10282 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
10286 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
10288 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
10290 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
10292 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
10297 (mark-and-expunge -10)
10301 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
10302 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
10303 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
10304 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
10308 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
10310 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
10311 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
10312 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
10314 Six keys are supported by this alist:
10319 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
10320 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
10321 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
10322 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
10323 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
10324 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
10325 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
10326 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
10327 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
10328 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
10329 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
10330 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
10331 to articles that matches these score entries.
10333 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
10334 score entry has one to four elements.
10338 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
10339 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
10343 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
10344 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
10345 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
10346 is successful. If this element is not present, the
10347 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
10348 instead. This is 1000 by default.
10351 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
10352 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
10353 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
10354 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
10355 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
10358 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
10359 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
10360 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
10361 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
10364 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
10365 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
10366 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
10367 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
10368 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
10369 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
10370 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
10371 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
10372 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
10373 instead, if you feel like.
10376 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
10377 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
10380 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
10381 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
10382 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
10383 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
10384 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
10385 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
10386 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
10388 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
10389 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
10390 ISO8601 compact format first, which looks like @samp{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS}.
10391 If you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
10392 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
10393 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
10394 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
10395 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
10398 @item Head, Body, All
10399 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
10403 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that followup to
10404 some author. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header uses.
10407 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that are part of
10408 a thread. Uses the same match types as the @code{References} header
10414 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10415 lower than this number will be marked as read.
10418 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10419 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
10421 @item mark-and-expunge
10422 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10423 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
10426 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
10427 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
10428 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
10429 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
10430 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
10433 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
10434 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
10437 @item exclude-files
10438 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. This files will
10439 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
10443 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
10444 ignored when handling global score files.
10447 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
10448 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
10451 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
10452 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
10453 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
10454 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
10456 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
10460 (mark-and-expunge -100)
10463 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
10464 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
10465 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
10466 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
10467 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
10469 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
10470 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
10471 ordinary scoring rules.
10474 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
10475 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
10476 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
10477 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
10478 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
10479 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
10480 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10481 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
10482 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
10483 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
10484 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
10488 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
10489 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
10490 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
10491 file for a number of groups.
10494 @cindex local variables
10495 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
10496 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
10497 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
10498 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
10503 @node Score File Editing
10504 @section Score File Editing
10506 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
10507 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
10508 with a mode for that.
10510 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
10511 additional commands:
10516 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
10517 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
10518 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
10519 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
10522 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
10523 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
10524 Insert the current date in numerical format
10525 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
10526 you were wondering.
10529 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
10530 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
10531 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
10532 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
10533 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
10538 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
10540 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
10541 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
10543 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
10544 e} to begin editing score files.
10547 @node Adaptive Scoring
10548 @section Adaptive Scoring
10549 @cindex adaptive scoring
10551 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
10552 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
10553 stupidity, to be precise.
10555 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
10556 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
10557 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
10558 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
10559 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10560 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
10561 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
10562 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
10563 variable to @code{(word line)}.
10565 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10566 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
10567 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
10568 might look something like this:
10571 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10572 '((gnus-unread-mark)
10573 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
10574 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
10575 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
10576 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
10577 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
10578 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
10579 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
10580 (gnus-ancient-mark)
10581 (gnus-low-score-mark)
10582 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
10585 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
10586 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
10587 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
10588 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
10589 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
10590 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
10593 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
10594 will be applied to each article.
10596 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
10597 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
10598 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
10599 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
10601 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
10602 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
10603 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
10604 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
10606 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
10607 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
10608 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
10609 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
10610 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
10611 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
10613 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
10614 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
10615 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
10616 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
10617 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
10618 aspirins afterwards.)
10620 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
10621 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
10622 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
10624 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
10625 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
10626 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
10628 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
10629 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
10630 let you use different rules in different groups.
10632 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
10633 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
10634 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
10637 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
10638 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
10639 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
10640 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
10641 the length of the match is less than
10642 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
10643 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
10646 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
10647 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
10648 headers. If you adapt on words, the
10649 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
10650 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
10653 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
10654 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
10655 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
10656 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
10657 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
10660 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
10661 word that appears in subjects of articles that are marked with
10662 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
10663 score with 30 points.
10665 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
10666 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
10667 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
10668 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
10669 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
10671 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
10672 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
10673 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
10674 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
10676 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
10677 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
10678 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
10681 @node Home Score File
10682 @section Home Score File
10684 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
10685 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
10686 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
10687 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
10689 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
10690 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
10691 could perhaps use the same home score file.
10693 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
10694 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
10699 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
10703 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
10704 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
10708 A list. The elements in this list can be:
10712 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
10713 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
10716 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
10717 the home score file.
10720 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
10723 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
10728 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
10731 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10732 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
10735 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
10736 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
10739 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10740 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
10743 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
10745 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
10746 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
10747 their own home score files:
10750 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10751 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
10752 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
10753 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
10754 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
10757 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
10758 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
10759 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
10760 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
10761 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
10763 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
10764 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
10765 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
10766 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
10767 precedence over this variable.
10770 @node Followups To Yourself
10771 @section Followups To Yourself
10773 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
10774 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
10775 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
10776 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
10777 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
10778 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
10782 @item gnus-score-followup-article
10783 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
10784 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
10787 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
10788 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
10789 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
10793 @vindex message-sent-hook
10794 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
10795 @code{message-sent-hook}.
10797 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
10798 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
10802 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
10803 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
10806 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
10807 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
10812 "<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r)
10815 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
10816 is system-dependent.
10820 @section Scoring Tips
10821 @cindex scoring tips
10827 @cindex scoring crossposts
10828 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
10829 the @code{Xref} header.
10831 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
10834 @item Multiple crossposts
10835 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
10836 more than, say, 3 groups:
10838 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
10841 @item Matching on the body
10842 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
10843 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
10844 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
10845 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
10846 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
10847 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
10848 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
10851 @item Marking as read
10852 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
10853 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
10854 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
10858 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
10860 @item Negated character classes
10861 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
10862 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
10863 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
10867 @node Reverse Scoring
10868 @section Reverse Scoring
10869 @cindex reverse scoring
10871 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
10872 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
10873 like this in your score file:
10877 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
10882 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
10883 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
10886 @node Global Score Files
10887 @section Global Score Files
10888 @cindex global score files
10890 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
10891 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
10892 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
10894 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
10895 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
10896 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
10898 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
10899 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
10900 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
10901 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
10902 files are applicable to which group.
10904 Say you want to use all score files in the
10905 @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory and the single score
10906 file @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE}:
10909 (setq gnus-global-score-files
10910 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
10911 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
10914 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
10915 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
10916 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
10917 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
10918 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
10920 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
10921 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
10923 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
10924 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
10925 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
10926 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
10927 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
10928 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
10930 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
10936 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
10938 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
10940 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
10942 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
10943 lowered out of existence.
10945 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
10946 articles completely.
10949 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
10950 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
10951 old articles for a long time.
10954 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
10955 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
10956 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
10957 holding our breath yet?
10961 @section Kill Files
10964 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
10965 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
10966 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
10968 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
10969 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
10970 files into score files.
10972 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
10973 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
10974 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
10975 that isn't a very good idea.
10977 XCNormal kill files look like this:
10980 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10981 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
10985 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
10986 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
10988 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
10989 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
10992 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
10997 @kindex M-k (Summary)
10998 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
10999 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
11002 @kindex M-K (Summary)
11003 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
11004 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
11007 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
11012 @kindex M-k (Group)
11013 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
11014 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
11017 @kindex M-K (Group)
11018 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
11019 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
11022 Kill file variables:
11025 @item gnus-kill-file-name
11026 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
11027 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
11028 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
11029 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
11030 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
11031 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
11033 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11034 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11035 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
11036 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
11039 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
11040 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
11041 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
11042 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
11043 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
11044 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
11045 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
11046 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
11047 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
11049 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11050 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11051 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
11060 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
11061 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
11062 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
11064 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
11065 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
11066 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
11067 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
11068 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
11069 Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
11070 the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
11071 this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
11075 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
11076 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
11077 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
11078 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
11082 @node Using GroupLens
11083 @subsection Using GroupLens
11085 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
11086 Bit Bureau (BBB). At the moment the only better bit in town is at
11087 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html}.
11089 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
11093 @item gnus-use-grouplens
11094 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
11095 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
11096 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
11098 @item grouplens-pseudonym
11099 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
11100 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
11101 with the Better Bit Bureau.
11103 @item grouplens-newsgroups
11104 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
11105 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
11109 Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
11110 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
11111 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
11112 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
11113 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
11114 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
11117 @node Rating Articles
11118 @subsection Rating Articles
11120 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
11121 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
11122 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
11123 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
11126 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
11131 @kindex r (GroupLens)
11132 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
11133 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
11136 @kindex k (GroupLens)
11137 @findex grouplens-score-thread
11138 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
11139 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
11140 threads in rec.humor.
11144 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
11145 the score of the article you're reading.
11150 @kindex n (GroupLens)
11151 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
11152 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
11155 @kindex , (GroupLens)
11156 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
11157 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
11161 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
11162 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
11165 @node Displaying Predictions
11166 @subsection Displaying Predictions
11168 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
11169 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
11170 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
11171 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
11172 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
11174 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
11175 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
11176 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
11177 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
11178 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
11179 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
11180 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
11181 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
11182 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
11183 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
11184 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
11185 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
11186 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
11188 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
11189 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
11190 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
11191 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
11193 The following are legal values for that variable.
11196 @item prediction-spot
11197 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
11200 @item confidence-interval
11201 A numeric confidence interval.
11203 @item prediction-bar
11204 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
11206 @item confidence-bar
11207 Numerical confidence.
11209 @item confidence-spot
11210 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
11212 @item prediction-num
11213 Plain-old numeric value.
11215 @item confidence-plus-minus
11216 Prediction +/i confidence.
11221 @node GroupLens Variables
11222 @subsection GroupLens Variables
11226 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
11227 The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
11228 enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
11229 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
11230 @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
11232 @item grouplens-bbb-host
11233 Host running the bbbd server. The default is
11234 @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu}.
11236 @item grouplens-bbb-port
11237 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
11239 @item grouplens-score-offset
11240 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
11241 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
11244 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
11245 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
11246 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
11251 @node Advanced Scoring
11252 @section Advanced Scoring
11254 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
11255 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
11256 about a particular subject? Or what about if you really don't want to
11257 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
11258 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
11260 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
11264 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
11265 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
11266 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
11270 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
11271 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
11273 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
11274 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
11275 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
11276 non-@code{nil} value.
11278 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
11279 operator, and various match operators.
11286 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11287 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
11288 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
11293 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11294 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
11295 then this operator will return @code{false}.
11300 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
11301 inverse of the value of its argument.
11305 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
11306 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
11307 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
11308 current article. @code{2-} will make score fules apply to the
11309 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
11310 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) say how far back into
11311 the ancestry you want to go.
11313 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
11314 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
11315 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
11316 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
11317 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
11320 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
11321 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
11323 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
11324 when he's talking about Gnus:
11328 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11329 ("subject" "Gnus"))
11335 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
11339 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11346 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
11347 really don't want to read what he's written:
11351 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11352 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
11356 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
11357 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
11358 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
11365 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
11366 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
11367 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
11368 ("body" "white.*socks"))
11372 The possibilities are endless.
11375 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
11376 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
11378 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
11379 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
11380 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
11381 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
11382 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
11383 (@samp{body}, @code{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
11384 @samp{subject}) first.
11386 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
11387 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
11398 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
11399 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
11405 ("subject" "Gnus")))
11412 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
11413 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
11418 @section Score Decays
11419 @cindex score decays
11422 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
11423 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
11424 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
11425 use them in any sensible way.
11427 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
11428 @findex gnus-decay-score
11429 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
11430 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
11431 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
11432 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
11433 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
11434 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
11435 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
11436 definition of that function:
11439 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
11442 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
11444 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
11446 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
11449 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
11450 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
11451 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
11452 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
11456 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
11459 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
11462 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
11466 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
11467 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
11468 the new score, which should be an integer.
11470 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
11471 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
11478 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
11479 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
11480 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
11481 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
11482 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
11483 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
11484 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
11485 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
11486 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
11487 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
11488 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
11489 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
11490 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
11491 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
11495 @node Process/Prefix
11496 @section Process/Prefix
11497 @cindex process/prefix convention
11499 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
11500 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
11502 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
11503 command to be performed on.
11507 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
11508 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
11509 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
11510 with the current one.
11512 @vindex transient-mark-mode
11513 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
11514 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
11516 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
11517 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
11520 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
11521 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
11523 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
11526 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
11527 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
11528 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
11529 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11531 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
11532 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
11533 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
11534 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
11535 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
11536 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
11537 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
11538 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
11542 @section Interactive
11543 @cindex interaction
11547 @item gnus-novice-user
11548 @vindex gnus-novice-user
11549 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
11550 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
11551 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
11552 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
11555 @item gnus-expert-user
11556 @vindex gnus-expert-user
11557 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
11558 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
11559 matter how strange.
11561 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
11562 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
11563 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
11564 is @code{t} by default.
11566 @item gnus-interactive-exit
11567 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
11568 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
11573 @node Formatting Variables
11574 @section Formatting Variables
11575 @cindex formatting variables
11577 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
11578 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
11579 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
11580 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
11581 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
11584 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
11585 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
11586 lots of percentages everywhere.
11589 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
11590 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
11591 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
11592 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
11595 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
11596 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
11597 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
11598 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
11599 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
11600 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
11601 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
11602 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
11604 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
11605 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
11607 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
11608 @findex gnus-update-format
11609 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
11610 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
11611 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
11612 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
11616 @node Formatting Basics
11617 @subsection Formatting Basics
11619 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
11620 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
11621 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
11623 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
11624 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
11625 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
11626 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
11627 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
11630 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
11631 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
11632 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
11633 less than 4 characters wide.
11636 @node Advanced Formatting
11637 @subsection Advanced Formatting
11639 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
11640 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
11641 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
11642 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
11644 These are the legal modifiers:
11649 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
11653 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
11658 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
11661 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
11666 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
11669 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
11672 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
11675 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
11679 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
11680 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
11681 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
11682 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
11683 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
11684 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
11685 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
11687 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
11688 last operation, padding.
11690 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
11691 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
11692 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
11693 @xref{Compilation}.
11696 @node User-Defined Specs
11697 @subsection User-Defined Specs
11699 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
11700 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
11701 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
11702 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
11703 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
11704 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
11705 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
11706 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
11707 should protect against that.
11709 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
11710 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
11711 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
11712 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
11716 @node Formatting Fonts
11717 @subsection Formatting Fonts
11719 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
11720 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
11721 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
11722 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
11725 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
11726 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
11727 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
11728 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
11729 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
11730 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
11732 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
11735 ;; Create three face types.
11736 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
11737 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
11739 ;; We want the article count to be in
11740 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
11741 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
11742 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
11744 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
11745 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
11747 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
11748 (setq gnus-group-line-format
11749 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
11752 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
11753 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
11755 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
11756 mode-line variables.
11759 @node Windows Configuration
11760 @section Windows Configuration
11761 @cindex windows configuration
11763 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
11765 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
11766 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
11767 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
11768 @code{t} by default.
11770 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
11771 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
11772 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
11775 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
11776 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
11777 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
11781 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
11782 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
11783 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
11784 possible names is listed below.
11786 The @dfn{value} (i. e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
11787 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
11790 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
11794 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
11795 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
11796 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
11797 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
11798 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
11799 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
11800 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
11801 size spec per split.
11803 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
11806 Here's a more complicated example:
11809 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
11810 (summary 0.25 point)
11811 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
11815 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
11816 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
11817 occupy, not a percentage.
11819 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
11820 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
11821 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
11822 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
11823 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
11826 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
11829 (article (horizontal 1.0
11834 (summary 0.25 point)
11839 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
11840 @code{horizontal} thingie?
11842 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
11843 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
11844 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
11845 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
11846 the screen is to be given to this strip.
11848 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
11849 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
11850 lines from the splits.
11852 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
11856 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
11857 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
11858 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
11859 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
11860 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
11861 size = number | frame-params
11862 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
11865 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
11866 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
11867 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
11868 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
11870 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
11871 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
11872 @cindex window height
11873 @cindex window width
11874 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
11875 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
11876 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
11877 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
11878 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
11879 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
11881 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
11882 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
11883 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
11884 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
11886 @findex gnus-configure-frame
11887 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
11888 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
11889 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
11890 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
11891 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
11892 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
11893 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
11894 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
11895 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
11896 configuration list.
11899 (gnus-configure-frame
11903 (article 0.3 point))
11911 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
11912 @code{frame} split:
11915 (gnus-configure-frame
11918 (summary 0.25 point)
11920 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
11921 (user-position . t)
11922 (left . -1) (top . 1))
11927 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
11928 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
11929 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
11930 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
11931 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
11932 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
11935 Here's a list of all possible keys for
11936 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
11938 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
11939 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
11940 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
11941 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
11942 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft},
11943 @code{pipe}, @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
11945 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
11946 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
11947 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
11951 (message (horizontal 1.0
11952 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
11954 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
11959 @findex gnus-add-configuration
11960 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
11961 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
11962 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
11963 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
11966 (gnus-add-configuration
11967 '(article (vertical 1.0
11969 (summary .25 point)
11973 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
11974 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
11975 Gnus has been loaded.
11977 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
11978 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
11979 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
11980 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
11981 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
11985 @section Compilation
11986 @cindex compilation
11987 @cindex byte-compilation
11989 @findex gnus-compile
11991 Remember all those line format specification variables?
11992 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
11993 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
11994 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
11995 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
11996 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
11999 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
12000 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
12001 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
12002 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
12003 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
12004 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
12005 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
12009 @section Mode Lines
12012 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
12013 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
12014 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
12015 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
12016 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
12017 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
12018 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
12021 @cindex display-time
12023 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
12024 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
12025 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
12026 to display (eg. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
12027 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
12028 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
12029 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
12030 additional elements on the mode line (eg. a clock), you should modify
12033 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
12035 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
12036 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
12038 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
12039 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
12040 (length display-time-string)))))
12043 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
12044 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
12047 @node Highlighting and Menus
12048 @section Highlighting and Menus
12050 @cindex highlighting
12053 @vindex gnus-visual
12054 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
12055 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
12056 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
12059 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
12060 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
12063 @item group-highlight
12064 Do highlights in the group buffer.
12065 @item summary-highlight
12066 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
12067 @item article-highlight
12068 Do highlights in the article buffer.
12070 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
12072 Create menus in the group buffer.
12074 Create menus in the summary buffers.
12076 Create menus in the article buffer.
12078 Create menus in the browse buffer.
12080 Create menus in the server buffer.
12082 Create menus in the score buffers.
12084 Create menus in all buffers.
12087 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
12088 buffers, you could say something like:
12091 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
12094 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
12097 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
12100 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
12101 in all Gnus buffers.
12103 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
12106 @item gnus-mouse-face
12107 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
12108 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
12109 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
12111 @item gnus-display-type
12112 @vindex gnus-display-type
12113 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
12114 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
12115 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
12116 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
12117 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12119 @item gnus-background-mode
12120 @vindex gnus-background-mode
12121 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
12122 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
12123 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
12124 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12125 `gnus-display-type'.
12128 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
12132 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
12133 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
12134 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
12136 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
12137 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
12138 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
12140 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
12141 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
12142 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
12144 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
12145 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
12146 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
12148 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
12149 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
12150 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
12152 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
12153 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
12154 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
12165 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
12166 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
12167 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
12168 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
12169 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
12173 @vindex gnus-carpal
12174 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
12175 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
12176 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
12181 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12182 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12183 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
12185 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
12186 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
12187 Face used on buttons.
12189 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
12190 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
12191 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
12193 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12194 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12195 Buttons in the group buffer.
12197 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12198 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12199 Buttons in the summary buffer.
12201 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12202 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12203 Buttons in the server buffer.
12205 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12206 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12207 Buttons in the browse buffer.
12210 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
12211 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
12212 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
12220 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
12221 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
12222 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
12223 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
12224 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
12226 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
12227 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
12228 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
12230 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
12231 been idle for thirty minutes:
12234 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12237 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
12241 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
12244 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
12245 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
12246 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12248 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
12249 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
12250 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
12251 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12253 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
12254 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
12255 @var{idle} minutes.
12257 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
12258 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
12261 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
12262 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
12263 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
12265 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
12266 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
12267 seconds. This is @code{60} by default. If you change that variable,
12268 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
12270 @vindex gnus-use-demon
12271 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
12272 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
12274 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
12275 your @file{.gnus} file:
12277 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
12279 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12282 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
12283 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
12284 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
12285 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
12286 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
12287 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
12288 @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just
12289 put those functions in your @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
12291 @findex gnus-demon-init
12292 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
12293 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
12294 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
12295 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
12296 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
12298 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
12299 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
12300 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
12309 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
12310 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
12312 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
12313 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
12314 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
12315 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
12318 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
12319 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
12320 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
12321 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
12323 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
12324 this will make spam disappear.
12326 There are some variables to customize, of course:
12329 @item gnus-use-nocem
12330 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
12331 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
12334 @item gnus-nocem-groups
12335 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
12336 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
12337 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
12339 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
12340 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
12341 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
12342 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
12343 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
12344 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
12346 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
12349 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
12350 @cindex Chris Lewis
12351 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
12352 usenet abuse than anybody else.
12355 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
12356 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
12357 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
12359 @item jem@@xpat.com;
12361 Jem---Korean despammer who is getting very busy these days.
12363 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
12364 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
12365 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
12368 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
12369 ones you want to listen to.
12371 @item gnus-nocem-directory
12372 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
12373 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
12374 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
12376 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12377 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12378 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
12379 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
12380 might then see old spam.
12388 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
12389 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
12390 over your shoulder as you read news.
12393 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
12394 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
12395 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
12396 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
12397 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
12402 @subsection Picon Basics
12404 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site
12405 (@samp{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}):
12408 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
12409 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
12410 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
12411 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
12412 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
12413 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
12414 @code{GIF} formats.
12417 Please see the above mentioned web site for instructions on obtaining
12418 and installing the picons databases, or the following ftp site:
12419 @samp{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
12421 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12422 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
12423 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
12426 @node Picon Requirements
12427 @subsection Picon Requirements
12429 To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
12430 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
12433 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
12435 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12436 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
12437 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
12438 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
12442 @subsection Easy Picons
12444 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
12445 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
12448 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
12449 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12450 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
12451 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
12456 @subsection Hard Picons
12458 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
12459 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
12460 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
12461 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
12462 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
12466 @item gnus-picons-display-where
12467 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12468 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
12469 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
12470 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
12471 @samp{"*scratch*"} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
12472 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
12473 routines---@xref{Windows Configuration}.
12477 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
12478 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
12480 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
12481 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
12482 displayed at the right time.
12484 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
12485 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12487 @item gnus-article-display-picons
12488 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12489 Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
12490 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
12491 the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
12493 @item gnus-group-display-picons
12494 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12495 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
12496 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
12497 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
12498 is set to @code{article}.
12500 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
12501 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12502 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
12503 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
12507 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
12508 to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
12511 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12515 @node Picon Configuration
12516 @subsection Picon Configuration
12518 The following variables offer further control over how things are
12519 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
12520 don't need to worry about.
12523 @item gnus-picons-database
12524 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12525 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
12526 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
12527 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
12529 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
12530 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
12531 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
12534 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
12535 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
12536 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
12537 faces. Defaults to @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")}.
12539 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
12540 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
12541 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
12542 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
12543 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
12545 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12546 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12547 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
12548 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
12549 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
12550 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
12552 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
12553 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
12554 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
12555 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
12557 @item gnus-picons-buffer
12558 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
12559 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
12560 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
12566 @section Moderation
12569 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
12570 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
12571 @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
12574 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
12578 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
12581 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
12583 If you are the moderation of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
12588 You split your incoming mail by matching on
12589 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
12590 articles in some mail group---@samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}, for instance.
12593 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
12594 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
12597 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
12598 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
12602 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
12605 (setq gnus-moderated-list
12606 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
12610 @node XEmacs Enhancements
12611 @section XEmacs Enhancements
12614 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
12615 advantage of that. Relevant variables include:
12618 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
12619 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
12620 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
12621 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
12622 unusual directory structure.
12624 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
12625 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
12626 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
12627 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
12629 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
12630 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
12631 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
12632 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
12633 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
12634 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
12636 @item gnus-use-toolbar
12637 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
12638 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
12639 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
12640 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
12642 @item gnus-group-toolbar
12643 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
12644 The toolbar in the group buffer.
12646 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
12647 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
12648 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
12650 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
12651 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
12652 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
12654 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
12655 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
12656 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
12662 @node Various Various
12663 @section Various Various
12669 @item gnus-directory
12670 @vindex gnus-directory
12671 All Gnus directories will be initialized from this variable, which
12672 defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or @file{~/News/}
12673 if that variable isn't set.
12675 @item gnus-default-directory
12676 @vindex gnus-default-directory
12677 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
12678 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
12679 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
12680 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
12681 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
12682 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
12685 @vindex gnus-verbose
12686 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
12687 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
12688 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
12689 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
12690 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
12692 @item gnus-verbose-backends
12693 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
12694 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
12695 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
12697 @item nnheader-max-head-length
12698 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
12699 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
12700 as little as possible. This variable (default @code{4096}) specifies
12701 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
12702 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
12703 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
12704 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
12705 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
12708 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
12709 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
12710 This variable says how big a piece of each article to read when doing
12711 the operation described above.
12713 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12714 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12716 @cindex illegal characters in file names
12717 @cindex characters in file names
12718 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
12719 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
12720 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
12723 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12727 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
12728 Windows (phooey) systems.
12730 @item gnus-hidden-properties
12731 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
12732 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
12733 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
12734 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
12736 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
12737 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
12738 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
12739 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
12740 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
12742 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
12743 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
12744 String used to separate to shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
12753 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
12754 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
12756 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
12758 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
12763 Not because of victories @*
12766 but for the common sunshine,@*
12768 the largess of the spring.
12771 but for the day's work done@*
12772 as well as I was able;@*
12773 not for a seat upon the dais@*
12774 but at the common table.@*
12779 @chapter Appendices
12782 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
12783 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
12784 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
12785 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
12786 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
12787 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
12788 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
12796 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
12797 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
12799 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
12800 can point your (feh!) web browser to
12801 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
12802 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
12803 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
12805 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
12806 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)}, is, of course, short for
12807 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
12808 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
12809 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
12810 appropriate name, don't you think?)
12812 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
12813 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
12814 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
12815 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
12817 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
12818 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
12820 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'') was
12821 released under the name ``Gnus 5.2''.
12823 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun.
12826 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
12827 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
12828 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
12829 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
12830 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
12831 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
12832 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
12839 What's the point of Gnus?
12841 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
12842 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
12843 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
12844 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
12845 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
12846 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
12847 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
12848 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
12849 keep track of millions of people who post?
12851 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
12852 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
12853 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
12854 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
12855 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
12856 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
12857 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
12858 of you to explore and invent.
12860 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
12863 @node Compatibility
12864 @subsection Compatibility
12866 @cindex compatibility
12867 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
12868 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
12869 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
12874 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
12878 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
12881 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
12884 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
12885 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
12886 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
12887 important variables have their values copied into their global
12888 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
12889 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
12891 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
12892 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
12893 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
12894 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
12895 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
12899 @cindex highlighting
12900 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
12901 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
12902 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
12903 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
12904 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
12905 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
12908 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
12909 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
12910 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
12911 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
12913 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
12914 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
12915 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
12916 to stop doing it the old way.
12918 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
12920 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
12922 @cindex reporting bugs
12924 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
12925 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
12926 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
12930 @subsection Conformity
12932 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
12933 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
12940 There are no known breaches of this standard.
12944 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
12946 @item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
12947 @cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
12948 Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
12949 the next inspection.
12951 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
12952 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
12953 We do have some breaches to this one.
12958 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
12959 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
12962 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
12963 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
12964 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
12965 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
12966 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
12969 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
12970 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
12971 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
12972 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
12973 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
12974 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
12979 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
12980 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
12985 @subsection Emacsen
12991 Gnus should work on :
12996 Emacs 19.30 and up.
12999 XEmacs 19.13 and up.
13002 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.30 and up.
13006 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
13007 reliably, at least.
13009 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various platforms:
13014 The mouse-face on Gnus lines under Emacs and Mule is delimited to
13015 certain parts of the lines while they cover the entire line under
13019 The same with current-article marking---XEmacs puts an underline under
13020 the entire summary line while Emacs and Mule are nicer and kinder.
13023 XEmacs features more graphics---a logo and a toolbar.
13026 Citation highlighting us better under Emacs and Mule than under XEmacs.
13029 Emacs 19.26-19.28 have tangible hidden headers, which can be a bit
13036 @subsection Contributors
13037 @cindex contributors
13039 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
13040 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
13041 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
13042 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
13043 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
13044 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
13045 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
13046 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
13047 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
13048 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
13050 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
13055 @item Masanobu @sc{Umeda}
13056 The writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
13058 @item Per Abrahamsen
13059 Custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as well as numerous
13062 @item Luis Fernandes
13063 Design and graphics.
13066 @file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on @dfn{picons}
13070 @file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13072 @item Sudish Joseph
13073 Innumerable bug fixes.
13076 @file{gnus-topic.el}.
13078 @item Steven L. Baur
13079 Lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
13081 @item Vladimir Alexiev
13082 The refcard and reference booklets.
13084 @item Felix Lee & JWZ
13085 I stole some pieces from the XGnus distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
13088 @file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
13090 @item Peter Mutsaers
13091 Orphan article scoring code.
13096 @item Hallvard B Furuseth
13097 Various bits and pieces, especially dealing with .newsrc files.
13099 @item Brian Edmonds
13100 @file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
13102 @item Ricardo Nassif and Mark Borges
13105 @item Kevin Davidson
13106 Came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
13110 Peter Arius, Stainless Steel Rat, Ulrik Dickow, Jack Vinson, Daniel
13111 Quinlan, Frank D. Cringle, Geoffrey T. Dairiki, Fabrice Popineau and
13112 Andrew Eskilsson have all contributed code and suggestions.
13116 @subsection New Features
13117 @cindex new features
13122 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
13123 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
13126 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
13127 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
13130 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
13133 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
13134 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
13135 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
13138 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
13139 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
13140 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
13141 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13144 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
13145 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13148 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
13149 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
13150 (@pxref{The Active File}).
13153 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
13154 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
13157 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
13158 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
13159 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
13162 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
13163 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
13164 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
13167 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
13168 the @file{.emacs} file.
13171 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
13172 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13175 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
13176 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
13179 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
13180 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13183 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
13184 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
13187 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
13188 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
13191 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
13194 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
13195 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
13198 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
13199 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
13202 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
13203 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
13206 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
13209 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
13210 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13213 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
13217 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
13221 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
13222 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
13225 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
13229 Gnus can use NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
13233 This is, of course, just a @emph{short} overview of the @emph{most}
13234 important new features. No, really. There are tons more. Yes, we have
13235 feeping creaturism in full effect, but nothing too gratuitous, I would
13239 @node Newest Features
13240 @subsection Newest Features
13243 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
13246 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
13250 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
13252 A better and simpler method for specifying mail composing methods.
13254 Allow posting through mail-to-news gateways.
13256 Really do unbinhexing.
13259 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
13260 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
13262 @code{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/sgnus/todo>} is where the actual
13263 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
13264 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
13268 @section Terminology
13270 @cindex terminology
13275 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
13276 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
13277 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
13278 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
13279 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
13283 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
13284 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
13285 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
13286 not posting, and replying is not following up.
13290 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
13294 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
13299 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
13300 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
13301 is all done by the backends.
13305 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
13306 default, way of getting news.
13310 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
13311 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
13315 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
13316 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
13320 A message that has been posted as news.
13323 @cindex mail message
13324 A message that has been mailed.
13328 A mail message or news article
13332 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
13337 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
13342 A line from the head of an article.
13346 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
13347 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
13351 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
13352 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
13353 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
13354 normal @sc{head} format.
13358 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
13359 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
13360 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
13361 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
13362 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
13363 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
13365 @item killed groups
13366 @cindex killed groups
13367 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
13368 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
13370 @item zombie groups
13371 @cindex zombie groups
13372 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
13375 @cindex active file
13376 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
13377 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
13378 is rather large, as you might surmise.
13381 @cindex bogus groups
13382 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
13383 server (i. e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
13384 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
13388 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
13390 @item select method
13391 @cindex select method
13392 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
13395 @item virtual server
13396 @cindex virtual server
13397 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
13398 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the who things as a
13399 whole is a virtual server.
13403 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
13404 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
13410 @node Customization
13411 @section Customization
13412 @cindex general customization
13414 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
13415 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
13416 for some quite common situations.
13419 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
13420 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
13421 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
13422 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
13426 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
13427 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
13429 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
13430 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
13431 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
13435 @item gnus-read-active-file
13436 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
13437 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
13438 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-news} and
13439 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
13440 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
13442 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
13443 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
13444 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
13445 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
13449 @node Slow Terminal Connection
13450 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
13452 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
13453 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
13454 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
13458 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
13459 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
13460 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
13461 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
13462 horizontal and vertical recentering.
13464 @item gnus-visible-headers
13465 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
13466 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
13467 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
13468 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
13470 @item gnus-article-display-hook
13471 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
13473 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
13474 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
13475 gnus-article-hide-citation))
13478 @item gnus-use-full-window
13479 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
13480 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
13481 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
13482 want to read them anyway.
13484 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
13485 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
13488 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
13489 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
13490 lines, which might save some time.
13494 @node Little Disk Space
13495 @subsection Little Disk Space
13498 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
13499 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
13503 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
13504 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
13505 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
13506 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
13509 @item gnus-save-killed-list
13510 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
13511 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
13512 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
13513 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
13519 @subsection Slow Machine
13520 @cindex slow machine
13522 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
13523 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
13525 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
13526 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
13528 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
13529 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
13530 summary buffer faster.
13532 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
13533 processing a bit faster.
13536 @node Troubleshooting
13537 @section Troubleshooting
13538 @cindex troubleshooting
13540 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
13548 Make sure your computer is switched on.
13551 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
13552 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
13556 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
13557 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
13558 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
13559 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
13562 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
13566 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
13567 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
13568 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
13569 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
13570 something like that.
13573 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
13576 @cindex reporting bugs
13578 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
13580 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
13581 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
13582 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
13583 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
13585 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
13586 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
13587 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
13588 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
13591 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
13592 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
13593 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
13594 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
13595 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
13596 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
13598 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
13599 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
13600 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
13603 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
13604 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
13606 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
13607 @cindex ding mailing list
13608 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
13609 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
13612 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
13613 @section A Programmer's Guide to Gnus
13615 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
13616 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
13617 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
13618 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
13621 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
13622 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
13623 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
13624 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
13625 and general method of operations.
13628 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
13629 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
13630 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
13631 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
13632 * Group Info:: The group info format.
13633 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
13634 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
13638 @node Backend Interface
13639 @subsection Backend Interface
13641 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
13642 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
13643 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
13644 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
13645 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
13646 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
13648 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
13649 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
13650 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
13651 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
13652 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
13653 been opened, the function should fail.
13655 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
13656 name. Take this example:
13660 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
13661 (nntp-port-number 4324))
13664 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
13665 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
13667 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
13668 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
13669 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
13671 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
13672 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
13673 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
13675 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
13676 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
13677 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
13678 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
13679 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
13680 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
13683 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
13684 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
13685 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
13686 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
13689 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
13692 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
13695 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
13696 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
13697 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
13698 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
13699 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
13703 @node Required Backend Functions
13704 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
13708 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
13710 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
13711 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
13712 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
13713 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
13715 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
13716 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
13717 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
13718 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
13720 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
13721 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
13722 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
13723 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
13724 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
13725 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
13726 number, do maximum fetches.
13728 Here's an example HEAD:
13731 221 1056 Article retrieved.
13732 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
13733 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
13734 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
13735 Subject: Re: Something very droll
13736 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
13737 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
13739 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
13740 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
13741 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
13745 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
13746 these in the data buffer.
13748 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
13752 head = error / valid-head
13753 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
13754 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
13755 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
13756 header = <text> eol
13759 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
13760 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
13764 nov-buffer = *nov-line
13765 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
13766 field = <text except TAB>
13769 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
13773 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
13775 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
13776 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
13778 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
13779 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
13780 server. In fact, it should do so.
13782 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
13783 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
13786 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
13788 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
13789 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
13792 There should be no data returned.
13795 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
13797 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
13798 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
13799 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
13800 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
13802 There should be no data returned.
13805 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
13807 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
13808 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
13809 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
13810 attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
13812 There should be no data returned.
13815 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
13817 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
13819 There should be no data returned.
13822 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
13824 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
13825 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
13826 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
13827 it would be nice if that were possible.
13829 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
13830 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
13831 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
13832 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
13833 its article buffer.
13835 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
13836 the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
13837 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
13838 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
13839 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
13840 on successful article retrievement.
13843 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
13845 Make @var{group} the current group.
13847 There should be no data returned by this function.
13850 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
13852 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
13853 making @var{group} the current group.
13855 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
13858 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
13861 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
13864 The first number is the status, which should be @code{211}. Next is the
13865 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
13866 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
13867 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
13868 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
13869 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
13870 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
13871 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
13874 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
13875 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
13876 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
13880 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
13882 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
13883 a no-op on most backends.
13885 There should be no data returned.
13888 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
13890 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
13893 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
13896 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
13897 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
13900 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
13901 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
13904 active-file = *active-line
13905 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
13907 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
13910 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
13911 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
13912 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
13915 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
13917 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
13918 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
13919 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
13920 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
13921 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
13922 clear if the posting could not be completed.
13924 There should be no result data from this function.
13929 @node Optional Backend Functions
13930 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
13934 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
13936 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
13937 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
13938 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
13940 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
13941 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
13942 former is in the same format as the data from
13943 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
13944 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
13947 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
13951 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
13953 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
13954 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
13955 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
13956 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
13957 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
13958 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
13960 There should be no result data from this function.
13963 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
13965 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
13966 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
13967 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
13968 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
13969 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
13970 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
13971 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
13972 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
13974 There should be no result data from this function.
13977 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
13979 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
13980 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
13981 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
13982 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
13983 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
13985 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
13986 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
13987 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
13990 There should be no result data from this function.
13993 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
13995 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
13996 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
13997 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
13998 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
13999 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
14000 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
14001 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
14003 There should be no result data from this function.
14006 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
14008 The result data from this function should be a description of
14012 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
14014 description = <text>
14017 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
14019 The result data from this function should be the description of all
14020 groups available on the server.
14023 description-buffer = *description-line
14027 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
14029 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
14030 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
14031 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
14034 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14036 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
14038 There should be no return data.
14041 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
14043 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
14044 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
14045 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
14046 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
14047 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
14050 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
14053 There should be no result data returned.
14056 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
14059 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
14060 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
14062 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
14063 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
14064 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
14065 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
14066 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
14067 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
14069 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
14070 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
14073 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
14074 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
14076 There should be no data returned.
14079 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
14081 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
14082 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
14083 this function in short order.
14085 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
14086 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
14088 There should be no data returned.
14091 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
14093 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
14094 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
14096 There should be no data returned.
14099 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
14101 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
14102 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
14103 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
14105 There should be no data returned.
14108 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
14110 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
14111 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
14113 There should be no data returned.
14118 @node Error Messaging
14119 @subsubsection Error Messaging
14121 @findex nnheader-report
14122 @findex nnheader-get-report
14123 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
14124 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
14125 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
14126 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
14127 there are many of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
14128 This function always returns @code{nil}.
14131 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
14133 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
14136 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
14137 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
14138 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
14139 takes one argument---the server symbol.
14141 Internally, these function access @var{backend}@code{-status-string}, so
14142 the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
14143 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
14146 @node Writing New Backends
14147 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
14149 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
14150 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
14151 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
14152 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
14153 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
14156 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
14157 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
14158 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
14160 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
14161 package called @code{nnoo}.
14163 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
14164 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
14171 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
14172 parameters. For instance:
14175 (nnoo-declare nndir
14179 @code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
14180 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
14183 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
14184 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
14185 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
14187 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
14188 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
14189 a function in those backends.
14192 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
14193 "Where nndir will look for groups."
14194 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
14197 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
14198 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
14199 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
14201 @item nnoo-define-basics
14202 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
14206 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
14210 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
14211 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
14212 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
14214 @item nnoo-map-functions
14215 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
14216 functions from the parent backends.
14219 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
14220 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
14221 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
14224 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
14225 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
14226 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
14227 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
14230 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
14231 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
14232 haven't already been defined.
14238 nnmh-request-newgroups)
14242 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
14243 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
14244 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
14249 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
14252 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
14253 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
14257 (require 'nnheader)
14261 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
14263 (nnoo-declare nndir
14266 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
14267 "Where nndir will look for groups."
14268 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
14270 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
14271 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
14274 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
14275 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
14276 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
14278 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
14279 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
14281 ;;; Interface functions.
14283 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
14285 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
14286 (setq nndir-directory
14287 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
14289 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
14290 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
14291 (push `(nndir-current-group
14292 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
14294 (push `(nndir-top-directory
14295 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
14297 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
14299 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
14300 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
14301 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
14302 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
14303 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
14307 nnmh-status-message
14309 nnmh-request-newgroups))
14315 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
14316 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
14318 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
14319 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
14320 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
14321 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
14323 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
14324 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
14329 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
14332 The abilities can be:
14336 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
14338 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
14340 This backend supports both mail and news.
14342 This is neither a post or mail backend---it's something completely
14345 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
14346 articles and groups.
14348 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
14349 true for almost all backends.
14350 @item prompt-address
14351 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
14352 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
14353 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
14358 @node Score File Syntax
14359 @subsection Score File Syntax
14361 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
14362 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
14363 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
14365 Here's a typical score file:
14369 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
14376 BNF definition of a score file:
14379 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
14380 element = rule / atom
14381 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
14382 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
14383 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
14384 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
14386 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
14387 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
14388 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
14389 date-header = "date"
14390 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
14391 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
14392 score = "nil" / <integer>
14393 date = "nil" / <natural number>
14394 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
14395 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
14396 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
14397 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
14398 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
14399 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
14400 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
14401 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
14402 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
14403 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
14404 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
14405 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
14406 exclude-files / read-only / touched
14407 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
14408 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
14409 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
14410 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
14411 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
14412 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
14413 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
14414 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
14415 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
14416 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
14417 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
14418 eval = "eval" space <form>
14419 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
14422 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
14425 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
14426 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
14427 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
14428 one looong line, then that's ok.
14430 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
14435 @subsection Headers
14437 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
14438 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
14439 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
14440 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
14442 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
14443 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (eg.,
14444 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
14445 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
14446 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
14447 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
14448 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
14450 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
14451 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
14452 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
14453 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
14454 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
14456 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
14463 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
14464 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
14466 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
14467 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
14468 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
14469 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
14471 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
14475 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
14478 is transformed into
14481 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
14484 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
14485 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
14488 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
14491 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
14492 is slightly tricky:
14495 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
14501 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
14504 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
14510 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
14517 and is equal to the previous range.
14519 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
14520 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
14521 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
14525 range = simple-range / normal-range
14526 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
14527 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
14528 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
14529 number *[ " " contents ]
14532 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
14533 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
14534 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
14535 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
14536 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
14541 @subsection Group Info
14543 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
14544 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
14545 describes the group.
14547 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
14548 second is a more complex one:
14551 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
14553 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
14554 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
14556 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
14559 The first element is the group name as Gnus knows the group; the second
14560 is the group level; the third is the read articles in range format; the
14561 fourth is a list of article marks lists; the fifth is the select method;
14562 and the sixth contains the group parameters.
14564 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
14567 info = "(" group space level space read
14568 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
14569 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
14570 group = quote <string> quote
14571 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
14573 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
14574 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
14575 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
14576 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
14579 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
14580 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
14584 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
14585 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
14589 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
14590 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
14591 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
14593 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
14594 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
14595 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
14596 Gnus, that's very useful.
14598 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
14599 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
14600 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
14601 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
14602 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
14603 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
14604 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
14605 following function:
14608 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
14612 (,function ,@@args))
14616 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
14617 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
14618 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
14621 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
14622 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
14623 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
14626 @node Various File Formats
14627 @subsection Various File Formats
14630 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
14631 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
14635 @node Active File Format
14636 @subsubsection Active File Format
14638 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
14639 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
14642 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
14645 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
14646 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
14647 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
14648 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
14649 no.general 1000 900 y
14652 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
14655 active = *group-line
14656 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
14657 group = <non-white-space string>
14659 high-number = <non-negative integer>
14660 low-number = <positive integer>
14661 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
14665 @node Newsgroups File Format
14666 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
14668 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
14669 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
14670 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
14673 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
14674 Here's the definition:
14678 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
14679 group = <non-white-space string>
14681 description = <string>
14685 @node Emacs for Heathens
14686 @section Emacs for Heathens
14688 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
14689 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
14690 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
14691 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
14692 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
14693 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
14694 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
14698 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
14699 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
14704 @subsection Keystrokes
14708 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
14711 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
14714 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
14715 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
14716 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
14717 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
14718 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
14719 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
14721 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
14722 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
14723 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
14724 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
14725 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
14726 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
14727 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
14729 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
14730 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
14731 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
14732 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
14733 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
14734 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
14735 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
14737 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
14738 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
14739 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
14740 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
14741 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
14747 @subsection Emacs Lisp
14749 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
14750 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
14751 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
14752 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
14754 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
14755 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
14756 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
14757 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
14758 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
14759 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
14760 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
14763 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
14764 write the following:
14767 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
14770 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
14771 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
14772 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
14775 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
14776 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
14777 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
14778 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
14779 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
14781 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
14782 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
14783 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
14787 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
14791 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
14794 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
14795 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
14798 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
14801 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
14802 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
14805 @include gnus-faq.texi