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335 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
340 @setchapternewpage odd
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 @top The Gnus Newsreader
359 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
360 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
361 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
364 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.3.
375 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
376 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
378 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
379 being accused of plagiarism:
381 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
382 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
383 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
384 can even read news with it!
386 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
387 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
388 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
389 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
390 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
396 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
397 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
398 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
399 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
400 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
401 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
402 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
403 * Various:: General purpose settings.
404 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
405 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
406 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
407 * Key Index:: Key Index.
409 Other related manuals
411 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
412 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
413 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
414 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
415 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
418 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
422 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
423 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
424 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
425 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
426 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
427 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
428 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
429 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
430 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
431 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
432 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
436 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
437 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
438 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
442 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
443 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
444 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
445 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
446 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
447 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
448 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
449 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
450 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
451 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
452 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
453 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
454 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
455 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
456 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
457 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
458 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
462 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
463 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
464 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
468 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
469 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
470 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
471 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
472 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
476 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
477 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
478 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
479 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
480 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
484 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
485 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
486 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
487 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
488 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
489 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
490 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
491 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
492 * Threading:: How threads are made.
493 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
494 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
495 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
496 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
497 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
498 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
499 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
500 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
501 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
502 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
503 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
504 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
505 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
506 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
507 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
508 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
509 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
510 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
511 or reselecting the current group.
512 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
513 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
514 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
515 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
517 Summary Buffer Format
519 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
520 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
521 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
522 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
526 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
527 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
529 Reply, Followup and Post
531 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
532 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
533 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
534 * Canceling and Superseding::
538 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
539 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
540 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
541 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
542 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
543 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
547 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
548 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
550 Customizing Threading
552 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
553 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
554 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
555 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
559 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
560 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
561 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
562 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
563 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
564 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
568 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
569 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
570 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
574 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
575 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
576 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
577 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
578 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
579 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
580 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
581 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
582 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
583 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
584 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
586 Alternative Approaches
588 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
589 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
591 Various Summary Stuff
593 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
594 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
595 * Summary Generation Commands::
596 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
600 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
601 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
602 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
603 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
604 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
608 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
609 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
610 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
611 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
612 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
613 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
614 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
615 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
616 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
620 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
621 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
622 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
623 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
624 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
625 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
626 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
627 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
631 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
632 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
633 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
634 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
635 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
636 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
637 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
641 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
642 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
646 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
647 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
648 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
649 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
653 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
654 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
655 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
656 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
657 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
658 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
659 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
660 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
661 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
662 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
663 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
664 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
665 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
669 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
670 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
671 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
673 Choosing a Mail Back End
675 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
676 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
677 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
678 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
679 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
680 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
681 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
686 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
687 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
688 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
689 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
690 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
691 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
695 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
696 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
697 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
698 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
699 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
700 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
704 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
705 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
706 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
707 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
708 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
712 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
716 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
717 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
718 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
722 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
723 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
727 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
728 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
729 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
730 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
731 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
732 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
733 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
734 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
735 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
736 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
737 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
738 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
739 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
743 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
744 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
745 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
749 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
750 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
751 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
755 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
756 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
757 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
758 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
759 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
760 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
761 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
762 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
763 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
764 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
765 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
766 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
767 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
768 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
769 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
770 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
774 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
775 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
776 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
780 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
781 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
782 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
783 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
784 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
785 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
786 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
787 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
788 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
789 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
790 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
791 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
792 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
793 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
794 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
795 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
796 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
797 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
798 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
799 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
803 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
804 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
805 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
806 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
807 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
808 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
809 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
810 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
814 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
815 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
816 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
817 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
818 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
822 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
823 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
824 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
825 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
826 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
827 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
829 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
831 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
832 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
833 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
834 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
835 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
837 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
838 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
840 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
842 * SpamAssassin back end::
843 * ifile spam filtering::
844 * spam-stat spam filtering::
846 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
848 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
850 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
851 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
852 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
856 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
857 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
858 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
859 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
860 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
861 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
862 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
863 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
864 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
868 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
869 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
870 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
871 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
872 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
873 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
874 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
875 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
876 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
880 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
881 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
882 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
883 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
884 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
885 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
886 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
890 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
891 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
892 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
893 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
897 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
898 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
899 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
900 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
901 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
902 * Group Info:: The group info format.
903 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
904 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
905 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
909 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
910 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
911 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
912 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
913 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
914 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
918 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
919 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
923 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
924 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
930 @chapter Starting Gnus
935 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
936 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
939 @findex gnus-other-frame
940 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
941 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
942 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
944 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
945 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
946 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
948 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
949 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
952 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
953 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
954 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
955 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
956 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
957 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
958 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
959 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
960 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
961 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
965 @node Finding the News
966 @section Finding the News
969 @vindex gnus-select-method
971 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
972 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
973 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
974 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
977 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
978 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
981 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
984 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
987 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
990 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
991 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
992 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
993 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
995 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
997 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
998 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
999 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1000 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1001 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1002 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1003 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1005 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1006 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1007 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1008 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1010 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1011 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1012 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1013 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1014 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1015 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1016 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1017 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1018 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1021 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1023 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1024 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1025 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1026 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1027 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1028 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1030 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1032 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1033 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1034 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1035 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1036 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1037 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1040 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1041 you would typically set this variable to
1044 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1047 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1048 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1049 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1050 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1053 @node The First Time
1054 @section The First Time
1055 @cindex first time usage
1057 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1058 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1060 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1061 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1062 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1063 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1066 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1067 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1068 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1070 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1071 help you with most common problems.
1073 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1074 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1078 @node The Server is Down
1079 @section The Server is Down
1080 @cindex server errors
1082 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1083 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1084 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1086 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1087 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1088 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1089 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1090 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1091 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1092 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1094 @findex gnus-no-server
1095 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1097 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1098 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1099 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1100 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1101 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1102 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1103 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1107 @section Slave Gnusae
1110 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1111 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1112 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1113 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1115 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1116 @file{.newsrc} file.
1118 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1119 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1120 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1121 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1122 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1123 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1124 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1127 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1128 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1129 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1130 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1131 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1132 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1133 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1134 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1136 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1137 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1139 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1140 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1141 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1142 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1143 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1150 @cindex subscription
1152 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1153 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1154 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1155 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1156 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1157 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1158 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1159 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1160 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1163 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1164 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1165 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1169 @node Checking New Groups
1170 @subsection Checking New Groups
1172 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1173 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1174 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1175 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1176 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1177 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1178 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1179 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1180 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1181 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1183 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1184 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1185 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1186 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1187 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1188 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1189 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1190 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1191 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1192 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1193 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1195 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1196 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1197 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1198 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1199 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1200 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1203 @node Subscription Methods
1204 @subsection Subscription Methods
1206 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1207 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1208 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1210 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1211 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1213 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1217 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1218 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1219 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1220 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1221 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1223 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1224 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1225 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1226 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1228 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1229 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1230 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1232 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1234 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1235 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1236 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1237 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1238 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1239 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1240 up. Or something like that.
1242 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1243 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1244 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1245 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1246 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1248 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1250 Kill all new groups.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1254 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1255 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1256 topic parameter that looks like
1262 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1265 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1270 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1271 A closely related variable is
1272 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1273 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1274 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1275 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1278 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1279 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1280 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1281 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1284 @node Filtering New Groups
1285 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1287 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1288 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1289 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1292 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1295 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1296 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1297 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1298 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1299 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1300 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1301 subscribing these groups.
1302 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1303 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1305 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1306 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1307 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1308 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1309 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1310 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1311 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1312 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1314 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1315 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1316 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1317 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1318 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1319 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1320 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1321 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1322 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1323 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1326 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1327 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1330 @node Changing Servers
1331 @section Changing Servers
1332 @cindex changing servers
1334 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1335 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1336 very flaky and you want to use another.
1338 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1339 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1343 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1344 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1345 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1346 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1349 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1350 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1351 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1352 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1354 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1355 @findex gnus-change-server
1356 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1357 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1358 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1359 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1360 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1362 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1363 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1364 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1365 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1366 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1368 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1369 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1370 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1371 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1372 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1373 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1375 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1376 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1377 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1378 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1380 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1381 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1382 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1383 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1384 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1385 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1386 cache for all groups).
1390 @section Startup Files
1391 @cindex startup files
1396 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1397 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1398 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1401 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1402 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1403 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1404 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1405 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1406 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1407 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1409 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1410 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1411 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1412 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1413 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1414 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1416 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1417 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1418 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1419 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1420 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1421 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1422 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1423 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1424 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1425 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1426 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1429 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1430 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1431 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1432 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1433 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1434 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1435 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1436 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1437 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1438 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1439 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1440 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1442 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1443 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1444 @vindex version-control
1445 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1446 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1447 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1448 If you want version control for this file, set
1449 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1450 @code{version-control} variable.
1452 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1453 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1454 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1455 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1456 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1457 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1458 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1459 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1460 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1461 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1464 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1465 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1467 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1468 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1471 @vindex gnus-init-file
1472 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1473 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1474 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1475 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1476 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1477 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1478 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1479 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1480 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1481 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1487 @cindex dribble file
1490 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1491 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1492 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1493 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1494 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1497 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1498 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1501 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1502 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1503 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1505 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1506 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1507 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1508 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1509 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1510 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1512 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1513 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1514 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1517 @node The Active File
1518 @section The Active File
1520 @cindex ignored groups
1522 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1523 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1524 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1526 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1527 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1528 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1529 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1530 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1531 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1532 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1535 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1536 @c if you set it to anything else.
1538 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1540 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1541 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1542 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1544 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1545 you actually subscribe to.
1547 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1548 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1549 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1550 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1552 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1553 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1554 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1555 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1556 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1557 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1559 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1560 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1561 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1564 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1565 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1566 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1567 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1568 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1569 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1571 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1572 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1574 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1575 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1577 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1578 secondary select methods.
1581 @node Startup Variables
1582 @section Startup Variables
1586 @item gnus-load-hook
1587 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1588 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1589 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1590 times you start Gnus.
1592 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1593 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1594 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1596 @item gnus-startup-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1598 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1600 @item gnus-started-hook
1601 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1602 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1605 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1606 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1607 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1608 generating the group buffer.
1610 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1611 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1612 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1613 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1614 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1615 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1616 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1617 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1619 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1620 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1621 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1622 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1623 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1624 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1626 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1627 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1628 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1630 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1631 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1632 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1634 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1635 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1636 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1637 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1643 @chapter Group Buffer
1644 @cindex group buffer
1646 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1648 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1649 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1650 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1651 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1652 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1653 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1654 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1655 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1656 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1657 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1658 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1659 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1660 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1661 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1662 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1663 @c human rights at 9...
1666 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1667 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1668 long as Gnus is active.
1672 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1673 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1674 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1675 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1676 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1677 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1678 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1679 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1685 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1686 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1687 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1688 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1689 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1690 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1691 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1692 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1693 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1694 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1695 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1696 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1697 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1698 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1699 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1700 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1701 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1705 @node Group Buffer Format
1706 @section Group Buffer Format
1709 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1710 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1711 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1715 @node Group Line Specification
1716 @subsection Group Line Specification
1717 @cindex group buffer format
1719 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1720 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1722 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1725 25: news.announce.newusers
1726 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1731 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1732 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1733 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1734 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1736 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1737 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1738 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1739 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1740 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1741 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1743 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1745 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1746 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1747 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1748 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1749 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1751 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1752 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1753 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1755 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1760 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1763 Whether the group is subscribed.
1766 Level of subscribedness.
1769 Number of unread articles.
1772 Number of dormant articles.
1775 Number of ticked articles.
1778 Number of read articles.
1781 Number of unseen articles.
1784 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1785 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1787 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1788 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1789 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1790 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1791 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1792 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1793 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1794 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1797 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1800 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1809 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1810 comment element in the group parameters.
1813 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1814 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1815 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1819 @samp{m} if moderated.
1822 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1828 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1834 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1838 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1841 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1842 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1843 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1844 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1845 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1848 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1850 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1854 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1857 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1861 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1862 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1863 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1864 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1867 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1868 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1869 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1870 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1871 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1872 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1877 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1878 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1879 group, or a bogus native group.
1882 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1883 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1884 @cindex group mode line
1886 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1887 The mode line can be changed by setting
1888 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1889 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1893 The native news server.
1895 The native select method.
1899 @node Group Highlighting
1900 @subsection Group Highlighting
1901 @cindex highlighting
1902 @cindex group highlighting
1904 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1905 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1906 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1907 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1908 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1910 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1914 (cond (window-system
1915 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1916 (defface my-group-face-1
1917 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1918 (defface my-group-face-2
1919 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1920 "Second group face")
1921 (defface my-group-face-3
1922 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1923 (defface my-group-face-4
1924 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1925 (defface my-group-face-5
1926 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1928 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1929 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1930 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1931 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1932 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1933 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1936 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1938 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1945 The number of unread articles in the group.
1949 Whether the group is a mail group.
1951 The level of the group.
1953 The score of the group.
1955 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1957 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1958 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1960 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1961 topic being inserted.
1964 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1965 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1966 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1968 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1969 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1970 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1971 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1972 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1975 @node Group Maneuvering
1976 @section Group Maneuvering
1977 @cindex group movement
1979 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1980 expected, hopefully.
1986 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1987 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1988 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1994 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1995 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1996 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2000 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2001 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2005 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2006 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2010 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2011 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2012 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2016 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2017 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2018 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2021 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2027 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2028 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2029 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2034 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2035 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2036 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2040 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2041 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2042 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2045 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2046 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2047 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2048 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2052 @node Selecting a Group
2053 @section Selecting a Group
2054 @cindex group selection
2059 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2060 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2061 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2062 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2063 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2064 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2065 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2066 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2067 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2068 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2070 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2071 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2072 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2074 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2075 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2080 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2081 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2082 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2083 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2084 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2088 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2089 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2090 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2091 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2092 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2093 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2094 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2095 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2096 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2097 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2100 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2101 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2102 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2103 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2104 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2107 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2108 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2109 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2110 doing any processing of its contents
2111 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2112 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2113 manner will have no permanent effects.
2117 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2118 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2119 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2120 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2121 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2122 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2123 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2124 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2125 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2126 most recently will be fetched.
2128 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2129 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2130 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2133 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2134 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2135 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2136 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2137 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2138 Which article this is is controlled by the
2139 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2145 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2148 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2151 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2153 @item unseen-or-unread
2154 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2155 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2159 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2163 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2164 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2166 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2167 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2168 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2169 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2173 @node Subscription Commands
2174 @section Subscription Commands
2175 @cindex subscription
2183 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2184 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2185 Toggle subscription to the current group
2186 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2192 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2193 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2194 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2195 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2201 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2202 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2203 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2209 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2210 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2213 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2214 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2215 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2216 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2217 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2223 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2224 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2228 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2229 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2232 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2233 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2234 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2235 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2236 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2237 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2238 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2239 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2240 @file{.newsrc} file.
2244 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2254 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2255 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2256 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2257 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2258 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2259 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2264 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2265 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2266 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2270 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2271 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2272 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2274 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2275 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2276 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2277 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2278 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2279 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2286 @section Group Levels
2290 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2291 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2292 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2293 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2294 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2296 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2302 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2303 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2304 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2305 prompted for a level.
2308 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2309 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2310 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2311 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2312 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2313 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2314 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2315 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2316 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2317 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2318 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2319 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2320 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2321 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2322 reasons of efficiency.
2324 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2325 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2327 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2328 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2329 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2330 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2331 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2332 groups are hidden, in a way.
2334 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2335 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2336 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2337 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2338 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2339 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2341 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2342 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2343 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2344 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2345 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2346 list of killed groups.)
2348 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2349 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2350 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2352 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2353 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2354 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2355 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2356 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2357 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2358 relevant valid ranges.
2360 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2361 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2362 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2363 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2364 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2365 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2368 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2369 one with the best level.
2371 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2372 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2373 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2376 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2377 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2378 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2379 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2382 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2383 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2384 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2385 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2387 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2388 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2389 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2390 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2391 to 5. The default is 6.
2395 @section Group Score
2400 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2401 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2402 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2405 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2406 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2407 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2408 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2409 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2410 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2411 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2412 least significant part.))
2414 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2415 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2416 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2417 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2418 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2419 action after each summary exit, you can add
2420 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2421 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2422 slow things down somewhat.
2425 @node Marking Groups
2426 @section Marking Groups
2427 @cindex marking groups
2429 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2430 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2431 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2432 bidding on those groups.
2434 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2435 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2436 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2444 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2445 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2451 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2452 Remove the mark from the current group
2453 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2457 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2458 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2462 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2463 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2467 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2468 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2472 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2473 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2474 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2477 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2479 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2480 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2481 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2482 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2483 the command to be executed.
2486 @node Foreign Groups
2487 @section Foreign Groups
2488 @cindex foreign groups
2490 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2491 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2492 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2493 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2500 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2501 @cindex making groups
2502 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2503 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2504 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2508 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2509 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2510 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2514 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2515 @cindex renaming groups
2516 Rename the current group to something else
2517 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2518 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2524 @findex gnus-group-customize
2525 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2529 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2530 @cindex renaming groups
2531 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2532 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2536 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2537 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2538 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2542 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2543 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2544 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2548 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2550 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2551 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2556 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2557 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2561 @cindex (ding) archive
2562 @cindex archive group
2563 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2564 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2565 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2566 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2567 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2568 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2569 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2573 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2575 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2576 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2577 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2578 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2582 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2584 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2585 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2586 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2590 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2591 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2593 Make a group based on some file or other
2594 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2595 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2596 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2597 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2598 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2599 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2600 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2601 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2602 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2606 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2607 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2608 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2609 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2613 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2617 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2618 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2619 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2620 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2621 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2622 @xref{Web Searches}.
2624 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2625 to a particular group by using a match string like
2626 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2630 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2631 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2632 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2636 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2637 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2638 This function will delete the current group
2639 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2640 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2641 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2642 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2643 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2647 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2648 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2649 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2653 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2654 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2655 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2658 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2661 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2662 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2663 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2664 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2665 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2666 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2670 @node Group Parameters
2671 @section Group Parameters
2672 @cindex group parameters
2674 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2675 Here's an example group parameter list:
2678 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2682 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2683 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2684 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2685 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2687 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2688 is an alist of regexps and values.
2690 The following group parameters can be used:
2695 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2698 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2701 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2702 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2703 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2704 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2705 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2707 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2708 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2709 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2710 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2711 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2712 list address instead.
2714 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2718 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2721 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2724 It is totally ignored
2725 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2726 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2728 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2729 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2730 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2731 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2732 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2734 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2735 @cindex mail list groups
2736 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2737 entering summary buffer.
2739 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2744 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2745 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2746 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2747 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2748 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2749 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2750 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2751 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2754 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2755 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2758 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2759 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2763 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2764 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2765 of whether it has any unread articles.
2767 @item broken-reply-to
2768 @cindex broken-reply-to
2769 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2770 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2771 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2772 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2773 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2774 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2778 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2779 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2783 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2784 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2785 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2790 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2791 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2792 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2793 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2794 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2795 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2796 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2798 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2799 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2800 doesn't accept articles.
2804 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2805 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2806 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2808 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2811 @cindex total-expire
2812 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2813 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2814 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2815 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2818 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2822 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2823 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2824 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2825 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2826 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2827 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2828 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2831 @cindex expiry-target
2832 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2833 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2836 @cindex score file group parameter
2837 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2838 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2839 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2842 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2843 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2844 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2845 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2848 @cindex admin-address
2849 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2850 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2851 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2852 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2856 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2857 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2861 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2864 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2865 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2868 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2872 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2874 Here are some examples:
2878 Display only unread articles.
2881 Display everything except expirable articles.
2883 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2884 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2888 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2889 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2890 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2891 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2892 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2896 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2897 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2898 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2902 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2903 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2904 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2908 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2909 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2910 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2912 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2914 @item ignored-charsets
2915 @cindex ignored-charset
2916 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2917 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2918 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2920 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2923 @cindex posting-style
2924 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2925 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2926 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2927 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2928 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2930 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2931 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2932 like this in the group parameters:
2937 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2938 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2943 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2944 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2948 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2949 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2950 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2951 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2952 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2956 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2957 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2958 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2959 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2961 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2962 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2963 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2964 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2967 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
2968 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
2972 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
2973 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
2974 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
2975 like the following is generated:
2978 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
2979 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
2983 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
2984 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
2986 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
2987 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
2989 @item (agent parameters)
2990 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
2991 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
2992 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
2993 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
2994 minimize the configuration effort.
2996 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2997 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2998 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2999 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3000 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3001 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3002 @code{eval}ed there.
3004 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3005 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3006 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3007 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3008 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3009 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3010 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3011 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3014 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3017 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3018 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3019 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3022 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3025 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3026 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3027 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3028 into the group parameters for the group.
3030 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3031 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3032 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3033 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3036 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3037 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3038 following is added to a group parameter
3041 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3042 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3045 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3050 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3051 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3052 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3053 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3054 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3056 @vindex gnus-parameters
3057 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3058 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3062 (setq gnus-parameters
3064 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3065 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3066 (gnus-summary-line-format
3067 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3071 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3075 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3079 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3082 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3083 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3086 @node Listing Groups
3087 @section Listing Groups
3088 @cindex group listing
3090 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3098 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3099 List all groups that have unread articles
3100 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3101 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3102 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3103 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3110 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3111 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3112 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3113 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3114 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3115 unsubscribed groups).
3119 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3120 List all unread groups on a specific level
3121 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3122 with no unread articles.
3126 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3127 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3128 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3129 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3134 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3135 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3139 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3140 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3141 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3145 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3146 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3150 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3151 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3152 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3153 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3154 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3155 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3156 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3157 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3161 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3162 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3163 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3167 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3168 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3169 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3173 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3174 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3178 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3179 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3183 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3184 List groups limited within the current selection
3185 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3189 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3190 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3194 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3195 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3199 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3200 @cindex visible group parameter
3201 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3202 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3203 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3204 get the same effect.
3206 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3207 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3208 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3209 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3210 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3213 @node Sorting Groups
3214 @section Sorting Groups
3215 @cindex sorting groups
3217 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3218 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3219 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3220 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3221 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3222 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3227 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3228 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3229 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3231 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3232 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3233 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3235 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3236 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3237 Sort by group level.
3239 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3240 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3241 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3243 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3244 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3245 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3246 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3248 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3249 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3250 Sort by number of unread articles.
3252 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3253 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3254 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3256 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3257 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3258 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3263 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3264 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3268 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3269 some sorting criteria:
3273 @kindex G S a (Group)
3274 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3275 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3276 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3279 @kindex G S u (Group)
3280 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3281 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3282 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3285 @kindex G S l (Group)
3286 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3287 Sort the group buffer by group level
3288 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3291 @kindex G S v (Group)
3292 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3293 Sort the group buffer by group score
3294 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3297 @kindex G S r (Group)
3298 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3299 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3300 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3303 @kindex G S m (Group)
3304 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3305 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3306 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3309 @kindex G S n (Group)
3310 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3311 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3312 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3316 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3317 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3319 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3320 commands will sort in reverse order.
3322 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3326 @kindex G P a (Group)
3327 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3328 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3329 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3332 @kindex G P u (Group)
3333 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3334 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3335 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3338 @kindex G P l (Group)
3339 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3340 Sort the groups by group level
3341 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3344 @kindex G P v (Group)
3345 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3346 Sort the groups by group score
3347 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3350 @kindex G P r (Group)
3351 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3352 Sort the groups by group rank
3353 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3356 @kindex G P m (Group)
3357 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3358 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3359 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3362 @kindex G P n (Group)
3363 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3364 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3365 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3368 @kindex G P s (Group)
3369 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3370 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3374 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3378 @node Group Maintenance
3379 @section Group Maintenance
3380 @cindex bogus groups
3385 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3386 Find bogus groups and delete them
3387 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3391 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3392 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3393 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3394 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3395 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3399 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3400 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3401 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3402 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3403 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3404 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3407 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3408 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3409 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3410 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3415 @node Browse Foreign Server
3416 @section Browse Foreign Server
3417 @cindex foreign servers
3418 @cindex browsing servers
3423 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3424 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3425 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3426 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3429 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3430 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3431 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3432 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3434 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3439 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3440 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3444 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3445 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3448 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3449 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3450 Enter the current group and display the first article
3451 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3454 @kindex RET (Browse)
3455 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3456 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3460 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3461 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3462 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3468 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3469 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3473 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3474 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3478 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3479 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3480 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3485 @section Exiting Gnus
3486 @cindex exiting Gnus
3488 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3493 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3494 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3495 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3496 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3500 @findex gnus-group-exit
3501 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3502 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3506 @findex gnus-group-quit
3507 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3508 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3511 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3512 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3513 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3514 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3515 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3516 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3522 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3523 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3524 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3530 @section Group Topics
3533 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3534 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3535 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3536 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3537 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3538 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3542 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3543 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3554 2: alt.religion.emacs
3557 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3559 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3560 13: comp.sources.unix
3563 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3565 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3566 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3567 is a toggling command.)
3569 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3570 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3571 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3572 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3575 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3576 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3577 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3580 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3584 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3585 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3586 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3587 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3588 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3592 @node Topic Commands
3593 @subsection Topic Commands
3594 @cindex topic commands
3596 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3597 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3598 definitions slightly.
3600 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3601 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3602 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3603 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3604 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3605 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3607 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3614 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3615 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3616 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3620 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3622 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3623 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3624 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3625 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3628 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3629 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3630 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3631 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3635 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3636 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3637 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3638 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3644 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3645 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3646 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3650 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3651 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3652 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3655 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3656 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3657 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3658 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3659 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3661 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3662 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3666 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3667 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3674 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3676 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3677 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3678 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3679 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3680 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3681 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3685 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3691 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3692 Move the current group to some other topic
3693 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3694 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3698 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3699 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3703 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3704 Copy the current group to some other topic
3705 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3706 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3710 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3711 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3712 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3716 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3717 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3718 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3722 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3723 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3724 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3725 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3726 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3727 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3728 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3731 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3732 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3736 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3737 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3738 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3742 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3743 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3744 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3748 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3749 Toggle hiding empty topics
3750 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3754 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3755 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3756 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3757 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3760 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3761 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3762 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3763 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3764 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3767 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3768 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3769 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3770 expiry process (if any)
3771 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3775 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3776 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3779 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3780 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3781 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3785 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3786 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3787 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3790 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3791 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3792 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3795 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3796 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3797 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3801 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3802 @cindex group parameters
3803 @cindex topic parameters
3805 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3806 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3811 @node Topic Variables
3812 @subsection Topic Variables
3813 @cindex topic variables
3815 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3816 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3818 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3819 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3820 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3833 Number of groups in the topic.
3835 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3837 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3840 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3841 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3842 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3845 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3846 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3848 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3849 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3850 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3854 @subsection Topic Sorting
3855 @cindex topic sorting
3857 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3863 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3864 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3865 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3866 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3869 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3870 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3871 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3872 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3875 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3876 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3877 Sort the current topic by group level
3878 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3881 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3882 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3883 Sort the current topic by group score
3884 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3887 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3888 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3889 Sort the current topic by group rank
3890 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3893 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3894 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3895 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3896 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3899 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3900 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3901 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3902 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3905 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3906 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3907 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3908 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3909 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3913 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3914 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3918 @node Topic Topology
3919 @subsection Topic Topology
3920 @cindex topic topology
3923 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3930 2: alt.religion.emacs
3933 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3935 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3936 13: comp.sources.unix
3940 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3941 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3942 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3947 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3948 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3952 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3953 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3954 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3955 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3956 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3957 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3959 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3960 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3961 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3964 @node Topic Parameters
3965 @subsection Topic Parameters
3966 @cindex topic parameters
3968 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3969 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3970 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3971 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3972 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
3974 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3979 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3980 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3981 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3984 @item subscribe-level
3985 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3986 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3987 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3991 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3992 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3993 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3994 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4001 2: alt.religion.emacs
4005 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4007 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4008 13: comp.sources.unix
4013 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4014 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4015 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4016 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4017 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4018 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4020 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4021 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4022 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4023 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4024 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4026 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4027 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4028 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4029 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4030 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4031 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4032 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4033 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4036 @node Misc Group Stuff
4037 @section Misc Group Stuff
4040 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4041 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4042 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4043 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4044 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4051 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4052 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4053 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4057 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4058 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4059 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4060 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4061 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4062 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4063 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4067 @findex gnus-group-mail
4068 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4069 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4070 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4071 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4075 @findex gnus-group-news
4076 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4077 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4078 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4080 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4081 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4082 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4083 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4084 for this to work though.
4088 Variables for the group buffer:
4092 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4093 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4094 is called after the group buffer has been
4097 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4098 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4099 is called after the group buffer is
4100 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4103 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4104 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4105 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4106 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4108 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4109 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4110 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4111 whether they are empty or not.
4113 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4114 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4115 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4116 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4120 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4121 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4124 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4125 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4126 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4127 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4128 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4129 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4130 default is @code{nil}.
4134 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4135 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4140 @node Scanning New Messages
4141 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4142 @cindex new messages
4143 @cindex scanning new news
4149 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4150 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4151 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4152 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4153 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4154 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4159 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4160 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4161 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4162 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4163 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4164 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4165 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4167 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4168 @cindex activating groups
4170 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4171 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4176 @findex gnus-group-restart
4177 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4178 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4179 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4183 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4184 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4186 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4187 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4191 @node Group Information
4192 @subsection Group Information
4193 @cindex group information
4194 @cindex information on groups
4201 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4202 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4205 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4206 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4207 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4208 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4209 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4210 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4211 used for fetching the file.
4213 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4214 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4218 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4219 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4221 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4222 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4225 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4226 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4227 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4231 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4232 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4233 @cindex control message
4234 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4235 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4236 group if given a prefix argument.
4238 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4239 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4240 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4241 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4243 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4244 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4245 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4249 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4251 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4252 @cindex describing groups
4253 @cindex group description
4254 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4255 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4256 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4260 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4261 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4262 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4269 @findex gnus-version
4270 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4274 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4275 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4278 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4281 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4282 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4286 @node Group Timestamp
4287 @subsection Group Timestamp
4289 @cindex group timestamps
4291 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4292 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4293 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4296 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4299 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4301 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4302 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4305 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4306 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4309 This will result in lines looking like:
4312 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4313 0: custom 19961002T012713
4316 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4317 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4321 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4322 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4325 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4326 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4330 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4331 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4332 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4333 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4335 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4341 @subsection File Commands
4342 @cindex file commands
4348 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4349 @vindex gnus-init-file
4350 @cindex reading init file
4351 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4352 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4356 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4357 @cindex saving .newsrc
4358 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4359 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4360 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4363 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4364 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4365 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4370 @node Sieve Commands
4371 @subsection Sieve Commands
4372 @cindex group sieve commands
4374 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4375 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4376 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4377 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4378 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4380 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4381 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4382 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4383 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4384 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4385 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4386 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4387 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4388 regenerate the Sieve script.
4390 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4391 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4392 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4393 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4394 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4395 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4396 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4397 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4398 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4399 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4402 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4403 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4408 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4414 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4415 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4416 @cindex generating sieve script
4417 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4418 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4422 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4423 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4424 @cindex updating sieve script
4425 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4426 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4427 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4432 @node Summary Buffer
4433 @chapter Summary Buffer
4434 @cindex summary buffer
4436 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4437 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4439 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4440 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4442 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4445 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4446 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4447 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4448 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4449 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4450 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4451 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4452 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4453 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4454 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4455 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4456 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4457 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4458 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4459 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4460 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4461 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4462 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4463 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4464 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4465 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4466 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4467 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4468 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4469 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4470 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4471 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4472 or reselecting the current group.
4473 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4474 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4475 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4476 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4480 @node Summary Buffer Format
4481 @section Summary Buffer Format
4482 @cindex summary buffer format
4486 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4487 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4488 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4494 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4495 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4496 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4497 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4500 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4501 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4502 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4503 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4504 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4505 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4506 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4507 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4508 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4509 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4510 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4513 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4514 'mail-extract-address-components)
4517 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4518 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4519 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4520 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4523 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4524 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4526 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4527 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4528 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4529 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4530 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4532 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4533 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4534 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4535 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4536 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4537 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4539 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4541 The following format specification characters and extended format
4542 specification(s) are understood:
4548 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4549 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4551 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4552 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4553 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4555 Full @code{From} header.
4557 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4559 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4562 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4563 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4564 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4565 may be more thorough.
4567 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4570 Number of lines in the article.
4572 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4573 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4575 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4576 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4578 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4580 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4581 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4594 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4595 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4596 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4597 line-drawing glyphs.
4599 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4600 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4601 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4602 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4604 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4605 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4606 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4607 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4609 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4610 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4611 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4612 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4614 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4615 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4616 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4618 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4619 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4620 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4622 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4623 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4624 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4626 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4627 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4628 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4633 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4634 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4636 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4637 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4639 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4640 for adopted articles.
4642 One space for each thread level.
4644 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4646 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4649 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4650 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4651 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4654 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4656 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4657 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4658 default level. If the difference between
4659 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4660 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4668 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4670 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4676 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4677 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4679 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4680 article has any children.
4686 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4687 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4689 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4690 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4691 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4692 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4693 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4694 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4697 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4698 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4699 There can only be one such area.
4701 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4702 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4703 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4704 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4705 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4706 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4708 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4709 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4711 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4714 @node To From Newsgroups
4715 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4719 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4720 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4721 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4722 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4723 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4727 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4728 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4729 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4733 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4734 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4737 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4738 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4741 @findex gnus-extra-header
4742 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4743 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4744 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4747 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4751 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4752 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4753 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4754 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4755 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4756 headers are used instead.
4758 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
4759 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
4760 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
4761 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
4762 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
4763 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
4767 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4768 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4769 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4770 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4771 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4772 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4775 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4776 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4777 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4778 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4780 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4784 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4786 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4787 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4788 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4789 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4793 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4796 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4797 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4800 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4801 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4802 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4808 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4809 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4812 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4813 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4815 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4816 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4817 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4818 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4820 Here are the elements you can play with:
4826 Unprefixed group name.
4828 Current article number.
4830 Current article score.
4834 Number of unread articles in this group.
4836 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4839 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4840 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4841 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4842 and no unselected ones.
4844 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4845 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4847 Subject of the current article.
4849 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4851 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4853 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4855 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4857 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4859 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4863 @node Summary Highlighting
4864 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4868 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4869 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4870 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4871 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4872 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4874 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4875 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4876 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4877 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4879 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4880 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4881 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4882 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4884 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4885 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4886 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4887 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4888 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4889 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4892 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4893 ((> score default) . bold))
4895 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4896 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4900 @node Summary Maneuvering
4901 @section Summary Maneuvering
4902 @cindex summary movement
4904 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4905 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4907 None of these commands select articles.
4912 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4913 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4914 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4915 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4916 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4920 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4921 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4922 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4923 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4924 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4927 @kindex G g (Summary)
4928 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4929 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4930 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4933 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4934 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4935 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4936 to the group buffer.
4938 Variables related to summary movement:
4942 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4943 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4944 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4945 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4946 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4947 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4948 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4949 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4950 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4951 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4952 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4953 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4954 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4955 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4957 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4958 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4959 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4960 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4961 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4962 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4963 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4965 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4967 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4968 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4969 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4970 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4971 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4973 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4974 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4975 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4976 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4977 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4978 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4979 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4980 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4983 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4984 the given number of lines from the top.
4989 @node Choosing Articles
4990 @section Choosing Articles
4991 @cindex selecting articles
4994 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4995 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4999 @node Choosing Commands
5000 @subsection Choosing Commands
5002 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5003 and they all select and display an article.
5005 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5006 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5010 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5011 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5012 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5013 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5015 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5016 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5017 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5022 @kindex G n (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5024 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5025 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5030 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5031 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5032 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5037 @kindex G N (Summary)
5038 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5039 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5044 @kindex G P (Summary)
5045 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5046 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5049 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5050 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5051 Go to the next article with the same subject
5052 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5055 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5056 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5057 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5058 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5062 @kindex G f (Summary)
5064 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5065 Go to the first unread article
5066 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5070 @kindex G b (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5073 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5074 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5075 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5080 @kindex G l (Summary)
5081 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5082 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5085 @kindex G o (Summary)
5086 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5088 @cindex article history
5089 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5090 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5091 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5092 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5093 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5094 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5099 @kindex G j (Summary)
5100 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5101 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5102 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5107 @node Choosing Variables
5108 @subsection Choosing Variables
5110 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5113 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5114 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5115 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5116 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5117 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5118 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5120 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5121 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5122 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5123 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5124 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5125 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5127 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5128 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5129 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5130 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5131 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5132 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5133 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5134 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5135 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5136 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5137 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5138 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5139 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5140 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5145 @node Paging the Article
5146 @section Scrolling the Article
5147 @cindex article scrolling
5152 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5153 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5154 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5155 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5156 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5158 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5159 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5160 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5161 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5162 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5163 what is considered uninteresting with
5164 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5165 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5168 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5169 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5170 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5173 @kindex RET (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5175 Scroll the current article one line forward
5176 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5179 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5180 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5181 Scroll the current article one line backward
5182 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5186 @kindex A g (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5189 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5190 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5191 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5192 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5193 the way it came from the server.
5195 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5196 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5197 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5200 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5205 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5210 @kindex A < (Summary)
5211 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5212 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5213 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5218 @kindex A > (Summary)
5219 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5220 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5224 @kindex A s (Summary)
5226 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5227 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5228 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5232 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5233 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5238 @node Reply Followup and Post
5239 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5242 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5243 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5244 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5245 * Canceling and Superseding::
5249 @node Summary Mail Commands
5250 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5252 @cindex composing mail
5254 Commands for composing a mail message:
5260 @kindex S r (Summary)
5262 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5263 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5264 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5265 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5266 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5271 @kindex S R (Summary)
5272 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5273 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5274 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5275 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5276 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5279 @kindex S w (Summary)
5280 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5281 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5282 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5283 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5284 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5285 present, that's used instead.
5288 @kindex S W (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5290 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5291 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5292 the process/prefix convention.
5295 @kindex S v (Summary)
5296 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5297 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5298 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5299 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5300 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5301 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5304 @kindex S V (Summary)
5305 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5306 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5307 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5308 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5311 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5312 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5313 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5314 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5315 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5316 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5317 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5318 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5321 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5322 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5323 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5324 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5325 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5329 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5330 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5331 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5332 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5333 Forward the current article to some other person
5334 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5335 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5336 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5337 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5338 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5339 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5340 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5341 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5342 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5348 @kindex S m (Summary)
5349 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5350 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5351 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5352 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5353 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5358 @kindex S i (Summary)
5359 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5360 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5361 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5362 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5364 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5365 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5366 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5367 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5368 for this to work though.
5371 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5372 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5373 @cindex bouncing mail
5374 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5375 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5376 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5377 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5378 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5379 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5380 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5381 very well fail, though.
5384 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5385 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5386 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5387 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5388 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5389 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5390 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5391 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5392 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5393 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5395 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5396 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5397 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5398 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5399 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5401 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5402 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5405 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5408 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5409 if it were a new message before resending.
5412 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5413 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5414 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5415 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5416 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5419 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5420 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5421 @cindex crossposting
5422 @cindex excessive crossposting
5423 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5424 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5426 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5427 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5428 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5429 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5430 command understands the process/prefix convention
5431 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5435 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5436 Manual}, for more information.
5439 @node Summary Post Commands
5440 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5442 @cindex composing news
5444 Commands for posting a news article:
5450 @kindex S p (Summary)
5451 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5452 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5453 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5454 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5455 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5460 @kindex S f (Summary)
5461 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5462 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5463 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5467 @kindex S F (Summary)
5469 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5470 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5471 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5472 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5473 process/prefix convention.
5476 @kindex S n (Summary)
5477 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5478 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5479 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5482 @kindex S N (Summary)
5483 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5484 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5485 message through mail and include the original message
5486 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5487 the process/prefix convention.
5490 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5491 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5492 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5493 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5494 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5495 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5496 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5497 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5498 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5499 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5500 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5501 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5502 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5505 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5506 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5508 @cindex making digests
5509 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5510 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5511 process/prefix convention.
5514 @kindex S u (Summary)
5515 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5516 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5517 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5518 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5521 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5522 Manual}, for more information.
5525 @node Summary Message Commands
5526 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5530 @kindex S y (Summary)
5531 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5532 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5533 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5534 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5535 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5540 @node Canceling and Superseding
5541 @subsection Canceling Articles
5542 @cindex canceling articles
5543 @cindex superseding articles
5545 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5546 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5548 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5550 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5552 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5553 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5554 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5555 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5556 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5557 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5559 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5560 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5563 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5564 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5565 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5567 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5568 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5569 message, Message Manual}).
5571 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5572 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5573 your original article.
5575 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5577 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5578 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5579 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5582 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5583 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5584 have posted almost the same article twice.
5586 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5587 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5588 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5589 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5590 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5591 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5592 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5593 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5594 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5595 canceled/superseded.
5597 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5599 @node Delayed Articles
5600 @section Delayed Articles
5601 @cindex delayed sending
5602 @cindex send delayed
5604 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5605 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5606 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5607 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5610 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5613 @findex gnus-delay-article
5614 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5615 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5616 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5617 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5621 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5622 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5623 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5624 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5627 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5628 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5629 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5632 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5633 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5634 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5635 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5636 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5637 that means a time tomorrow.
5640 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5641 couple of variables:
5644 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5645 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5646 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5647 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5649 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5650 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5651 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5652 formats described above.
5654 @item gnus-delay-group
5655 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5656 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5657 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5658 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5660 @item gnus-delay-header
5661 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5662 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5663 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5664 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5667 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5668 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5669 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5670 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5671 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5673 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5674 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5675 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5676 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5677 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5678 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5679 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5682 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5683 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5684 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5685 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5686 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5687 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5688 argument is ignored.
5690 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5691 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5692 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5696 @node Marking Articles
5697 @section Marking Articles
5698 @cindex article marking
5699 @cindex article ticking
5702 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5704 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5705 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5706 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5708 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5711 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5715 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5716 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5717 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5718 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5719 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5720 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5724 @node Unread Articles
5725 @subsection Unread Articles
5727 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5732 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5733 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5735 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5736 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5737 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5738 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5739 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5740 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5741 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5744 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5745 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5747 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5748 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5749 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5750 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5754 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5755 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5757 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5762 @subsection Read Articles
5763 @cindex expirable mark
5765 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5770 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5771 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5772 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5775 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5776 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5779 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5780 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5781 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5784 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5785 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5788 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5789 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5792 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5793 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5796 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5797 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5800 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5801 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5804 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5805 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5808 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5809 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5813 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5814 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5815 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5819 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5820 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5822 One more special mark, though:
5826 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5827 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5829 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5830 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5831 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5832 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5838 @subsection Other Marks
5839 @cindex process mark
5842 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5848 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5849 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5850 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5851 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5852 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5855 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5856 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5857 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5858 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5861 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5862 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5863 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5866 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5867 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5868 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5871 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5872 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5873 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5874 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5877 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5878 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5879 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5880 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5881 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5882 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5885 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5886 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5887 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5888 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5891 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5892 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5893 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5894 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5895 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5899 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5900 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5901 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5902 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5903 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5904 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5907 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5908 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5909 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5910 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5911 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5912 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5916 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5917 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5918 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5919 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5920 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5923 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5924 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5925 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5926 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5927 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5928 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5932 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5933 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5934 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5936 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5937 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5938 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5942 @subsection Setting Marks
5943 @cindex setting marks
5945 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5950 @kindex M c (Summary)
5951 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5952 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5953 @cindex mark as unread
5954 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5955 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5961 @kindex M t (Summary)
5962 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5963 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5964 @xref{Article Caching}.
5969 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5970 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5971 Mark the current article as dormant
5972 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5976 @kindex M d (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5979 Mark the current article as read
5980 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5984 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5985 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5986 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5991 @kindex M k (Summary)
5992 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5993 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5994 and then select the next unread article
5995 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5999 @kindex M K (Summary)
6000 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6002 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6003 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6006 @kindex M C (Summary)
6007 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6008 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6009 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6012 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6013 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6014 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6015 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6018 @kindex M H (Summary)
6019 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6020 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6021 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6024 @kindex M h (Summary)
6025 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6026 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6027 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6030 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6031 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6032 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6033 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6036 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6037 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6038 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6039 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6043 @kindex M e (Summary)
6045 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6046 Mark the current article as expirable
6047 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6050 @kindex M b (Summary)
6051 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6052 Set a bookmark in the current article
6053 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6056 @kindex M B (Summary)
6057 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6058 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6059 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6062 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6063 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6064 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6065 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6068 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6069 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6070 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6071 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6074 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6075 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6076 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6077 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6078 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6081 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6082 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6083 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6084 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6085 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6086 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6087 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6088 The default is @code{t}.
6091 @node Generic Marking Commands
6092 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6094 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6095 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6096 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6097 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6098 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6101 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6102 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6105 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6106 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6107 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6108 to list in this manual.
6110 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6111 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6112 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6113 article, you could say something like:
6117 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6118 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6119 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6127 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6128 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6132 @node Setting Process Marks
6133 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6134 @cindex setting process marks
6136 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6137 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6138 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6139 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6140 commands into the cache. For more information,
6141 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6148 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6149 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6150 Mark the current article with the process mark
6151 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6152 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6156 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6157 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6158 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6159 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6162 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6163 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6164 Remove the process mark from all articles
6165 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6168 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6169 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6170 Invert the list of process marked articles
6171 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6174 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6175 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6176 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6177 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6180 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6181 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6182 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6183 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6186 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6187 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6188 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6191 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6193 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6196 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6197 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6198 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6199 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6202 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6203 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6204 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6205 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6208 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6209 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6210 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6211 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6214 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6215 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6216 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6219 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6220 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6221 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6222 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6225 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6226 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6227 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6230 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6231 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6232 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6233 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6236 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6237 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6238 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6239 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6242 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6243 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6244 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6245 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6248 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6249 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6250 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6251 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6255 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6256 set process marks based on article body contents.
6263 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6264 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6265 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6268 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6269 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6270 additional articles.
6276 @kindex / / (Summary)
6277 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6278 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6279 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6283 @kindex / a (Summary)
6284 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6285 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6286 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6290 @kindex / R (Summary)
6291 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6292 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6293 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6297 @kindex / x (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6299 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6300 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6301 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6306 @kindex / u (Summary)
6308 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6309 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6310 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6311 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6312 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6315 @kindex / m (Summary)
6316 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6317 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6318 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6321 @kindex / t (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6323 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6324 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6325 articles younger than that number of days.
6328 @kindex / n (Summary)
6329 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6330 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6331 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6332 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6335 @kindex / w (Summary)
6336 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6337 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6338 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6342 @kindex / . (Summary)
6343 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6344 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6345 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6348 @kindex / v (Summary)
6349 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6350 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6351 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6354 @kindex / p (Summary)
6355 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6356 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6357 group parameter predicate
6358 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6359 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6362 @kindex / r (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6364 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6365 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6370 @kindex M S (Summary)
6371 @kindex / E (Summary)
6372 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6373 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6374 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6377 @kindex / D (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6379 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6380 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6383 @kindex / * (Summary)
6384 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6385 Include all cached articles in the limit
6386 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6389 @kindex / d (Summary)
6390 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6391 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6392 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6395 @kindex / M (Summary)
6396 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6397 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6400 @kindex / T (Summary)
6401 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6402 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6405 @kindex / c (Summary)
6406 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6407 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6408 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6411 @kindex / C (Summary)
6412 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6413 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6414 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6415 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6418 @kindex / N (Summary)
6419 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6420 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6421 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6424 @kindex / o (Summary)
6425 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6426 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6427 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6435 @cindex article threading
6437 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6438 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6439 hierarchical fashion.
6441 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6442 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6443 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6444 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6445 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6446 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6447 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6449 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6453 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6456 A tree-like article structure.
6459 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6462 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6463 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6464 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6465 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6466 called loose threads.
6468 @item thread gathering
6469 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6471 @item sparse threads
6472 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6473 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6479 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6480 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6484 @node Customizing Threading
6485 @subsection Customizing Threading
6486 @cindex customizing threading
6489 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6490 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6491 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6492 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6497 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6500 @cindex loose threads
6503 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6504 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6505 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6506 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6507 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6508 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6510 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6511 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6512 There are four possible values:
6516 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6517 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6518 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6519 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6520 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6525 @cindex adopting articles
6530 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6531 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6532 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6533 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6536 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6537 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6538 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6539 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6540 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6541 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6542 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6543 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6544 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6545 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6548 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6549 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6550 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6554 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6555 display them after one another.
6558 Don't gather loose threads.
6561 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6562 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6563 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6564 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6565 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6566 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6567 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6568 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6569 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6570 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6571 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6573 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6574 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6575 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6578 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6579 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6580 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6581 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6582 simplification is used.
6584 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6585 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6586 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6587 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6589 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6591 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6597 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6598 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6599 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6600 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6605 (mapconcat 'identity
6606 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6608 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6611 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6614 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6615 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6616 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6617 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6618 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6619 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6621 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6624 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6625 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6626 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6628 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6629 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6632 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6633 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6634 Remove excessive whitespace.
6636 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6637 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6638 Remove all whitespace.
6641 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6644 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6645 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6646 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6647 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6648 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6649 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6650 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6651 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6653 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6654 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6655 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6656 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6657 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6658 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6659 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6660 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6661 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6665 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6666 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6667 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6668 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6670 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6671 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6672 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6675 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6679 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6680 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6686 @node Filling In Threads
6687 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6690 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6691 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6692 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6693 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6694 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6695 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6696 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6697 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6698 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6699 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6700 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6701 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6704 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6705 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6706 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6708 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6709 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6710 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6713 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6714 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6715 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6716 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6717 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6718 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6719 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6720 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6721 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6722 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6723 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6724 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6725 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6726 @code{nil} by default.
6728 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6729 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6730 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6731 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6732 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6733 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6734 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6736 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6737 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6738 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6743 @node More Threading
6744 @subsubsection More Threading
6747 @item gnus-show-threads
6748 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6749 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6750 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6751 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6752 slower and more awkward.
6754 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6755 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6756 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6759 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6760 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6761 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6766 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6767 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6768 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6771 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6772 unread, but you get my drift.)
6775 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6776 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6777 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6778 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6779 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6780 threads are expunged.
6782 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6783 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6784 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6787 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6788 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6789 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6790 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6791 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6792 result in a new thread.
6794 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6795 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6796 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6799 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6800 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6801 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6802 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6803 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6804 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6805 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6806 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6807 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6808 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6809 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6814 @node Low-Level Threading
6815 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6819 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6820 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6821 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6823 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6824 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6825 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6826 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6827 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6828 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6829 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6830 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6831 meaningful. Here's one example:
6834 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6836 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6837 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6839 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6841 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6848 @node Thread Commands
6849 @subsection Thread Commands
6850 @cindex thread commands
6856 @kindex T k (Summary)
6857 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6858 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6859 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6860 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6861 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6866 @kindex T l (Summary)
6867 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6868 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6869 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6870 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6873 @kindex T i (Summary)
6874 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6875 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6876 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6879 @kindex T # (Summary)
6880 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6881 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6882 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6885 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6886 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6887 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6888 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6891 @kindex T T (Summary)
6892 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6893 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6896 @kindex T s (Summary)
6897 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6898 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6899 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6902 @kindex T h (Summary)
6903 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6904 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6907 @kindex T S (Summary)
6908 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6909 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6912 @kindex T H (Summary)
6913 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6914 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6917 @kindex T t (Summary)
6918 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6919 Re-thread the current article's thread
6920 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6921 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6924 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6925 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6926 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6927 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6931 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6932 understand the numeric prefix.
6937 @kindex T n (Summary)
6939 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6941 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6942 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6943 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6946 @kindex T p (Summary)
6948 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6950 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6951 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6952 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6955 @kindex T d (Summary)
6956 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6957 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6960 @kindex T u (Summary)
6961 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6962 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6965 @kindex T o (Summary)
6966 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6967 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6970 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6971 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6972 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6973 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6974 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6975 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6976 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6977 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6978 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6979 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6980 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6981 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6985 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6986 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6988 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6989 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6990 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6991 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6992 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6993 @c @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
6994 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6995 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6996 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6997 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6998 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6999 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7000 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7001 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7002 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7004 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7005 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7006 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7007 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7008 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7009 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7010 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7011 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7013 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7014 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7015 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7017 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7018 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7019 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7020 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7021 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7022 ascending article order.
7024 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7025 by number, you could do something like:
7028 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7029 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7030 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7031 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7034 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7035 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7036 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7037 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7038 which the articles arrived.
7040 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7044 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7046 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7047 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7050 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7051 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7052 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7053 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7056 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7057 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7058 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7059 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7060 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7061 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7062 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7063 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7064 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7065 variable. It is very similar to the
7066 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7067 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7068 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7069 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7070 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7071 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7072 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7074 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7078 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7079 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7080 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7085 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7086 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7087 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7088 @cindex article pre-fetch
7091 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7092 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7093 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7094 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7095 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7097 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7098 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7100 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7101 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7102 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7103 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7104 connection is blocked.
7106 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7107 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7108 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7109 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7111 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7112 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7113 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7114 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7117 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7120 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7121 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7122 happen automatically.
7124 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7125 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7126 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7127 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7128 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7129 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7130 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7132 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7133 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7134 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7135 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7136 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7137 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7138 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7139 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7140 article data structure as the only parameter.
7142 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7143 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7146 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7147 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7148 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7149 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7152 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7155 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7156 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7157 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7159 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7160 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7161 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7162 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7166 Remove articles when they are read.
7169 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7172 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7174 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7175 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7176 @c from the next group.
7179 @node Article Caching
7180 @section Article Caching
7181 @cindex article caching
7184 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7185 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7186 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7187 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7188 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7190 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7192 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7193 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7194 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7195 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7196 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7197 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7198 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7199 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7201 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7202 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7203 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7204 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7205 as dormant, and don't worry.
7207 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7209 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7210 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7211 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7212 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7213 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7214 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7215 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7216 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7217 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7218 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7220 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7221 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7222 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7223 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7224 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7225 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7226 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7227 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7228 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7229 not then be downloaded by this command.
7231 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7232 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7233 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7234 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7235 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7236 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7238 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7239 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7240 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7241 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7242 variables, the group is not cached.
7244 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7245 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7246 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7247 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7248 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7249 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7250 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7251 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7252 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7255 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7256 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7257 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7258 where, isn't that cool?
7260 @node Persistent Articles
7261 @section Persistent Articles
7262 @cindex persistent articles
7264 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7265 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7266 useful in my opinion.
7268 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7269 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7270 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7271 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7272 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7273 the expiry going on at the news server.
7275 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7276 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7277 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7283 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7284 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7287 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7288 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7289 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7290 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7294 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7296 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7297 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7298 interested in persistent articles:
7301 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7305 @node Article Backlog
7306 @section Article Backlog
7308 @cindex article backlog
7310 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7311 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7312 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7313 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7314 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7315 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7316 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7317 increase memory usage some.
7319 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7320 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7321 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7322 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7323 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7324 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7325 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7327 The default value is 20.
7330 @node Saving Articles
7331 @section Saving Articles
7332 @cindex saving articles
7334 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7335 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7336 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7337 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7338 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7340 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7341 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7342 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7344 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7345 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7346 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7348 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7349 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7350 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7351 deleted before saving.
7357 @kindex O o (Summary)
7359 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7360 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7361 Save the current article using the default article saver
7362 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7365 @kindex O m (Summary)
7366 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7367 Save the current article in mail format
7368 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7371 @kindex O r (Summary)
7372 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7373 Save the current article in Rmail format
7374 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7377 @kindex O f (Summary)
7378 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7379 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7380 Save the current article in plain file format
7381 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7384 @kindex O F (Summary)
7385 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7386 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7387 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7390 @kindex O b (Summary)
7391 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7392 Save the current article body in plain file format
7393 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7396 @kindex O h (Summary)
7397 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7398 Save the current article in mh folder format
7399 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7402 @kindex O v (Summary)
7403 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7404 Save the current article in a VM folder
7405 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7409 @kindex O p (Summary)
7411 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7412 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7413 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7414 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7415 complete headers in the piped output.
7418 @kindex O P (Summary)
7419 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7420 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7421 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7422 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7423 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7424 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7425 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7429 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7430 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7431 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7432 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7433 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7434 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7435 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7436 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7437 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7438 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7439 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7440 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7444 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7445 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7446 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7447 functions below, or you can create your own.
7451 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7452 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7453 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7454 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7455 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7456 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7457 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7459 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7460 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7461 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7462 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7463 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7464 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7466 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7467 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7468 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7469 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7470 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7471 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7472 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7474 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7475 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7476 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7477 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7478 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7479 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7481 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7482 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7483 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7484 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7485 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7487 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7488 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7489 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7490 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7491 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7494 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7495 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7496 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7497 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7498 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7500 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7501 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7502 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7503 reader to use this setting.
7506 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7507 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7508 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7509 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7512 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7513 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7514 available functions that generate names:
7518 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7519 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7520 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7522 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7523 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7524 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7526 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7527 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7528 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7530 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7531 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7532 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7534 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7535 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7536 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7539 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7540 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7541 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7542 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7543 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7547 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7548 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7549 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7550 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7553 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7554 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7555 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7556 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7557 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7558 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7559 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7560 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7561 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7563 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7564 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7565 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7566 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7568 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7569 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7570 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7573 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7574 lots of mail groups called things like
7575 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7576 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7577 following will do just that:
7580 (defun my-save-name (group)
7581 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7582 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7584 (setq gnus-split-methods
7585 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7590 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7591 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7592 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7593 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7594 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7595 all the files in the top level directory
7596 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7597 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7598 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7599 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7601 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7602 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7603 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7604 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7605 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7608 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7612 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7613 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7614 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7617 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7618 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7619 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7620 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7623 @node Decoding Articles
7624 @section Decoding Articles
7625 @cindex decoding articles
7627 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7628 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7631 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7632 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7633 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7634 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7635 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7636 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7640 @cindex article series
7641 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7642 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7643 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7644 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7645 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7647 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7648 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7649 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7651 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7652 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7653 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7655 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7656 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7657 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7660 @node Uuencoded Articles
7661 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7663 @cindex uuencoded articles
7668 @kindex X u (Summary)
7669 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7670 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7671 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7674 @kindex X U (Summary)
7675 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7676 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7677 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7680 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7681 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7682 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7685 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7686 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7687 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7688 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7692 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7693 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7694 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7695 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7696 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7698 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7699 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7700 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7701 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7704 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7705 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7706 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7707 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7708 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7709 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7713 @node Shell Archives
7714 @subsection Shell Archives
7716 @cindex shell archives
7717 @cindex shared articles
7719 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7720 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7721 some commands to deal with these:
7726 @kindex X s (Summary)
7727 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7728 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7731 @kindex X S (Summary)
7732 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7733 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7736 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7737 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7738 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7741 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7742 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7743 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7744 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7748 @node PostScript Files
7749 @subsection PostScript Files
7755 @kindex X p (Summary)
7756 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7757 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7760 @kindex X P (Summary)
7761 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7762 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7763 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7766 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7767 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7768 View the current PostScript series
7769 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7772 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7773 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7774 View and save the current PostScript series
7775 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7780 @subsection Other Files
7784 @kindex X o (Summary)
7785 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7786 Save the current series
7787 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7790 @kindex X b (Summary)
7791 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7792 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7793 doesn't really work yet.
7797 @node Decoding Variables
7798 @subsection Decoding Variables
7800 Adjective, not verb.
7803 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7804 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7805 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7809 @node Rule Variables
7810 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7811 @cindex rule variables
7813 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7814 variables are of the form
7817 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7824 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7825 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7827 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7828 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7831 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7832 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7835 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7836 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7837 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7838 user and default view rules.
7840 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7841 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7842 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7847 @node Other Decode Variables
7848 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7851 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7853 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7854 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7855 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7856 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7857 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7861 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7862 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7865 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7866 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7867 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7870 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7871 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7872 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7873 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7874 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7877 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7878 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7879 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7881 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7882 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7883 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7884 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7885 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7888 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7889 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7890 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7892 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7893 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7894 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7895 looking for files to display.
7897 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7898 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7899 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7902 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7903 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7904 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7907 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7908 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7909 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7912 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7913 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7914 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7917 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7918 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7919 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7920 decoded articles as unread.
7922 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7923 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7924 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7925 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7927 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7928 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7929 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7931 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7932 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7934 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7935 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7936 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7937 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7939 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7940 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7941 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7942 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7943 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7944 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7945 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7946 simply dropped them.
7951 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7952 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7956 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7957 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7958 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7959 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7960 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7961 for you when you post the article.
7963 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7964 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7965 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7966 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7968 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7969 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7970 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7971 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7972 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7973 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7974 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7976 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7977 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7978 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7979 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7980 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7981 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7982 Default is @code{t}.
7988 @subsection Viewing Files
7989 @cindex viewing files
7990 @cindex pseudo-articles
7992 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7993 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7994 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7995 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7996 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7997 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7998 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8000 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8001 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8002 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8003 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8005 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8006 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8007 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8009 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8010 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8011 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8012 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8013 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8015 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8016 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8017 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8018 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8019 a list of parameters to that command.
8021 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8022 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8023 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8025 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8026 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8027 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8030 @node Article Treatment
8031 @section Article Treatment
8033 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8034 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8035 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8036 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8037 these articles easier.
8040 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8041 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8042 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8043 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8044 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8045 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8046 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8047 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8048 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8049 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8050 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8054 @node Article Highlighting
8055 @subsection Article Highlighting
8056 @cindex highlighting
8058 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8059 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8064 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8065 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8066 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8067 Do much highlighting of the current article
8068 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8069 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8072 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8073 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8074 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8075 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8076 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8077 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8078 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8079 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8080 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8081 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8082 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8083 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8086 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8087 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8088 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8090 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8093 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8095 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8096 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8097 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8099 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8100 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8101 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8103 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8104 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8105 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8106 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8107 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8108 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8110 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8111 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8112 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8114 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8115 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8116 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8118 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8119 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8120 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8121 that it's a citation.
8123 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8124 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8125 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8127 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8128 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8129 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8131 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8132 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8133 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8134 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8136 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8137 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8138 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8139 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8140 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8147 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8148 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8149 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8150 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8151 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8152 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8153 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8154 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8159 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8162 @node Article Fontisizing
8163 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8165 @cindex article emphasis
8167 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8168 @kindex W e (Summary)
8169 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8170 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8171 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8172 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8174 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8175 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8176 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8177 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8178 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8179 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8180 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8181 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8185 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8186 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8187 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8196 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8197 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8198 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8199 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8200 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8201 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8202 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8203 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8204 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8205 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8206 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8207 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8208 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8210 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8211 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8212 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8216 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8219 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8221 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8222 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8223 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8224 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8226 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8229 @node Article Hiding
8230 @subsection Article Hiding
8231 @cindex article hiding
8233 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8234 too much cruft in most articles.
8239 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8240 @findex gnus-article-hide
8241 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8242 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8243 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8246 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8247 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8248 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8252 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8253 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8254 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8255 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8258 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8259 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8260 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8264 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8265 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8266 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8267 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8268 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8269 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8270 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8271 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8275 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8276 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8277 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8278 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8283 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8284 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8285 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8286 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8289 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8290 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8291 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8292 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8295 @cindex stripping advertisements
8296 @cindex advertisements
8297 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8298 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8299 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8300 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8301 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8302 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8303 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8304 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8305 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8306 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8309 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8310 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8311 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8315 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8316 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8317 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8318 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8319 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8320 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8321 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8322 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8323 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8324 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8325 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8328 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8329 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8335 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8336 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8337 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8338 customizing the hiding:
8342 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8343 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8344 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8345 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8346 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8347 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8348 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8353 Starting point of the hidden text.
8355 Ending point of the hidden text.
8357 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8359 Number of lines of hidden text.
8362 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8363 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8364 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8365 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8366 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8371 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8372 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8374 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8375 following two variables:
8378 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8379 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8380 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8381 50), hide the cited text.
8383 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8384 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8385 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8390 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8391 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8392 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8393 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8394 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8395 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8399 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8400 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8401 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8403 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8404 citation customization.
8406 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8410 @node Article Washing
8411 @subsection Article Washing
8413 @cindex article washing
8415 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8416 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8418 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8419 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8422 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8423 articles by default.
8428 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8429 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8433 Force redisplaying of the current article
8434 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8435 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8436 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8437 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8440 @kindex W l (Summary)
8441 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8442 Remove page breaks from the current article
8443 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8447 @kindex W r (Summary)
8448 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8449 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8450 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8451 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8452 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8453 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8455 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8456 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8457 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8458 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8461 @kindex W m (Summary)
8462 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8463 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8466 @kindex W i (Summary)
8467 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8468 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8469 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8470 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8471 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8472 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8477 @kindex W t (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8480 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8481 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8484 @kindex W v (Summary)
8485 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8486 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8487 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8490 @kindex W o (Summary)
8491 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8492 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8495 @kindex W d (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8497 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8499 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8501 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8502 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8503 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8504 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8507 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8508 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8509 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8510 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8513 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8514 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8515 @cindex Outlook Express
8516 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8517 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8518 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8521 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8522 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8523 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8524 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8525 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8526 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8527 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8528 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8529 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8530 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8533 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8534 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8535 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8536 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8539 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8540 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8541 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8542 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8545 @kindex W w (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8547 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8549 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8553 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8554 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8555 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8558 @kindex W C (Summary)
8559 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8560 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8561 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8564 @kindex W c (Summary)
8565 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8566 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8567 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8568 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8569 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8572 @kindex W q (Summary)
8573 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8574 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8575 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8576 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8577 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8578 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8579 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8580 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8581 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8584 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8585 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8586 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8587 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8588 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8589 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8590 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8591 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8594 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8595 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8596 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8597 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8598 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8601 @kindex W A (Summary)
8602 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8603 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8604 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8605 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8606 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8609 @kindex W u (Summary)
8610 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8611 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8612 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8613 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8614 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8617 @kindex W h (Summary)
8618 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8619 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8620 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8621 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8623 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8625 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8626 The default is to use the function specified by
8627 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8628 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8629 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8630 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8638 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8641 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8644 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8647 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8652 @kindex W b (Summary)
8653 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8654 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8655 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8658 @kindex W B (Summary)
8659 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8660 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8661 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8664 @kindex W p (Summary)
8665 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8666 Verify a signed control message
8667 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8668 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8669 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8670 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8671 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8672 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8675 @kindex W s (Summary)
8676 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8677 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8678 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8679 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8682 @kindex W a (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8684 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8685 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8688 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8689 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8690 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8691 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8694 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8695 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8696 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8697 lines with a single empty line.
8698 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8701 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8702 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8703 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8704 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8707 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8708 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8709 Do all the three commands above
8710 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8713 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8714 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8715 Remove all blank lines
8716 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8719 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8720 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8721 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8722 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8725 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8727 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8728 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8732 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8735 @node Article Header
8736 @subsection Article Header
8738 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8743 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8744 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8745 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8748 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8749 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8750 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8751 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8754 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8755 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8756 Fold all the message headers
8757 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8760 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8761 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8762 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8763 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8768 @node Article Buttons
8769 @subsection Article Buttons
8772 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8773 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8774 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8775 button on these references.
8777 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8778 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8779 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8780 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8781 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8785 @item gnus-button-alist
8786 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8787 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8790 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8796 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8797 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8798 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8799 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8800 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8803 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8804 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8805 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8808 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8809 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8810 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8811 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8812 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8814 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8817 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8820 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8821 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8825 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8828 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8831 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8832 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8833 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8834 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8835 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8838 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8841 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8844 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8847 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8848 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8850 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8852 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8853 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8854 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8855 default values of the variables above.
8857 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8859 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8860 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8861 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8862 argument with a string naming the man page.
8864 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8866 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8867 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8868 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8870 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8871 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8872 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8873 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8874 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8875 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8876 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8877 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8878 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8879 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8880 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8881 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8883 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8884 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8885 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8886 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8887 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8890 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8891 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8892 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8893 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8895 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8897 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8898 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8899 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8900 argument, the string naming the URL.
8903 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8904 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8905 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8909 @item gnus-article-button-face
8910 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8911 Face used on buttons.
8913 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8914 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8915 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8919 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8922 @node Article Button Levels
8923 @subsection Article button levels
8924 @cindex button levels
8925 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8926 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8927 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8928 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8929 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8930 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8931 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8932 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8935 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8936 (setq gnus-parameters
8937 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8938 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8939 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8944 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8945 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8946 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8947 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8948 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8949 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8951 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8952 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8953 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8954 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8955 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8956 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8957 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8958 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8959 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8960 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8961 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8962 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8963 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8965 @item gnus-button-man-level
8966 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8967 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8968 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8970 @item gnus-button-message-level
8971 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8972 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8973 Related variables and functions include
8974 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8975 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8976 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8977 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8979 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8980 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8981 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8982 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8983 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8984 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8985 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8991 @subsection Article Date
8993 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8994 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8995 when the article was sent.
9000 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9001 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9002 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9003 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9006 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9007 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9009 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9010 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9013 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9014 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9015 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9018 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9019 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9020 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9021 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9024 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9025 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9026 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9027 @findex format-time-string
9028 Display the date using a user-defined format
9029 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9030 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9031 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9032 for a list of possible format specs.
9035 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9036 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9037 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9038 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9039 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9040 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9043 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9046 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9047 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9048 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9051 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9052 into wonderful absurdities.
9054 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9057 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9060 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9061 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9065 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9066 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9067 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9068 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9069 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9070 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9071 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9075 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9076 preferred format automatically.
9079 @node Article Display
9080 @subsection Article Display
9085 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9086 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9088 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9089 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9091 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9092 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9094 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9095 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9097 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9098 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9100 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9105 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9106 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9107 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9108 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9111 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9112 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9113 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9114 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9117 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9118 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9119 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9122 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9123 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9124 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9127 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9128 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9129 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9130 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9133 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9134 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9135 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9136 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9139 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9140 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9141 Remove all images from the article buffer
9142 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9148 @node Article Signature
9149 @subsection Article Signature
9151 @cindex article signature
9153 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9154 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9155 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9156 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9157 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9158 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9159 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9160 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9161 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9164 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9165 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9166 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9167 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9168 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9169 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9170 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9171 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9174 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9177 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9178 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9179 signature when displaying articles.
9183 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9186 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9189 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9190 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9192 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9193 in question is not a signature.
9196 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9197 listed above. Here's an example:
9200 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9201 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9204 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9205 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9206 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9207 signature after all.
9210 @node Article Miscellanea
9211 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9215 @kindex A t (Summary)
9216 @findex gnus-article-babel
9217 Translate the article from one language to another
9218 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9224 @section MIME Commands
9225 @cindex MIME decoding
9227 @cindex viewing attachments
9229 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9230 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9236 @kindex K v (Summary)
9237 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9240 @kindex K o (Summary)
9241 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9244 @kindex K c (Summary)
9245 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9248 @kindex K e (Summary)
9249 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9252 @kindex K i (Summary)
9253 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9256 @kindex K | (Summary)
9257 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9260 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9265 @kindex K b (Summary)
9266 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9267 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9271 @kindex K m (Summary)
9272 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9273 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9274 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9275 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9276 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9279 @kindex X m (Summary)
9280 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9281 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9282 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9283 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9286 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9287 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9288 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9289 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9292 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9293 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9294 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9295 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9298 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9299 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9300 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9301 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9303 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9304 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9305 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9306 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9307 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9308 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9311 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9312 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9313 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9314 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9321 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9322 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9323 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9324 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9327 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9330 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9334 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9335 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9336 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9337 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9338 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9339 default is @code{nil}.
9341 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9342 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9343 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9344 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9345 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9346 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9347 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9349 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9350 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9351 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9352 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9353 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9354 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9355 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9356 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9358 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9359 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9360 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9361 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9362 displayed. This variable overrides
9363 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9364 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9367 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9368 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9369 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9371 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9372 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9373 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9374 default value is @code{nil}.
9376 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9377 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9378 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9379 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9380 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9381 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9382 save all jpegs into some directory).
9384 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9387 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9388 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9390 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9391 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9392 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9393 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9394 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9397 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9398 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9399 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9401 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9402 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9403 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9405 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9406 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9407 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9409 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9410 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} in @ref{Display Customization,
9411 Display Customization, , emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}. Images or
9412 other material inside a "multipart/related" part might be overlooked
9413 when this variable is @code{nil}.
9415 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9416 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9417 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9418 overrides @code{nil} values of
9419 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9420 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9422 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9423 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9424 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9425 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9427 Ready-made functions include@*
9428 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9429 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9430 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9431 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9432 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9433 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9434 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9435 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9436 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9437 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9438 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9439 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9441 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9442 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9444 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9445 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9446 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9449 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9450 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9451 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9452 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9456 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9465 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9466 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9467 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9468 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9469 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9470 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9471 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9473 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9474 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9475 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9476 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9478 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9479 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9480 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9481 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9482 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9483 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9484 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9485 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9486 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9488 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9489 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9490 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9491 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9492 quoted-printable header encoding.
9494 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9495 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9496 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9500 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9503 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9504 means encode all charsets),
9506 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9507 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9508 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9515 @cindex coding system aliases
9516 @cindex preferred charset
9518 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9519 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9520 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9522 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9524 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9525 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9528 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9529 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9532 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9533 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9535 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9538 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9541 This will almost do the right thing.
9543 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9547 (codepage-setup 1251)
9548 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9552 @node Article Commands
9553 @section Article Commands
9560 @kindex A P (Summary)
9561 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9562 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9563 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9564 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9565 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9566 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9571 @node Summary Sorting
9572 @section Summary Sorting
9573 @cindex summary sorting
9575 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9576 can't really see why you'd want that.
9581 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9582 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9583 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9586 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9587 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9588 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9591 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9592 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9593 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9596 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9597 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9598 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9601 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9603 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9606 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9607 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9608 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9611 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9612 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9613 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9616 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9617 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9618 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9621 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9622 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9623 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9626 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9627 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9628 Sort using the default sorting method
9629 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9632 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9633 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9634 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9635 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9636 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9640 @node Finding the Parent
9641 @section Finding the Parent
9642 @cindex parent articles
9643 @cindex referring articles
9648 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9649 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9650 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9651 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9652 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9653 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9654 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9655 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9656 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9658 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9659 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9660 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9661 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9662 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9666 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9667 @kindex A R (Summary)
9668 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9669 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9672 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9673 @kindex A T (Summary)
9674 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9675 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9676 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9677 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9678 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9679 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9680 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9682 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9683 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9684 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9685 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9686 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9687 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9690 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9691 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9693 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9694 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9695 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9696 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9697 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9698 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9699 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9702 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9703 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9704 by giving this command a prefix.
9706 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9707 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9708 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9709 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9710 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9711 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9714 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9715 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9716 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9719 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9720 then ask Google if that fails:
9723 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9725 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9728 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9729 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9730 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9731 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9732 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9733 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9734 not support this at all.
9737 @node Alternative Approaches
9738 @section Alternative Approaches
9740 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9741 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9744 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9745 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9750 @subsection Pick and Read
9751 @cindex pick and read
9753 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9754 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9755 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9756 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9758 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9759 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9760 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9761 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9762 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9763 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9765 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9770 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9771 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9772 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9773 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9774 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9775 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9776 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9777 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9780 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9781 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9782 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9783 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9787 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9788 Unpick the thread or article
9789 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9790 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9791 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9792 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9793 the thread or article at that line.
9797 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9798 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9799 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9800 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9801 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9802 will still be visible when you are reading.
9806 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9807 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9808 which is mapped to the same function
9809 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9811 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9814 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9817 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9818 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9820 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9821 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9822 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9824 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9825 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9826 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9827 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9828 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9829 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9830 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9834 @subsection Binary Groups
9835 @cindex binary groups
9837 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9838 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9839 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9840 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9841 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9842 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9843 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9846 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9847 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9848 command, when you have turned on this mode
9849 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9851 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9852 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9856 @section Tree Display
9859 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9860 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9861 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9862 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9865 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9868 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9869 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9870 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9872 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9873 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9874 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9875 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9876 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9878 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9879 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9880 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9881 default is @code{modeline}.
9883 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9884 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9885 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9886 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9887 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9888 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9889 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9895 The name of the poster.
9897 The @code{From} header.
9899 The number of the article.
9901 The opening bracket.
9903 The closing bracket.
9908 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9910 Variables related to the display are:
9913 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9914 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9915 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9916 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9918 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9919 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9920 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9922 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9924 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9925 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9926 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9927 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9931 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9932 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9933 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9934 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9935 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9936 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9937 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9938 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9939 other windows displayed next to it.
9941 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9945 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9946 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9949 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9950 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9951 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9952 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9953 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9954 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9955 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9959 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9962 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9972 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9977 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9978 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9980 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9982 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9988 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9989 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9990 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9993 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9994 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9995 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9996 (gnus-add-configuration
10000 (summary 0.75 point)
10005 @xref{Window Layout}.
10008 @node Mail Group Commands
10009 @section Mail Group Commands
10010 @cindex mail group commands
10012 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10013 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10015 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10016 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10021 @kindex B e (Summary)
10022 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10023 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10024 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10025 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10026 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10029 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10030 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10031 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10032 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10033 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10034 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10037 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10038 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10039 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10040 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10041 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10042 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10045 @kindex B m (Summary)
10047 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10048 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10049 Move the article from one mail group to another
10050 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10051 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10054 @kindex B c (Summary)
10056 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10057 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10058 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10059 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10060 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10063 @kindex B B (Summary)
10064 @cindex crosspost mail
10065 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10066 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10067 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10068 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10069 be properly updated.
10072 @kindex B i (Summary)
10073 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10074 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10075 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10076 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10079 @kindex B I (Summary)
10080 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10081 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10082 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10083 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10086 @kindex B r (Summary)
10087 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10088 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10089 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10090 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10091 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10092 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10093 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10094 (which is the default).
10098 @kindex B w (Summary)
10099 @kindex e (Summary)
10100 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10101 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10102 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10103 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10104 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10105 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10106 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10109 @kindex B q (Summary)
10110 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10111 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10112 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10113 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10116 @kindex B t (Summary)
10117 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10118 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10119 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10122 @kindex B p (Summary)
10123 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10124 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10125 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10126 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10127 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10128 article from your news server (or rather, from
10129 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10130 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10131 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10132 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10133 just not have arrived yet.
10136 @kindex K E (Summary)
10137 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10138 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10139 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10140 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10141 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10145 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10146 @cindex moving articles
10147 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10148 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10149 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10150 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10151 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10152 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10153 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10156 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10157 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10158 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10159 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10163 @node Various Summary Stuff
10164 @section Various Summary Stuff
10167 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10168 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10169 * Summary Generation Commands::
10170 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10174 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10175 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10176 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10177 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10178 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10179 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10181 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10182 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10183 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10186 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10187 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10188 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10190 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10191 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10192 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10193 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10194 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10195 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10198 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10199 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10200 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10201 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10202 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10204 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10205 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10206 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10209 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10210 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10211 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10212 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10213 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10214 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10215 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10216 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10217 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10218 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10220 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10221 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10222 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10223 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10224 list of articles to be selected.
10226 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10227 the list in one particular group:
10230 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10231 (if (string= group "some.group")
10232 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10236 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10237 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10238 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10239 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10240 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10243 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10244 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10245 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10246 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10247 variable will be used instead.
10249 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10250 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10251 buffers. For example:
10254 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10255 '(message-use-followup-to
10256 (gnus-visible-headers .
10257 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10260 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10264 @node Summary Group Information
10265 @subsection Summary Group Information
10270 @kindex H f (Summary)
10271 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10272 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10273 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10274 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10275 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10276 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10277 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10278 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10279 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10282 @kindex H d (Summary)
10283 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10284 Give a brief description of the current group
10285 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10286 rereading the description from the server.
10289 @kindex H h (Summary)
10290 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10291 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10292 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10295 @kindex H i (Summary)
10296 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10297 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10301 @node Searching for Articles
10302 @subsection Searching for Articles
10307 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10308 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10309 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10310 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10313 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10314 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10315 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10316 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10319 @kindex & (Summary)
10320 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10321 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10322 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10323 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10324 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10325 search backward instead.
10327 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10328 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10331 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10332 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10333 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10334 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10337 @node Summary Generation Commands
10338 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10343 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10344 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10345 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10348 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10349 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10350 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10351 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10354 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10355 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10356 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10357 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10362 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10363 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10369 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10370 @kindex A D (Summary)
10371 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10372 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10373 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10374 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10375 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10376 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10377 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10378 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10382 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10383 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10384 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10385 several documents into one biiig group
10386 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10387 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10388 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10389 command understands the process/prefix convention
10390 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10393 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10394 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10395 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10396 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10397 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10398 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10401 @kindex = (Summary)
10402 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10403 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10404 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10407 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10408 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10409 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10410 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10413 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10414 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10415 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10416 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10421 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10422 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10423 @cindex summary exit
10424 @cindex exiting groups
10426 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10427 group and return you to the group buffer.
10434 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10435 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10436 @kindex q (Summary)
10437 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10438 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10439 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10440 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10441 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10442 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10443 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10444 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10445 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10446 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10447 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10448 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10452 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10453 @kindex Q (Summary)
10454 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10455 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10456 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10460 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10461 @kindex c (Summary)
10462 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10463 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10464 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10465 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10468 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10469 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10470 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10471 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10474 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10475 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10476 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10477 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10481 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10482 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10483 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10484 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10485 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10486 all articles, both read and unread.
10490 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10491 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10492 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10493 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10494 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10495 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10496 articles, both read and unread.
10499 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10500 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10501 Exit the group and go to the next group
10502 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10505 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10506 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10507 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10508 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10511 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10512 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10513 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10514 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10515 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10516 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10519 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10520 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10521 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10522 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10524 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10525 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10526 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10527 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10528 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10529 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10530 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10531 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10532 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10533 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10534 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10535 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10537 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10539 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10540 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10541 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10542 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10543 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10544 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10545 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10546 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10547 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10550 @node Crosspost Handling
10551 @section Crosspost Handling
10555 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10556 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10557 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10558 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10559 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10560 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10563 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10564 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10565 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10566 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10567 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10569 @cindex cross-posting
10571 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10572 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10573 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10574 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10575 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10576 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10577 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10578 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10579 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10580 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10581 the cross reference mechanism.
10583 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10584 @cindex overview.fmt
10585 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10586 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10587 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10588 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10589 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10590 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10593 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10594 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10595 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10600 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10603 @node Duplicate Suppression
10604 @section Duplicate Suppression
10606 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10607 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10608 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10609 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10614 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10615 is evil and not very common.
10618 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10619 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10622 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10623 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10626 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10629 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10630 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10632 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10633 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10634 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10635 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10636 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10637 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10638 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10641 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10642 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10643 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10644 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10645 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10646 saw the article in.
10649 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10650 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10651 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10653 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10654 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10655 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10656 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10657 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10658 session are suppressed.
10660 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10661 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10662 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10663 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10665 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10666 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10667 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10668 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10671 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10672 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10673 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10674 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10675 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10676 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10677 to you to figure out, I think.
10682 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10683 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10684 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10689 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10690 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10691 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10692 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10695 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10696 or newer is recommended.
10700 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10701 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10704 @item mm-verify-option
10705 @vindex mm-verify-option
10706 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10707 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10708 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10710 @item mm-decrypt-option
10711 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10712 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10713 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10714 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10717 @vindex mml1991-use
10718 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10719 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10720 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10724 @vindex mml2015-use
10725 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10726 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10727 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10732 @cindex snarfing keys
10733 @cindex importing PGP keys
10734 @cindex PGP key ring import
10735 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10736 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10737 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10738 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10739 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10740 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10741 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10742 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10743 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10746 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10749 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10750 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10753 @section Mailing List
10754 @cindex mailing list
10757 @kindex A M (summary)
10758 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10759 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10760 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10761 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10764 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10769 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10770 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10771 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10774 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10775 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10776 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10779 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10780 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10781 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10785 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10786 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10787 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10790 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10791 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10792 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10795 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10796 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10797 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10802 @node Article Buffer
10803 @chapter Article Buffer
10804 @cindex article buffer
10806 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10807 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10808 tell Gnus otherwise.
10811 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10812 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10813 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10814 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10815 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10819 @node Hiding Headers
10820 @section Hiding Headers
10821 @cindex hiding headers
10822 @cindex deleting headers
10824 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10825 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10827 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10828 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10829 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10830 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10831 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10832 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10833 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10834 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10835 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10837 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10841 @item gnus-visible-headers
10842 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10843 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10844 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10845 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10847 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10848 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10851 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10854 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10857 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10858 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10859 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10860 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10861 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10862 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10864 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10865 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10868 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10871 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10874 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10875 variable will have no effect.
10879 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10880 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10881 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10882 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10883 the headers are to be displayed.
10885 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10886 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10889 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10892 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10893 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10895 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10896 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10897 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10898 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10899 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10900 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10901 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10904 These conditions are:
10907 Remove all empty headers.
10909 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10910 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10912 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10913 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10916 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10919 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10920 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10922 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10923 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10925 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10926 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10928 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10931 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10933 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10936 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10939 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10940 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10943 This is also the default value for this variable.
10947 @section Using MIME
10948 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10950 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10951 while people stand around yawning.
10953 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10954 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10956 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10957 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10958 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10960 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10961 @findex gnus-display-mime
10962 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10963 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10964 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10965 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
10967 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10968 @acronym{MIME} button:
10971 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10972 @item RET (Article)
10973 @kindex RET (Article)
10974 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10975 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
10976 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
10977 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10978 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10979 object is displayed inline.
10981 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10982 @item M-RET (Article)
10983 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10985 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10986 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10988 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10990 @kindex t (Article)
10991 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
10992 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10994 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10996 @kindex C (Article)
10997 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10998 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
11000 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
11002 @kindex o (Article)
11003 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
11004 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
11006 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
11007 @item C-o (Article)
11008 @kindex C-o (Article)
11009 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
11010 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
11011 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
11012 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
11013 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
11014 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
11016 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
11018 @kindex d (Article)
11019 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
11020 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
11021 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
11023 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11025 @kindex c (Article)
11026 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11027 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
11028 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
11029 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
11030 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11031 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11032 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11033 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11035 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11037 @kindex p (Article)
11038 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11039 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11040 @file{.mailcap} file.
11042 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11044 @kindex i (Article)
11045 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11046 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
11047 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11048 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11049 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11050 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
11051 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
11052 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
11053 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11055 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11057 @kindex E (Article)
11058 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11059 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11060 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11062 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11064 @kindex e (Article)
11065 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11066 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11068 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11070 @kindex | (Article)
11071 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11073 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11075 @kindex . (Article)
11076 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11077 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11081 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11082 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11083 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11085 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11086 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11087 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11088 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11089 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11090 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11091 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11092 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11093 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11095 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11097 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11100 @node Customizing Articles
11101 @section Customizing Articles
11102 @cindex article customization
11104 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11105 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11106 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11107 called automatically when you select the articles.
11109 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11110 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11111 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11112 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11114 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11115 for sensible values.
11119 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11122 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11125 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11128 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
11131 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11135 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11136 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11137 regexps in the list.
11140 A list where the first element is not a string:
11142 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11143 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11144 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11148 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11153 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11154 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11155 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11156 considered to contain just a single part.
11158 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11159 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11160 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11161 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11162 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11163 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11164 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11166 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11167 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11168 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11169 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11172 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11173 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11175 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11177 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11178 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11179 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11180 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11181 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11182 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11183 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11184 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11185 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11186 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11188 @xref{Article Washing}.
11190 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11191 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11192 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11193 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11194 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11195 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11196 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11198 @xref{Article Date}.
11200 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11201 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11202 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11206 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11208 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11210 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11211 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11212 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11216 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11220 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11224 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11225 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11226 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11227 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11228 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11229 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11230 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11231 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11232 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11233 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11235 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11237 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11238 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11239 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11241 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11243 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11244 @item gnus-treat-translate
11245 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11246 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11248 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11249 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11250 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11251 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11253 @xref{Article Header}.
11258 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11259 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11260 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11261 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11262 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11266 @node Article Keymap
11267 @section Article Keymap
11269 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11270 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11271 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11272 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11275 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11280 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11281 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11282 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11283 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11286 @kindex DEL (Article)
11287 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11288 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11289 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11292 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11293 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11294 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11295 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11296 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11299 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11300 @findex gnus-article-mail
11301 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11302 given a prefix, include the mail.
11305 @kindex s (Article)
11306 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11307 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11308 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11311 @kindex ? (Article)
11312 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11313 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11314 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11317 @kindex TAB (Article)
11318 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11319 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11320 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11323 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11324 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11325 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11328 @kindex R (Article)
11329 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11330 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11331 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11332 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11336 @kindex F (Article)
11337 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11338 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11339 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11340 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11348 @section Misc Article
11352 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11353 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11354 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11355 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11358 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11359 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11360 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11361 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11362 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11364 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11365 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11366 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11367 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11368 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11369 the contents of the article buffer.
11371 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11372 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11373 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11375 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11376 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11377 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11378 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11380 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11381 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11382 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11383 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11385 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11386 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11387 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11388 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11389 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11390 with two extensions:
11395 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11396 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11397 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11402 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11405 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11408 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11409 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11410 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11413 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11416 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11419 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11424 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11428 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11430 @item gnus-break-pages
11431 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11432 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11433 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11434 paging will not be done.
11436 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11437 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11438 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11442 @cindex internationalized domain names
11443 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11444 @item gnus-use-idna
11445 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11446 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11447 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11448 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11449 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11450 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11455 @node Composing Messages
11456 @chapter Composing Messages
11457 @cindex composing messages
11460 @cindex sending mail
11465 @cindex using s/mime
11466 @cindex using smime
11468 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11469 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11470 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11471 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11472 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11473 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11476 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11477 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11478 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11479 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11480 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11481 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11482 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11483 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11484 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11487 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11488 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11494 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11497 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11498 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11499 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11500 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11501 @code{nil} include all headers.
11503 @item gnus-add-to-list
11504 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11505 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11506 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11508 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11509 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11510 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11511 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11512 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11513 confirmation is should be asked for.
11515 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11516 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11518 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11519 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11520 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11521 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11522 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11527 @node Posting Server
11528 @section Posting Server
11530 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11531 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11533 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11535 It can be quite complicated.
11537 @vindex gnus-post-method
11538 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11539 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11540 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11541 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11542 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11543 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11544 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11545 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11546 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11549 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11552 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11553 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11554 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11555 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11557 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11558 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11560 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11561 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11564 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11565 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11567 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11568 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11569 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11570 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11571 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11572 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11573 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11574 package correctly. An example:
11577 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11578 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11581 To the thing similar to this, there is
11582 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11583 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11584 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11586 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11587 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11588 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11590 @node POP before SMTP
11591 @section POP before SMTP
11592 @cindex pop before smtp
11593 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11594 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11596 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11597 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11598 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11599 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11600 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11603 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11604 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11608 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11609 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11610 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11611 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11612 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11613 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11614 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11615 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11617 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11618 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11619 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11620 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11621 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11622 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11625 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11626 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11627 :password "secret"))
11631 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11632 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11635 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11637 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11638 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11639 :password "secret")))
11640 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11643 @node Mail and Post
11644 @section Mail and Post
11646 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11650 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11651 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11652 @cindex mailing lists
11654 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11655 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11656 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11657 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11658 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11659 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11660 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11661 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11662 still a pain, though.
11664 @item gnus-user-agent
11665 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11668 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11669 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11670 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11671 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11672 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11673 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11674 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11678 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11679 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11680 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11683 @findex ispell-message
11685 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11688 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11689 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11692 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11696 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11697 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11699 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11702 Modify to suit your needs.
11705 @node Archived Messages
11706 @section Archived Messages
11707 @cindex archived messages
11708 @cindex sent messages
11710 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11711 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11712 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11713 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11716 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11717 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11720 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11721 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11722 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11725 (nnfolder "archive"
11726 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11727 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11728 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11729 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11732 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11733 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11734 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11735 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11738 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11739 '(nnfolder "archive"
11740 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11741 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11742 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11745 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11747 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11748 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11749 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11751 This variable can be used to do the following:
11755 Messages will be saved in that group.
11757 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11758 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11759 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11760 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11761 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11762 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11763 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11764 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11767 @item a list of strings
11768 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11770 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11771 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11774 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11779 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11781 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11784 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11786 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11789 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11791 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11792 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11793 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11794 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11797 More complex stuff:
11799 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11800 '((if (message-news-p)
11805 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11806 messages in one file per month:
11809 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11810 '((if (message-news-p)
11812 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11815 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11816 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11818 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11819 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11820 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11821 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11822 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11823 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11824 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11825 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11826 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11827 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11829 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11830 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11831 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11832 this will disable archiving.
11835 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11836 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11837 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11838 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11839 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11842 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11843 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11844 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11847 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11848 but the latter is the preferred method.
11850 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11851 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11852 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11854 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11855 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11856 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11857 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11858 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11859 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11860 changed in the future.
11865 @node Posting Styles
11866 @section Posting Styles
11867 @cindex posting styles
11870 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11872 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11873 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11874 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11877 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11878 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11879 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11880 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11881 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11886 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11887 (organization "What me?"))
11889 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11890 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11891 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11894 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11895 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11896 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11897 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11898 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11899 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11900 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11901 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11903 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11904 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11905 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11906 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11907 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11908 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11909 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11910 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11911 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11912 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11913 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11914 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11915 said to @dfn{match}.
11917 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11918 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
11919 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
11920 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
11921 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
11922 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
11923 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
11924 name can be one of:
11927 @item @code{signature}
11928 @item @code{signature-file}
11929 @item @code{x-face-file}
11930 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11931 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11935 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11936 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11937 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11938 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11939 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11941 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11942 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11943 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11944 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11945 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11946 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11947 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11948 references chars lines xref extra.
11950 @vindex message-reply-headers
11952 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11953 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11954 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11956 @findex message-mail-p
11957 @findex message-news-p
11959 So here's a new example:
11962 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11964 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11966 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11967 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11969 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11970 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11971 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11972 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11973 (signature my-news-signature))
11974 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11975 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11976 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11977 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11978 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11979 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11980 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11981 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11982 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11983 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11985 (From (save-excursion
11986 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11987 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11989 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11992 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11993 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11994 if you fill many roles.
12001 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12002 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12003 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12004 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12005 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12007 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12008 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12009 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12010 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12011 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12015 @vindex nndraft-directory
12016 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12017 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12018 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12019 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12020 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12021 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12023 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12024 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12025 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12026 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12027 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12028 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12029 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12030 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12031 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12033 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12034 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12035 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12036 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12037 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12038 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12039 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12040 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12041 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12042 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12043 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12044 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12045 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12046 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12048 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12049 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12050 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12052 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12053 @kindex D e (Draft)
12054 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12055 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12056 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12058 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12061 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12062 @kindex D s (Draft)
12063 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12064 @kindex D S (Draft)
12065 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12066 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12067 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12068 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12069 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12072 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12073 @kindex D t (Draft)
12074 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12075 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12076 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12079 @node Rejected Articles
12080 @section Rejected Articles
12081 @cindex rejected articles
12083 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12084 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12085 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12086 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12088 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12089 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12090 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12091 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12092 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12094 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12095 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12096 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12098 @node Signing and encrypting
12099 @section Signing and encrypting
12101 @cindex using s/mime
12102 @cindex using smime
12104 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12105 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12106 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12107 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12109 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12110 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12111 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12112 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12113 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12114 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12115 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12116 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12117 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12118 automatically encrypted messages.
12120 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12121 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12122 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12127 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12128 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12130 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12133 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12134 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12136 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12139 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12140 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12142 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12145 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12146 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12148 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12151 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12152 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12154 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12157 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12158 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12160 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12163 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12164 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12165 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12169 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12171 @node Select Methods
12172 @chapter Select Methods
12173 @cindex foreign groups
12174 @cindex select methods
12176 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12177 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12178 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12179 personal mail group.
12181 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12182 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12183 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12184 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12185 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12186 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12188 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12189 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12191 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12194 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12195 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12196 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12197 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12198 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12200 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12203 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12204 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12205 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12206 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12207 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12208 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12209 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12210 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12214 @node Server Buffer
12215 @section Server Buffer
12217 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12218 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12219 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12220 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12221 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12222 back end represents a virtual server.
12224 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12225 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12226 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12227 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12229 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12230 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12231 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12232 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12233 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12234 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12235 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12237 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12238 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12241 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12242 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12243 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12244 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12245 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12246 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12247 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12250 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12251 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12254 @node Server Buffer Format
12255 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12256 @cindex server buffer format
12258 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12259 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12260 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12261 variable, with some simple extensions:
12266 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12269 The name of this server.
12272 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12275 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12278 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12279 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12280 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12281 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12291 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12294 @node Server Commands
12295 @subsection Server Commands
12296 @cindex server commands
12302 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12303 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12307 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12308 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12311 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12312 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12313 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12317 @findex gnus-server-exit
12318 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12322 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12323 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12327 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12328 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12332 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12333 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12337 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12338 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12342 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12343 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12344 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12349 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12350 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12351 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12352 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12357 @node Example Methods
12358 @subsection Example Methods
12360 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12363 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12366 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12372 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12373 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12376 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12377 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12379 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12380 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12384 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12387 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12388 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12390 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12391 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12392 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12396 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12399 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12402 Here's the method for a public spool:
12406 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12407 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12413 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12414 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12415 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12416 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12417 should probably look something like this:
12421 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12422 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12423 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12424 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12427 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12428 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12429 configuration to the example above:
12432 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12435 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12437 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12438 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12439 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12443 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12444 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12445 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12446 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12449 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12450 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12451 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12452 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12455 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12456 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12458 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12459 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12461 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12462 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12463 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12465 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12467 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12468 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12469 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12470 will contain the following:
12480 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12481 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12484 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12485 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12486 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12489 @node Server Variables
12490 @subsection Server Variables
12491 @cindex server variables
12492 @cindex server parameters
12494 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12495 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12496 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12497 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12498 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12500 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12501 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12502 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12503 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12504 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12505 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12506 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12507 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12508 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12512 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12513 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12514 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12517 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12519 @node Servers and Methods
12520 @subsection Servers and Methods
12522 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12523 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12524 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12525 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12529 @node Unavailable Servers
12530 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12532 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12533 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12534 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12535 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12536 actually the case or not.
12538 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12539 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12540 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12541 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12542 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12543 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12544 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12545 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12547 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12548 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12550 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12551 with the following commands:
12557 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12558 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12559 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12563 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12564 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12565 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12569 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12570 Mark the current server as unreachable
12571 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12574 @kindex M-o (Server)
12575 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12576 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12577 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12580 @kindex M-c (Server)
12581 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12582 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12583 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12587 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12588 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12589 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12593 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12594 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12600 @section Getting News
12601 @cindex reading news
12602 @cindex news back ends
12604 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12605 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12606 or it can read from a local spool.
12609 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12610 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12618 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12619 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12620 server as the, uhm, address.
12622 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12623 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12624 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12625 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12627 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12628 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12629 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12631 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12636 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12637 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12638 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12640 @cindex authentification
12641 @cindex nntp authentification
12642 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12643 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12644 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12645 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12646 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12647 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12648 present in this hook.
12650 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12651 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12652 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12653 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12654 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12655 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12656 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12657 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12658 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12659 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12660 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12661 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12665 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12668 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12670 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12671 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12672 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12673 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12674 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12675 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12676 @samp{force} is explained below.
12680 Here's an example file:
12683 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12684 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12687 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12688 have to be first, for instance.
12690 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12691 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12692 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12693 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12694 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12695 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12696 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12698 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12699 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12705 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12706 previously mentioned.
12708 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12710 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12711 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12712 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12713 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12714 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12717 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12718 '(("innd" (ding))))
12721 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12723 The default value is
12726 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12727 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12728 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12731 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12732 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12734 @item nntp-maximum-request
12735 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12736 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12737 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12738 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12739 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12740 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12741 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12743 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12744 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12745 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12746 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12747 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12748 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12749 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12750 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12751 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12752 no timeouts are done.
12754 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12755 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12756 @c @cindex PPP connections
12757 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12758 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12759 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12760 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12761 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12762 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12763 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12764 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12765 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12766 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12768 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12769 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12770 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12771 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12772 @c described above.
12774 @item nntp-server-hook
12775 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12776 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12779 @item nntp-buggy-select
12780 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12781 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12783 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12784 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12785 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12786 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12789 @item nntp-xover-commands
12790 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12791 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12793 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12794 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12798 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12799 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12800 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12801 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12802 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12803 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12804 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12805 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12806 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12807 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12808 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12810 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12811 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12812 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12814 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12815 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12816 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12817 server closes connection.
12819 @item nntp-record-commands
12820 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12821 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12822 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12823 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12824 that doesn't seem to work.
12826 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12827 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12828 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12829 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12830 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12831 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12832 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12833 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12835 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12836 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12837 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12838 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12839 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12840 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12841 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12844 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12847 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12848 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12850 @item nntp-read-timeout
12851 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12852 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12853 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12854 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12855 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12861 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12862 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12863 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12864 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
12868 @node Direct Functions
12869 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12870 @cindex direct connection functions
12872 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12873 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12874 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12875 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12878 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12879 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12880 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12883 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12884 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12885 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12886 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12887 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12890 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12891 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12893 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12894 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12895 (nntp-port-number )
12896 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12899 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12900 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12901 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12902 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12903 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12904 then define a server as follows:
12907 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12908 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12910 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12911 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12912 (nntp-port-number 563)
12913 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12916 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12917 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12918 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12919 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12920 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12921 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12922 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12923 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12927 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12928 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12929 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12932 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12933 session, which is not a good idea.
12937 @node Indirect Functions
12938 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12939 @cindex indirect connection functions
12941 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12942 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12943 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12944 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12945 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12946 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12949 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12950 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12951 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12952 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12953 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12955 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12958 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12959 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12960 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12961 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12963 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12964 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12965 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12966 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12967 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12968 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12969 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12970 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12974 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12975 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12977 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12978 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12979 Does essentially the same, but uses
12980 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} instead of @samp{telnet}
12981 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
12983 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
12986 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
12987 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
12988 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
12989 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
12990 programs like @uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html,
12993 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
12994 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
12995 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12996 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
12998 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12999 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13000 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13001 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13003 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13004 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13005 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13006 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
13009 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13010 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13011 Does essentially also the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13012 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13014 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13017 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13018 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13019 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13022 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13023 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13024 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13025 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13027 @item nntp-via-user-password
13028 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13029 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13031 @item nntp-via-envuser
13032 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13033 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13034 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13035 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13037 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13038 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13039 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13040 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13044 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13045 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13049 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13054 @item nntp-via-user-name
13055 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13056 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13058 @item nntp-via-address
13059 @vindex nntp-via-address
13060 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13065 @node Common Variables
13066 @subsubsection Common Variables
13068 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13069 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13074 @item nntp-pre-command
13075 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13076 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13077 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13078 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
13079 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13082 @vindex nntp-address
13083 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13085 @item nntp-port-number
13086 @vindex nntp-port-number
13087 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13088 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13089 @acronym{tls}/@acronym{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13090 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13091 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13092 not work with named ports.
13094 @item nntp-end-of-line
13095 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13096 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13097 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13098 using a non native telnet connection function.
13100 @item nntp-telnet-command
13101 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13102 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13103 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13104 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13107 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13108 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13109 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13115 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13116 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13118 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13119 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13120 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13121 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13122 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13123 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13124 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13125 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13127 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13128 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13129 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13130 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13131 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13133 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13134 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13135 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13136 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13137 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13138 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13139 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13141 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13142 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13143 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13149 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13150 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13151 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13152 default is @code{nil}.
13154 @item nntp-marks-directory
13155 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13156 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13162 @subsection News Spool
13166 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13167 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13168 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13171 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13172 anything else) as the address.
13174 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13175 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13176 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13177 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13181 @item nnspool-inews-program
13182 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13183 Program used to post an article.
13185 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13186 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13187 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13189 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13190 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13191 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13192 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13194 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13195 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13196 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13197 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13199 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13200 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13201 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13203 @item nnspool-active-file
13204 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13205 The name of the active file.
13207 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13208 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13209 The name of the group descriptions file.
13211 @item nnspool-history-file
13212 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13213 The name of the news history file.
13215 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13216 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13217 The name of the active date file.
13219 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13220 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13221 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13224 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13225 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13227 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13228 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13229 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13236 @section Getting Mail
13237 @cindex reading mail
13240 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13244 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13245 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13246 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13247 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13248 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13249 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13250 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13251 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13252 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13253 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13254 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13255 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13256 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13260 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13261 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13263 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13264 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13265 of a culture shock.
13267 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13268 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13270 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13271 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13272 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13273 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13275 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13277 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13278 deleted? How awful!
13280 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13281 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13282 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13283 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13286 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13287 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13288 they want to treat a message.
13290 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13291 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13292 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13293 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13294 archived somewhere else.
13296 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13297 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13298 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13299 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13300 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13302 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13303 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13304 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13306 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13307 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13310 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13311 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13312 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13313 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13314 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13316 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13317 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13318 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13319 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13320 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13321 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13325 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13326 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13328 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13329 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13330 and things will happen automatically.
13332 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13333 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13336 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13339 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13340 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13341 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13342 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13343 like any other group.
13345 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13348 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13349 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13350 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13354 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13355 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13356 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13359 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13360 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13361 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13364 @node Splitting Mail
13365 @subsection Splitting Mail
13366 @cindex splitting mail
13367 @cindex mail splitting
13368 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13370 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13371 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13372 to be split into groups.
13375 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13376 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13377 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13378 ("mail.other" "")))
13381 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13382 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13383 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13384 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13385 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13386 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13387 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13390 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13394 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13395 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13397 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13398 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13399 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13400 mail belongs in that group.
13402 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13403 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13404 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13405 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13406 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13407 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13408 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13409 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13410 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13411 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13413 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13414 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13415 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13416 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13417 thinks should carry this mail message.
13419 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13420 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13421 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13422 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13424 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13425 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13426 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13427 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13428 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13430 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13433 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13434 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13435 links. If that's the case for you, set
13436 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13437 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13439 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13440 @findex nnmail-split-history
13441 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13442 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13443 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13444 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13447 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13448 Header lines longer than the value of
13449 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13452 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13453 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13454 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13455 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13456 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13457 charset for decoding. The behavior can be turned off completely by
13458 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13459 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13461 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13462 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13463 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13464 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13465 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13466 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13467 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13468 other kinds of entries.)
13470 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13471 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13472 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13473 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13474 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13475 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13476 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13477 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13478 month's rent money.
13482 @subsection Mail Sources
13484 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13485 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13486 maildir, for instance.
13489 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13490 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13491 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13495 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13496 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13498 @cindex mail server
13501 @cindex mail source
13503 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13504 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13509 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13512 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13513 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13514 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13517 The following mail source types are available:
13521 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13527 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13528 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13529 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13533 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13536 An example file mail source:
13539 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13542 Or using the default file name:
13548 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13549 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13550 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13551 mail spool while moving the mail.
13553 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13557 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13560 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13564 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13567 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13569 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13572 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13576 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13577 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13578 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13579 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13580 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13581 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13582 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13583 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13584 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13585 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13587 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13588 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13589 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13590 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13596 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13600 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13604 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13605 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13606 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13607 predicate are considered.
13611 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13615 An example directory mail source:
13618 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13623 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13629 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13630 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13633 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13634 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13635 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13636 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13637 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13640 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13644 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13645 the user is prompted.
13648 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13649 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13652 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13655 The valid format specifier characters are:
13659 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13660 included in this string.
13663 The name of the server.
13666 The port number of the server.
13669 The user name to use.
13672 The password to use.
13675 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13676 corresponding keywords.
13679 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13680 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13683 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13684 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13687 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13688 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13689 mail should be moved to.
13691 @item :authentication
13692 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13693 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13698 @vindex pop3-movemail
13699 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13700 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13701 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13702 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13703 left on the @acronym{POP} server after fetching when using
13704 @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers maintain no state
13705 information between sessions, so what the client believes is there and
13706 what is actually there may not match up. If they do not, then the whole
13707 thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13709 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13710 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13716 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13719 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13720 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13723 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13726 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13730 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13731 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13732 contains exactly one mail.
13738 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13739 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13742 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13743 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13745 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13746 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13747 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13750 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13751 from locking problems).
13755 Two example maildir mail sources:
13758 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13759 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13763 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13768 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13769 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13770 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13771 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13772 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13774 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13775 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13781 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13782 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13785 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13786 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13789 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13793 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13797 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13798 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13799 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13800 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13802 @item :authentication
13803 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13804 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13805 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13806 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13809 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13810 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13811 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13817 The valid format specifier characters are:
13821 The name of the server.
13824 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13827 The port number of the server.
13830 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13831 corresponding keywords.
13834 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13835 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13838 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13839 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13840 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13841 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13842 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13843 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13846 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13847 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13848 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13849 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13852 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13853 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13857 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13860 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13862 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13866 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13867 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13868 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13870 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13871 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13873 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13879 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13880 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13883 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13887 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13891 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13892 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13896 An example webmail source:
13899 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13901 :password "secret")
13906 @item Common Keywords
13907 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13913 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13914 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13919 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13924 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13925 useful when you use local mail and news.
13930 @subsubsection Function Interface
13932 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13933 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13934 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13935 consider the following mail-source setting:
13938 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13939 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13942 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13943 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13944 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13945 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13946 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13948 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13951 @node Mail Source Customization
13952 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13954 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13955 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13959 @item mail-source-crash-box
13960 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13961 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13962 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13964 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13965 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13966 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13967 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13968 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13969 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13970 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13971 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13973 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13974 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13975 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13976 files. This variable only applies when
13977 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13979 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13980 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13981 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13983 @item mail-source-directory
13984 @vindex mail-source-directory
13985 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
13986 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
13987 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
13988 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
13990 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13991 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13992 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13993 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13994 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13995 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13997 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13998 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13999 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
14001 @item mail-source-movemail-program
14002 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
14003 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
14004 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
14009 @node Fetching Mail
14010 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
14012 @vindex mail-sources
14013 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
14014 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
14015 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
14016 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
14018 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
14019 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
14022 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
14023 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
14028 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14029 :password "secret")))
14032 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14036 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14037 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14040 :password "secret")))
14044 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14045 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14046 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14047 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14048 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14049 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14053 @node Mail Back End Variables
14054 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14056 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14060 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14061 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14062 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14063 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14065 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14066 @item nnmail-split-hook
14067 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14068 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14069 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14070 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14071 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14072 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14073 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14074 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14075 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14078 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14079 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14080 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14081 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14082 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14083 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14084 starting to handle the new mail) and
14085 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14086 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14087 default file modes the new mail files get:
14090 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14091 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14093 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14094 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14097 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14098 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14099 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14100 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14101 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14102 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14103 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14105 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14106 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14107 @findex delete-file
14108 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14110 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14111 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14112 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14113 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14114 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14116 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14117 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14118 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14119 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14120 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14122 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14123 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14124 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14129 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14130 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14131 @cindex mail splitting
14132 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14134 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14135 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14136 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14137 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14138 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14139 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14141 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14144 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14145 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14146 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14147 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14149 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14150 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14151 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14152 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14153 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14154 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14155 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14156 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14157 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14158 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14159 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14160 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14161 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14162 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14163 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14164 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14165 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14169 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14170 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14171 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14176 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14177 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14179 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
14180 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
14181 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
14182 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
14183 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
14184 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
14185 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
14187 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14188 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14189 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14190 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14191 stored in one or more groups.
14193 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14194 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14195 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14198 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14199 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14201 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14202 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14203 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14204 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14207 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14208 body of the messages:
14211 (defun split-on-body ()
14215 (goto-char (point-min))
14216 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14220 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14221 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14222 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14223 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14224 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14225 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14226 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14228 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14229 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14230 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14231 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14232 should return a split.
14235 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14239 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14240 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14241 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14242 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14243 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14245 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14246 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14247 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14248 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14249 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14250 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14251 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14255 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14257 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14258 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14260 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14263 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14264 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14265 when all this splitting is performed.
14267 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14268 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14269 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14272 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14275 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14276 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14278 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14279 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14280 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14281 groupings 1 through 9.
14283 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14284 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14285 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14286 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14287 groups when users send to an address using different case
14288 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14291 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14292 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14293 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14295 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14296 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14297 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14298 surrounded by anything.
14301 (any "joe" "joemail")
14304 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14305 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14306 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to @code{t},
14307 however, the match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word
14308 boundary is removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14310 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14311 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14312 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14313 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14314 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14315 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14316 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14317 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14318 it once per thread.
14320 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14321 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14322 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14323 using the colon feature, like so:
14325 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14326 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14328 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14329 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14333 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14334 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14335 in the file specified by the variable
14336 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14337 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14338 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14339 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14340 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14341 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14342 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14343 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14344 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14345 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14346 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14347 300 kBytes in size.)
14348 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14349 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14350 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14351 messages goes into the new group.
14353 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14354 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14355 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14356 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14357 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14358 ``outgoing'' group.
14361 @node Group Mail Splitting
14362 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14363 @cindex mail splitting
14364 @cindex group mail splitting
14366 @findex gnus-group-split
14367 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14368 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14369 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14370 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14371 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14372 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14373 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14374 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14376 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14377 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14378 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14379 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14381 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14382 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14383 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14384 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14385 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14386 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14387 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14389 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14390 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14391 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14392 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14393 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14394 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14395 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14397 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14398 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14399 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14400 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14401 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14402 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14403 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14404 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14405 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14406 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14407 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14408 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14409 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14411 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14416 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14417 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14419 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14420 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14421 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14422 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14424 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14427 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14428 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14429 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14432 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14433 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14434 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14438 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14439 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14440 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14444 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14447 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14448 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14449 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14450 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14451 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14452 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14453 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14454 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14455 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14457 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14458 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14459 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14460 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14461 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14462 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14463 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14464 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14465 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14467 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14468 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14469 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14470 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14471 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14472 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14475 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14478 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14479 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14480 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14481 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14482 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14485 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14486 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14487 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14488 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14490 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14491 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14492 @cindex incorporating old mail
14493 @cindex import old mail
14495 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14496 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14497 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14500 Doing so can be quite easy.
14502 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14503 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14504 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14505 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14506 your @code{nnml} groups.
14512 Go to the group buffer.
14515 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14516 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14519 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14522 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14523 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14526 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14527 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14530 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14531 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14532 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14533 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14534 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14536 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14537 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14538 using the new mail back end.
14541 @node Expiring Mail
14542 @subsection Expiring Mail
14543 @cindex article expiry
14545 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14546 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14547 different approach to mail reading.
14549 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14550 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14551 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14552 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14553 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14554 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14557 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14558 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14559 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14560 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14561 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14562 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14563 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14564 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14565 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14567 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14568 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14569 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14570 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14571 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14572 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14573 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14576 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14577 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14578 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14579 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14580 into its own group.)
14582 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14583 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14584 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14585 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14586 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14587 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14588 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14589 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14592 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14593 Groups that match the regular expression
14594 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14595 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14596 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14598 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14599 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14600 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14601 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14602 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14604 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14606 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14607 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14608 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14611 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14612 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14613 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14614 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14615 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14617 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14618 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14621 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14622 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14625 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14626 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14628 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14629 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14630 don't really mix very well.
14632 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14633 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14634 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14635 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14638 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14639 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14640 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14641 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14644 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14646 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14648 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14650 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14652 ((string= group "important")
14658 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14659 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14661 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14662 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14663 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14666 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14667 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14669 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14670 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14671 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14672 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14673 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14674 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14675 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14676 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14677 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14678 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14679 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14680 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14681 name or @code{delete}.
14683 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14685 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14688 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14689 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14690 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14691 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14692 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14695 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14696 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14697 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14698 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14699 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14702 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14703 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14704 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14705 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14706 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14707 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14709 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14710 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14711 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14712 easier for procmail users.
14714 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14715 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14716 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14717 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14718 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14719 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14720 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14721 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14722 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14723 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14724 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14725 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14726 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14729 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14731 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14732 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14733 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14734 auto-expire turned on.
14738 @subsection Washing Mail
14739 @cindex mail washing
14740 @cindex list server brain damage
14741 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14743 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14744 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14745 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14746 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14747 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14748 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14750 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14751 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14752 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14755 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14756 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14757 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14758 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14761 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14762 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14763 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14764 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14765 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14768 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14769 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14770 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14771 Emacs running on MS machines.
14775 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14776 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14777 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14778 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14781 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14782 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14783 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14784 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14786 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14787 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14788 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14789 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14790 into a feature by documenting it.)
14792 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14793 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14794 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14795 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14796 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14797 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14798 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14801 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14802 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14805 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14806 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14809 This can also be done non-destructively with
14810 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14812 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14813 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14814 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14816 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14817 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14819 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14820 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14821 @code{References} headers.
14825 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14826 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14827 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14831 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14832 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14833 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14840 @subsection Duplicates
14842 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14843 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14844 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14845 @cindex duplicate mails
14846 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14847 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14848 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14849 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14850 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14851 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14852 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14853 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14854 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14855 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14856 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14857 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14858 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14860 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14861 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14862 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14863 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14865 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14868 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14869 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14873 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14874 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14875 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14876 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14877 (any mail "mail.misc")
14878 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14884 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14885 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14886 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14890 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14891 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14892 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14893 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14894 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14897 @node Not Reading Mail
14898 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14900 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14901 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14902 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14904 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14905 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14906 mail, which should help.
14908 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14909 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14910 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14911 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14912 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14913 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14914 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14915 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14916 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14917 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14918 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14920 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14921 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14925 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14926 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14928 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14929 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14930 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14932 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14933 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14934 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14938 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14939 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14940 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14941 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14942 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14943 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14944 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14948 @node Unix Mail Box
14949 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14951 @cindex unix mail box
14953 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14954 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14955 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14956 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14957 which group it belongs in.
14959 Virtual server settings:
14962 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14963 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14964 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14967 @item nnmbox-active-file
14968 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14969 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14970 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14972 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14973 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14974 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14975 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14980 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14984 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14985 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14986 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14987 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14988 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14990 Virtual server settings:
14993 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14994 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14995 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14997 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14998 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14999 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
15000 @file{~/.rmail-active}
15002 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15003 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15004 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
15010 @subsubsection Mail Spool
15012 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
15014 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
15015 format. It should be used with some caution.
15017 @vindex nnml-directory
15018 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
15019 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
15020 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
15021 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
15023 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
15026 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
15027 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
15028 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
15029 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
15030 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
15031 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15032 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15033 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15035 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15036 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15037 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15038 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15040 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15042 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15043 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15044 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15045 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15046 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15047 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15048 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15049 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15052 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15053 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15054 them next time it starts.
15056 Virtual server settings:
15059 @item nnml-directory
15060 @vindex nnml-directory
15061 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15062 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15065 @item nnml-active-file
15066 @vindex nnml-active-file
15067 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15068 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15070 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15071 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15072 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15073 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15075 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15076 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15077 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15080 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15081 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15082 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15083 default is @code{nil}.
15085 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15086 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15087 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15089 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15090 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15091 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15093 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15094 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15095 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15096 default is @code{nil}.
15098 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15099 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15100 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15102 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15103 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15104 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15109 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15110 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15111 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15112 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15113 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15114 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15115 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15120 @subsubsection MH Spool
15122 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15124 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15125 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15126 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15127 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15130 Virtual server settings:
15133 @item nnmh-directory
15134 @vindex nnmh-directory
15135 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15136 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15139 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15140 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15141 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15145 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15146 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15147 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15148 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15149 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15150 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15151 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15156 @subsubsection Maildir
15160 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15161 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15162 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15163 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15164 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15167 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15168 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15169 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15170 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15171 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15172 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15173 that appear as group in Gnus.
15175 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15176 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15177 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15179 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15180 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15181 another, and you will keep your marks.
15183 Virtual server settings:
15187 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15188 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15189 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15190 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15191 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15192 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15193 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15194 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15195 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15196 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15198 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15199 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15200 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15201 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15202 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15203 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15204 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15205 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15206 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15207 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15210 @item target-prefix
15211 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15212 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15213 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15216 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15217 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15218 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15219 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15220 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15221 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15222 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15223 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15224 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15226 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15227 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15228 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15229 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15230 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15232 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15233 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15234 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15235 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15236 @code{force} argument.
15238 @item directory-files
15239 This should be a function with the same interface as
15240 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15241 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15242 parameter is optional; the default is
15243 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15244 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15245 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15246 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15247 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15248 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15251 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15252 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15253 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15254 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15255 value is @code{nil}.
15257 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15258 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15259 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15260 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15261 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15264 @subsubsection Group parameters
15266 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15267 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15268 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15269 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15270 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15271 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15274 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15275 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15276 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15277 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15278 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15279 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15280 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15281 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15282 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15286 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15287 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15288 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15289 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15290 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15291 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15292 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15293 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15294 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15295 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15296 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15297 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15300 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15302 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15304 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15305 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15306 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15307 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15308 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15309 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15310 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15311 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15312 article. So that form can refer to
15313 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15314 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir} does
15315 not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15316 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15319 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15320 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15321 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15322 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15323 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15324 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15325 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15326 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15327 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15328 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15329 contain extra copies of the articles.
15331 @item directory-files
15332 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15333 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15334 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15335 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15337 @item distrust-Lines:
15338 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15339 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15340 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15343 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15344 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15345 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15346 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15347 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15348 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15351 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15352 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15353 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15354 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15355 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15356 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15357 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15359 @item nov-cache-size
15360 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15361 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15362 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15363 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15364 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15365 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15366 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15367 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15368 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15369 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15370 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15373 @subsubsection Article identification
15374 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15375 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15376 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15377 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15378 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15379 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15380 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15381 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15382 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15383 request the article in the summary buffer.
15385 @subsubsection NOV data
15386 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15387 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15388 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15389 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15390 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15391 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15392 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15393 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15394 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15395 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15396 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15398 @subsubsection Article marks
15399 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15400 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15401 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15402 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15403 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15404 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15405 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15406 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15408 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15409 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15410 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15411 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15412 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15413 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15414 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15415 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15416 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15420 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15422 @cindex mbox folders
15423 @cindex mail folders
15425 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15426 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15427 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15428 numbers and arrival dates.
15430 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15432 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15433 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15434 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15435 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15436 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15437 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15438 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15439 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15440 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15441 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15443 Virtual server settings:
15446 @item nnfolder-directory
15447 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15448 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15449 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15450 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15452 @item nnfolder-active-file
15453 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15454 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15456 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15457 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15458 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15459 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15461 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15462 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15463 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15464 default is @code{t}
15466 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15467 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15468 @cindex backup files
15469 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15470 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15471 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15472 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15475 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15476 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15478 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15481 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15482 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15483 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15484 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15485 extract some information from it before removing it.
15487 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15488 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15489 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15490 default is @code{nil}.
15492 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15493 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15494 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15496 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15497 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15498 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15499 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15501 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15502 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15503 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15504 default is @code{nil}.
15506 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15507 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15508 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15510 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15511 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15512 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15513 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15518 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15519 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15520 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15521 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15522 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15523 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15526 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15527 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15529 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15530 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15531 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15532 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15533 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15535 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15536 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15537 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15538 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15539 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15540 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15541 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15542 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15545 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15546 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15547 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15548 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15553 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15554 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15555 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15556 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15557 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15558 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15559 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15560 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15561 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15562 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15563 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15564 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15565 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15570 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15571 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15572 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15573 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15574 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15575 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15576 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15577 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15578 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15579 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15580 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15581 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15582 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15583 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15585 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15586 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15591 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15592 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15593 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15594 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15595 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15596 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15597 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15598 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15599 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15600 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15601 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15602 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15603 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15604 provided by the active file and overviews.
15606 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15607 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15608 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15609 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15610 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15613 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15614 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15619 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15620 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15621 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15622 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15623 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15624 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15625 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15629 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15630 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15631 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15632 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15633 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15634 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15635 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15636 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15637 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15639 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15640 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15641 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15642 friendly mail back end all over.
15646 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15647 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15650 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15651 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15652 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15653 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15654 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15655 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15656 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15657 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15660 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15661 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15662 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15663 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15664 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15665 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15666 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15667 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15668 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15669 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15670 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15672 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15673 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15674 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15675 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15676 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15679 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15680 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15681 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15682 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15683 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15684 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15685 removed in the future.
15687 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15688 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15689 on your file system.
15691 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15692 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15697 @node Browsing the Web
15698 @section Browsing the Web
15700 @cindex browsing the web
15704 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15705 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15706 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15707 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15708 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15709 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15710 even know what a news group is.
15712 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15713 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15714 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15715 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15716 you mad in the end.
15718 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15721 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15722 interfaces to these sources.
15726 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15727 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15728 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15729 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15730 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15731 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15734 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15736 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15737 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15738 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15739 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15740 though, you should be ok.
15742 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15743 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15744 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15745 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15746 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15748 @node Archiving Mail
15749 @subsection Archiving Mail
15750 @cindex archiving mail
15751 @cindex backup of mail
15753 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15754 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15755 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15756 marks is fairly simple.
15758 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15759 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15762 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15763 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15764 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15765 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15766 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15767 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15768 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15769 before you restore the data.
15771 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15772 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15773 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15774 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15775 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15776 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15777 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15778 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15779 is unnecessary in that case.
15782 @subsection Web Searches
15787 @cindex Usenet searches
15788 @cindex searching the Usenet
15790 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15791 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15792 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15793 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15794 searches without having to use a browser.
15796 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15797 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15798 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15799 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15800 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15802 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15803 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15804 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15805 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15806 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15807 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15808 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15809 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15810 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15811 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15814 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15815 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15816 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15817 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15818 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15819 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15821 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15822 to use @code{nnweb}.
15824 Virtual server variables:
15829 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15830 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15831 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15834 @vindex nnweb-search
15835 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15837 @item nnweb-max-hits
15838 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15839 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15842 @item nnweb-type-definition
15843 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15844 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15845 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15850 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15854 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15857 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15860 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15864 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15871 @subsection Slashdot
15875 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15876 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15877 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15879 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15880 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15883 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15884 '((nnslashdot "")))
15887 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15888 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15889 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15890 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15891 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15894 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15895 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15897 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15898 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15899 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15900 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15901 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15902 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15903 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15905 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15908 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15909 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15910 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15911 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15912 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15913 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15914 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15916 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15917 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15918 The login name to use when posting.
15920 @item nnslashdot-password
15921 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15922 The password to use when posting.
15924 @item nnslashdot-directory
15925 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15926 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15927 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15929 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15930 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15931 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15932 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15933 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15935 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15936 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15937 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15939 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15940 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15941 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15942 article. The default is
15943 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15945 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15946 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15947 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15949 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15950 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15951 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15952 updated. The default is 0.
15959 @subsection Ultimate
15961 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15963 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15964 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15965 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15966 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15968 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15969 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15970 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
15971 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15972 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15973 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15974 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15976 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15979 @item nnultimate-directory
15980 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15981 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15982 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15987 @subsection Web Archive
15989 @cindex Web Archive
15991 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15992 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15993 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15994 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15997 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15998 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15999 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
16000 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
16001 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
16002 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
16003 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
16004 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
16006 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
16009 @item nnwarchive-directory
16010 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
16011 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
16012 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
16014 @item nnwarchive-login
16015 @vindex nnwarchive-login
16016 The account name on the web server.
16018 @item nnwarchive-passwd
16019 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
16020 The password for your account on the web server.
16028 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16029 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16030 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16031 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16032 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16034 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16035 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16037 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16038 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16039 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16042 @kindex G R (Summary)
16043 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will
16044 be prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16045 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16046 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16048 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16049 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16050 subscribe to groups.
16052 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16053 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16054 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16055 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16056 variable. If it is @code{nil}, in Emacs the coding system defaults to
16057 the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system}. If you are using
16058 XEmacs and want to use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names, you should set
16059 the value for the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} variable properly.
16062 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16063 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16066 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16067 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16071 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16072 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16073 @acronym{OPML} format.
16076 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16079 @item nnrss-directory
16080 @vindex nnrss-directory
16081 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16082 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16084 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
16085 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
16086 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
16087 data files. The default is the value of
16088 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
16089 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
16091 @item nnrss-use-local
16092 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16093 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16094 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16095 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16096 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16097 download script using @command{wget}.
16100 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16101 the summary buffer.
16104 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16105 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16107 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16109 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16110 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16113 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16116 (require 'browse-url)
16118 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
16120 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16123 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16124 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16127 (browse-url (cdr url))
16128 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16129 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16131 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16132 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16133 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16134 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16137 @node Customizing w3
16138 @subsection Customizing w3
16144 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
16145 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
16146 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
16148 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
16149 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16150 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16153 (eval-after-load "w3"
16155 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16156 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16157 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16158 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16160 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16163 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
16164 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16171 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16173 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16174 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16175 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16176 specify the network address of the server.
16178 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16179 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16180 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16181 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16182 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16183 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16185 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16186 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16187 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16188 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16190 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16191 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16192 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16193 usage explained in this section.
16195 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16196 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16197 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16201 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16202 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16203 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16205 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16206 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16207 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16209 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16210 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16211 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16212 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16213 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16214 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16215 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16216 (nnimap-stream network))
16217 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16219 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16220 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16221 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16224 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16225 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16226 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16227 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16229 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16234 @item nnimap-address
16235 @vindex nnimap-address
16237 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16238 server name if not specified.
16240 @item nnimap-server-port
16241 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16242 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16244 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16247 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16248 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16251 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16252 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16253 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16254 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16255 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16256 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16257 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16259 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16260 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16261 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16264 Example server specification:
16267 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16268 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16269 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16272 @item nnimap-stream
16273 @vindex nnimap-stream
16274 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16275 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16276 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16277 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16278 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16280 Example server specification:
16283 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16284 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16287 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16291 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16292 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16294 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16296 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16297 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16300 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16301 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16303 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16304 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16306 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16308 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16311 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16312 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16313 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16314 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16315 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16316 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16317 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16318 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16319 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16322 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16323 needed. It is available from
16324 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16326 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16327 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16328 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16329 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16330 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16331 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16332 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16335 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16336 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16337 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16338 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16339 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16340 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16341 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16344 @vindex imap-shell-program
16345 @vindex imap-shell-host
16346 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16347 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16349 @item nnimap-authenticator
16350 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16352 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16353 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16355 Example server specification:
16358 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16359 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16362 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16366 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16367 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16369 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16372 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16373 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16375 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16377 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16379 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16382 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16384 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16385 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16386 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16387 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16388 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16389 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16392 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16393 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16394 running in circles yet?
16396 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16397 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16400 The possible options are:
16405 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16408 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16409 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16410 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16411 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16413 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16418 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16419 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16421 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16422 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16423 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16424 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16425 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16428 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16429 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16432 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16433 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16434 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16435 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16438 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16439 as ticked for other users.
16441 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16443 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16445 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16446 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16447 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16448 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16450 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16451 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16452 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16453 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16455 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16456 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16458 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16459 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16460 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16461 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16464 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16467 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16468 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16469 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16470 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16473 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16474 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16476 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16477 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16483 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16484 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16485 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16486 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16487 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16488 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16493 @node Splitting in IMAP
16494 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16495 @cindex splitting imap mail
16497 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16498 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16499 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16500 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16501 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16505 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16506 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16507 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16509 Here are the variables of interest:
16513 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16514 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16516 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16518 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16519 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16520 found will be used.
16522 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16524 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16525 @cindex splitting, inbox
16527 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16529 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16530 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16531 splitting is disabled!
16534 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16535 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16538 No nnmail equivalent.
16540 @item nnimap-split-rule
16541 @cindex splitting, rules
16542 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16544 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16547 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16548 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16549 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16550 Neither did I, we need examples.
16553 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16555 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16556 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16557 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16560 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16561 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16562 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16564 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16565 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16569 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16572 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16573 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16575 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16576 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16577 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16578 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16580 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16581 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16582 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16583 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16584 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16585 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16587 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16588 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16589 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16591 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16592 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16593 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16595 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16597 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16598 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16599 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16602 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16603 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16604 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16605 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16606 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16607 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16610 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16611 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16612 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16613 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16614 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16615 group/function elements.
16617 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16619 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16621 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16623 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16624 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16626 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16627 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16628 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16631 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16632 @cindex splitting, fancy
16633 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16634 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16636 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16637 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16638 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16640 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16641 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16642 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16643 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16648 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16649 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16652 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16654 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16655 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16656 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16658 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16659 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16660 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16661 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
16665 @node Expiring in IMAP
16666 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16667 @cindex expiring imap mail
16669 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16670 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16671 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16672 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16673 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16674 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16677 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16678 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16679 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16680 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16681 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16682 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16683 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16684 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16688 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16689 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16691 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16692 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16694 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16696 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16697 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16698 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16699 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16703 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16704 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16705 @cindex editing imap acls
16706 @cindex Access Control Lists
16707 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16708 @kindex G l (Group)
16709 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16711 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16712 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16713 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16716 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16717 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16718 editing window with detailed instructions.
16720 Some possible uses:
16724 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16725 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16726 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16728 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16729 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16730 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16734 @node Expunging mailboxes
16735 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16739 @cindex manual expunging
16740 @kindex G x (Group)
16741 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16743 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16744 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16745 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16747 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16750 @node A note on namespaces
16751 @subsection A note on namespaces
16752 @cindex IMAP namespace
16755 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16756 by the following text in the RFC:
16759 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16761 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16762 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16763 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16764 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16766 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16767 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16768 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16769 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16770 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16771 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16774 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16775 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16776 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16778 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16779 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16780 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16781 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16782 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16783 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16784 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16785 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16788 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16789 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16790 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16792 @node Debugging IMAP
16793 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16794 @cindex IMAP debugging
16795 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16797 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16798 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16799 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
16800 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16802 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16803 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16804 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16805 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16806 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16807 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16808 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16812 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16813 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16820 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16821 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16822 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16823 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16826 @node Other Sources
16827 @section Other Sources
16829 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16830 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16834 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16835 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16836 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16837 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16838 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16842 @node Directory Groups
16843 @subsection Directory Groups
16845 @cindex directory groups
16847 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16848 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16851 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16852 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16853 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16854 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16856 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16857 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16858 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16859 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16860 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16862 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16864 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16865 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16866 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16867 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16870 @node Anything Groups
16871 @subsection Anything Groups
16874 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16875 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16876 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16879 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16880 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16881 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16882 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16883 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16884 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16885 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16886 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16887 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16888 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16891 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16892 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16893 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16894 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16896 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16897 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16898 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16899 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16901 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16902 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16903 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16904 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16905 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16906 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16907 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16908 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16913 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16914 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16915 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16916 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16918 @item nneething-exclude-files
16919 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16920 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16921 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16923 @item nneething-include-files
16924 @vindex nneething-include-files
16925 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16926 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16928 @item nneething-map-file
16929 @vindex nneething-map-file
16930 Name of the map files.
16934 @node Document Groups
16935 @subsection Document Groups
16937 @cindex documentation group
16940 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16941 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16948 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16953 The standard Unix mbox file.
16955 @cindex MMDF mail box
16957 The MMDF mail box format.
16960 Several news articles appended into a file.
16963 @cindex rnews batch files
16964 The rnews batch transport format.
16965 @cindex forwarded messages
16968 Forwarded articles.
16971 Netscape mail boxes.
16974 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16976 @item standard-digest
16977 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16980 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16982 @item lanl-gov-announce
16983 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16985 @item rfc822-forward
16986 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16989 The Outlook mail box.
16992 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16995 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16998 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17001 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17007 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17010 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17016 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17017 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17018 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17021 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17022 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17023 group. And that's it.
17025 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17026 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17027 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17028 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17029 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17030 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17031 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17032 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17033 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17034 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17036 Virtual server variables:
17039 @item nndoc-article-type
17040 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17041 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17042 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17043 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17044 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17045 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17047 @item nndoc-post-type
17048 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17049 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17050 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17055 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17059 @node Document Server Internals
17060 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17062 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17063 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17064 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17065 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17067 First, here's an example document type definition:
17071 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17072 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17075 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17076 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17077 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17078 types can be defined with very few settings:
17081 @item first-article
17082 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17083 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17086 @item article-begin
17087 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17088 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
17090 @item head-begin-function
17091 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17094 @item nndoc-head-begin
17095 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17098 @item nndoc-head-end
17099 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17100 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17102 @item body-begin-function
17103 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17107 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17110 @item body-end-function
17111 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17115 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
17118 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17119 regexp will be totally ignored.
17123 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17124 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17125 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17126 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17127 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17130 @item prepare-body-function
17131 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17132 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17133 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17135 @item article-transform-function
17136 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17137 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17138 body of the article.
17140 @item generate-head-function
17141 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17142 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17143 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17144 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17148 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17153 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17154 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17155 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17156 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17157 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17158 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17159 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17160 (subtype digest guess))
17163 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17164 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17165 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17166 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17167 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17169 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17170 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17171 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17172 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17173 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17174 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17175 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17176 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17177 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17178 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17179 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17180 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17188 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17189 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17190 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17192 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17193 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17194 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17197 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17198 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17199 that interested in doing things properly.
17201 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17202 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17205 First some terminology:
17210 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17211 get news and/or mail from.
17214 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17215 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17218 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17222 @item message packets
17223 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17224 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17225 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17227 @item response packets
17228 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17229 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17230 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17240 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17241 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17242 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17243 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17246 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17249 You put the packet in your home directory.
17252 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17253 the native or secondary server.
17256 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17257 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17260 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17264 You transfer this packet to the server.
17267 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17270 You then repeat until you die.
17274 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17275 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17278 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17279 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17280 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17284 @node SOUP Commands
17285 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17287 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17291 @kindex G s b (Group)
17292 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17293 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17294 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17295 process/prefix convention.
17298 @kindex G s w (Group)
17299 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17300 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17303 @kindex G s s (Group)
17304 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17305 Send all replies from the replies packet
17306 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17309 @kindex G s p (Group)
17310 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17311 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17314 @kindex G s r (Group)
17315 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17316 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17319 @kindex O s (Summary)
17320 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17321 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17322 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17323 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17328 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17333 @item gnus-soup-directory
17334 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17335 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17336 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17338 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17339 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17340 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17341 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17343 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17344 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17345 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17346 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17348 @item gnus-soup-packer
17349 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17350 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17351 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17353 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17354 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17355 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17356 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17358 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17359 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17360 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17362 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17363 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17364 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17365 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17371 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17374 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17375 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17376 you can read them at leisure.
17378 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17382 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17383 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17384 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17385 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17387 @item nnsoup-directory
17388 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17389 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17390 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17392 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17393 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17394 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17395 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17397 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17398 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17399 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17400 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17401 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17403 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17404 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17405 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17406 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17408 @item nnsoup-active-file
17409 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17410 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17411 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17412 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17413 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17415 @item nnsoup-packer
17416 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17417 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17418 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17420 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17421 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17422 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17423 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17425 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17426 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17427 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17430 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17431 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17432 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17435 @item nnsoup-always-save
17436 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17437 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17443 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17445 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17446 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17447 more for that to happen.
17449 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17450 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17451 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17454 In specific, this is what it does:
17457 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17458 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17461 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17462 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17463 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17466 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17467 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17468 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17471 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17472 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17473 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17475 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17481 @item nngateway-address
17482 @vindex nngateway-address
17483 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17485 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17486 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17487 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17488 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17489 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17490 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17491 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17494 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17495 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17496 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17499 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17502 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17505 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17508 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17510 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17513 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17514 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17515 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17517 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17519 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17520 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17521 @code{nngateway-address}.
17529 (setq gnus-post-method
17531 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17532 (nngateway-header-transformation
17533 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17536 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17539 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17544 @node Combined Groups
17545 @section Combined Groups
17547 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17551 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17552 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17556 @node Virtual Groups
17557 @subsection Virtual Groups
17559 @cindex virtual groups
17560 @cindex merging groups
17562 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17565 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17566 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17567 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17569 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17570 regexp to match component groups.
17572 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17573 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17574 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17575 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17576 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17577 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17578 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17579 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17581 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17582 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17585 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17588 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17589 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17591 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17592 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17593 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17594 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17597 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17600 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17601 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17602 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17604 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17605 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17606 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17607 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17608 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17610 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17611 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17612 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17614 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17615 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17616 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17617 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17618 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17619 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17620 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17621 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17622 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17623 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17624 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17626 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17627 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17628 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17629 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17630 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17631 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17632 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17634 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17635 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17637 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17638 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17642 @node Kibozed Groups
17643 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17647 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17648 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17649 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17650 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17652 @kindex G k (Group)
17653 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17656 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17657 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17658 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17659 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17661 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17662 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17663 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17665 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17666 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17667 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17668 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17669 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17670 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17671 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17672 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17674 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17675 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17676 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17677 Stranger things have happened.
17679 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17680 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17682 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17683 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17684 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17685 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17686 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17687 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17688 component articles.
17690 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17691 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17694 @node Gnus Unplugged
17695 @section Gnus Unplugged
17700 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17702 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17703 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17704 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17705 read news. Believe it or not.
17707 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17708 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17709 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17710 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17711 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17713 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17714 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17715 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17716 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17717 reading news on a machine.
17719 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17720 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
17721 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
17723 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17726 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17727 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17728 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17729 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
17730 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17731 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17732 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17733 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17734 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17735 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17736 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17737 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17738 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17743 @subsection Agent Basics
17745 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17747 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17748 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17749 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17750 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17752 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17753 connected to the net continuously.
17755 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17756 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17758 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17759 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17760 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17761 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17762 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17764 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17765 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17766 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17767 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17768 they're kinda like plugged always).
17770 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17771 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17772 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17775 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17776 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17777 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17778 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17779 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17781 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17786 @findex gnus-unplugged
17787 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17788 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17789 already fetched while in this mode.
17792 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17793 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17794 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17795 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
17796 Source Specifiers}).
17799 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
17800 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
17801 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
17802 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
17803 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
17806 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17807 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17808 then you read the news offline.
17811 And then you go to step 2.
17814 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17820 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17821 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17822 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17823 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17824 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17825 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17826 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17827 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17830 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17831 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17832 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17833 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
17835 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17836 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17837 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17838 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17839 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17840 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17844 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17848 @node Agent Categories
17849 @subsection Agent Categories
17851 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17852 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17853 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17854 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17855 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17856 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17857 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17859 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17860 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17861 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17862 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17863 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17865 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17866 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17867 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17868 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17869 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17872 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17873 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17874 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17875 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17876 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17877 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17881 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17882 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17883 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17887 @node Category Syntax
17888 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17890 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17891 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17892 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17895 @cindex Agent Parameters
17897 @item agent-cat-name
17898 The name of the category.
17901 The list of groups that are in this category.
17903 @item agent-predicate
17904 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17905 are eligible for downloading; and
17907 @item agent-score-file
17908 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17909 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17910 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17912 @item agent-enable-expiration
17913 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17914 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17915 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17916 only groups that should not be expired.
17918 @item agent-days-until-old
17919 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17920 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17922 @item agent-low-score
17923 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17925 @item agent-high-score
17926 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17928 @item agent-length-when-short
17929 an integer that overrides the value of
17930 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17932 @item agent-length-when-long
17933 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17935 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
17936 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
17937 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
17938 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
17939 undownloaded faces.
17942 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17945 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17946 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17947 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17950 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17951 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17952 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17953 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17955 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17956 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17957 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17959 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17960 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17961 operators sprinkled in between.
17963 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17965 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17966 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17972 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17973 short (for some value of ``short'').
17975 Here's a more complex predicate:
17984 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17985 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17988 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17989 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17990 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17992 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17993 you want to do, you can write your own.
17995 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17996 bound to the value determined by calling
17997 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17998 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17999 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18000 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18001 predicate to individual groups.
18005 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18006 lines; default 100.
18009 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18010 lines; default 200.
18013 True iff the article has a download score less than
18014 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18017 True iff the article has a download score greater than
18018 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18021 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18022 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18023 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18032 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18033 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18034 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18037 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18038 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18039 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18040 something along the lines of the following:
18043 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18044 "Say whether an article is old."
18045 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18046 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18049 with the predicate then defined as:
18052 (not my-article-old-p)
18055 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18056 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18060 (require 'gnus-agent)
18061 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18062 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18063 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18066 and simply specify your predicate as:
18072 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18073 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18074 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18075 just don't give a damn.
18077 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18078 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18079 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18080 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18081 parameters like so:
18084 (agent-predicate . short)
18087 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18088 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18089 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18091 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18094 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18097 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18098 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18099 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18102 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18103 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18104 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18105 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18106 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18107 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18109 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18110 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18111 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18112 if it's to be specific to that group.
18114 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18121 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18122 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18128 Category specification
18132 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18138 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18141 (agent-score ("from"
18142 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18147 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18153 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18154 keywords stated above.
18160 Category specification
18163 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18169 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18173 Group Parameter specification
18176 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18179 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18184 Use @code{normal} score files
18186 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18187 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18188 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18189 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18191 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18192 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18193 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18194 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18198 Category Specification
18205 Group Parameter specification
18208 (agent-score . file)
18213 @node Category Buffer
18214 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18216 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18217 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18218 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18220 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18224 @kindex q (Category)
18225 @findex gnus-category-exit
18226 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18229 @kindex e (Category)
18230 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18231 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18232 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18235 @kindex k (Category)
18236 @findex gnus-category-kill
18237 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18240 @kindex c (Category)
18241 @findex gnus-category-copy
18242 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18245 @kindex a (Category)
18246 @findex gnus-category-add
18247 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18250 @kindex p (Category)
18251 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18252 Edit the predicate of the current category
18253 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18256 @kindex g (Category)
18257 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18258 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18259 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18262 @kindex s (Category)
18263 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18264 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18265 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18268 @kindex l (Category)
18269 @findex gnus-category-list
18270 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18274 @node Category Variables
18275 @subsubsection Category Variables
18278 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18279 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18280 Hook run in category buffers.
18282 @item gnus-category-line-format
18283 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18284 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18285 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18289 The name of the category.
18292 The number of groups in the category.
18295 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18296 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18297 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18299 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18300 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18301 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18303 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18304 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18305 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18307 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18308 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18309 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18312 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18313 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18314 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18317 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18318 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18319 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18320 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18321 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18322 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18323 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18324 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18328 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18329 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18330 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18331 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18332 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18333 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18334 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18339 @node Agent Commands
18340 @subsection Agent Commands
18341 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18342 @kindex J j (Agent)
18344 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18345 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18346 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18350 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18351 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18352 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18358 @node Group Agent Commands
18359 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18363 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18364 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18365 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18366 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18369 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18370 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18371 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18374 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18375 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18376 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18377 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18380 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18381 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18382 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18383 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18386 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18387 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18388 Add the current group to an Agent category
18389 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18390 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18393 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18394 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18395 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18396 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18397 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18400 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18401 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18402 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18408 @node Summary Agent Commands
18409 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18413 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18414 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18415 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18418 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18419 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18420 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18421 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18425 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18426 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18427 Toggle whether to download the article
18428 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18432 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18433 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18434 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18437 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18438 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18439 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18440 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18443 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18444 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18445 Download all processable articles in this group.
18446 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18449 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18450 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18451 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18452 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18457 @node Server Agent Commands
18458 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18462 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18463 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18464 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18465 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18468 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18469 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18470 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18471 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18476 @node Agent Visuals
18477 @subsection Agent Visuals
18479 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18480 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18481 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18482 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18483 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18484 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18485 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18486 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18487 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18488 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18490 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18491 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18492 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18493 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18494 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18495 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18496 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18497 articles will be available when unplugged.
18499 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18500 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18501 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18502 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18503 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18504 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18505 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18506 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18508 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18509 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18510 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18511 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18512 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18513 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18514 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18515 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18516 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18518 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18519 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18520 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18521 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18522 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18523 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18524 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18525 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18526 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18527 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18529 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18530 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18531 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
18532 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
18533 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
18534 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18536 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18537 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18538 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18539 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18540 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18541 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18542 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18543 expiring'' articles.
18545 @node Agent as Cache
18546 @subsection Agent as Cache
18548 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18549 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18550 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18551 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18552 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18553 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18554 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18555 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18556 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18558 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18559 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18560 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18561 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18562 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18565 @subsection Agent Expiry
18567 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18568 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18569 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18570 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18571 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18572 @cindex agent expiry
18573 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18576 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18577 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18578 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18579 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18580 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18581 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18582 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18583 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18585 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18586 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18587 synchronized with the group.
18589 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18590 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18592 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18593 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18594 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18595 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18596 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18597 be kept indefinitely.
18599 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18600 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18601 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18602 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18604 @node Agent Regeneration
18605 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18607 @cindex agent regeneration
18608 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18609 @cindex regeneration
18611 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18612 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18613 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18614 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18615 internal inconsistencies.
18617 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18618 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18619 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18620 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18621 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18622 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18624 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18625 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18626 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18627 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18628 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18629 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18631 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18632 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18633 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18634 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18635 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18636 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18639 @node Agent and IMAP
18640 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18642 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18643 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18644 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18645 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18647 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18648 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18649 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18650 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18652 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18653 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18654 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18655 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18657 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18658 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18659 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18660 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18661 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18662 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18664 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18665 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18666 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18667 in the group buffer.
18669 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18670 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18675 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18678 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18682 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18683 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18684 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18685 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
18686 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18687 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18688 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18689 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18692 @node Outgoing Messages
18693 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18695 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
18696 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
18697 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18699 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
18700 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
18701 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
18703 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
18704 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
18705 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
18706 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
18709 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
18710 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
18711 ask you to confirm your action (see
18712 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
18714 @node Agent Variables
18715 @subsection Agent Variables
18720 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
18721 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
18722 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
18723 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
18725 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
18726 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
18729 @item gnus-agent-directory
18730 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18731 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18732 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18734 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18735 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18736 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18737 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18738 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18741 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18742 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18743 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18745 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18746 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18747 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18749 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18750 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18751 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18753 @item gnus-agent-cache
18754 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18755 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18756 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18757 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18759 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18760 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18761 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18762 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18763 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18764 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18765 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18768 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18769 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18770 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18771 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18772 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18773 read. The default is @code{t}.
18775 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18776 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18777 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18778 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
18779 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
18780 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
18781 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
18782 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
18783 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
18784 over and over again.
18786 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18787 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18788 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18789 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18790 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18791 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18792 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18793 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18794 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18795 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18796 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18797 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18800 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18801 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18802 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18803 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18804 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18805 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18806 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18807 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18808 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18810 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18811 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18812 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
18813 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18814 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18815 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18817 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18818 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18819 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18820 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18821 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18823 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
18824 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
18825 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
18826 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
18827 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
18828 mail. The default is @code{t}.
18830 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18831 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18832 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
18833 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
18834 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
18836 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18837 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18838 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
18839 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
18840 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
18841 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
18842 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
18843 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
18844 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
18845 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
18846 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
18851 @node Example Setup
18852 @subsection Example Setup
18854 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18855 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18856 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18859 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18860 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18861 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18863 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18864 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18865 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18867 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18868 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18870 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18871 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18872 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18875 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18876 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18879 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18880 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18881 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18882 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18883 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18886 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18887 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18888 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18889 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18890 back all the killed groups.)
18892 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18893 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18894 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18897 @node Batching Agents
18898 @subsection Batching Agents
18899 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18901 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18902 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18903 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18905 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18906 following incantation:
18910 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18914 @node Agent Caveats
18915 @subsection Agent Caveats
18917 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18918 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18922 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18924 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
18925 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18926 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18928 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18929 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18931 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18935 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18936 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18937 locally stored articles.
18944 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18945 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18946 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18949 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18950 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18951 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18952 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18953 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18955 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18956 before generating the summary buffer.
18958 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18959 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18960 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18962 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18963 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18964 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18965 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18968 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18969 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18970 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18971 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18972 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18973 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18974 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18975 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18976 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18977 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18978 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18979 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18980 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18981 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18982 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18983 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18987 @node Summary Score Commands
18988 @section Summary Score Commands
18989 @cindex score commands
18991 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18992 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18993 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18994 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18995 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18997 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18998 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18999 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19000 score file the current one.
19002 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19007 @kindex V s (Summary)
19008 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19009 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19012 @kindex V S (Summary)
19013 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19014 Display the score of the current article
19015 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19018 @kindex V t (Summary)
19019 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19020 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19021 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19022 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19023 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19024 score file and edit it.
19027 @kindex V w (Summary)
19028 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19029 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19032 @kindex V R (Summary)
19033 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19034 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19035 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19036 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19037 effect you're having.
19040 @kindex V c (Summary)
19041 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19042 Make a different score file the current
19043 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19046 @kindex V e (Summary)
19047 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19048 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19049 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19053 @kindex V f (Summary)
19054 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19055 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19056 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19059 @kindex V F (Summary)
19060 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19061 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19062 after editing score files.
19065 @kindex V C (Summary)
19066 @findex gnus-score-customize
19067 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19068 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19072 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19077 @kindex V m (Summary)
19078 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19079 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19080 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19083 @kindex V x (Summary)
19084 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19085 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19086 expunge all articles below this score
19087 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19090 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19091 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19094 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19095 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19099 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19100 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19102 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19103 keys are available:
19107 Score on the author name.
19110 Score on the subject line.
19113 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19116 Score on the @code{References} line.
19122 Score on the number of lines.
19125 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19128 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19129 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19132 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19133 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19134 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19143 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19149 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19150 what headers you are scoring on.
19162 Substring matching.
19165 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19194 Greater than number.
19199 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19200 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19201 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19206 Temporary score entry.
19209 Permanent score entry.
19212 Immediately scoring.
19216 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19217 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19218 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19222 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19223 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19224 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19225 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19227 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19228 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19229 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19230 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19231 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19233 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19234 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19235 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19236 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19237 current score file.
19239 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19240 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19241 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19244 @node Group Score Commands
19245 @section Group Score Commands
19246 @cindex group score commands
19248 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19253 @kindex W e (Group)
19254 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19255 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19256 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19259 @kindex W f (Group)
19260 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19261 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19262 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19263 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19267 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19269 @findex gnus-batch-score
19270 @cindex batch scoring
19272 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19276 @node Score Variables
19277 @section Score Variables
19278 @cindex score variables
19282 @item gnus-use-scoring
19283 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19284 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19285 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19287 @item gnus-kill-killed
19288 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19289 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19290 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19291 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19292 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19293 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19294 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19296 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19297 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19298 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19299 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19300 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19302 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19303 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19304 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19305 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19307 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19308 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19309 @cindex score cache
19310 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19311 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19312 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19313 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19314 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19315 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19316 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19319 @item gnus-save-score
19320 @vindex gnus-save-score
19321 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19322 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19323 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19325 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19326 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19327 across group visits.
19329 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19330 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19331 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19332 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19333 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19334 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19335 manually entered data.
19337 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19338 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19339 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19341 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19342 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19343 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19344 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19345 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19346 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19348 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19349 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19350 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19351 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19353 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19354 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19355 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19356 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19358 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19359 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19360 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19361 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19363 Predefined functions available are:
19366 @item gnus-score-find-single
19367 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19368 Only apply the group's own score file.
19370 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19371 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19372 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19373 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19374 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19375 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19376 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19377 then a regexp match is done.
19379 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19380 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19382 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19383 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19384 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19385 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19387 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19388 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19389 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19390 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19391 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19395 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19396 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19397 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19398 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19399 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19400 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19401 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19404 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19405 overall score file, you could use the value
19407 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19408 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19411 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19412 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19413 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19414 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19415 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19417 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19418 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19419 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19420 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19421 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19422 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19423 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19424 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19426 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19427 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19428 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19430 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19431 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19432 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19433 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19434 threading---according to the current value of
19435 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19436 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19437 simplified in this manner.
19442 @node Score File Format
19443 @section Score File Format
19444 @cindex score file format
19446 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19447 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19448 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19450 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19454 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19456 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19458 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19460 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19465 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19469 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19470 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19471 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19472 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19476 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19477 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19479 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19480 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19481 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19483 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19488 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19489 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19490 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19491 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19492 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19493 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19494 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19495 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19496 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19497 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19498 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19499 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19500 to articles that matches these score entries.
19502 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19503 score entry has one to four elements.
19507 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19508 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19512 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19513 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19514 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19515 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19516 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19517 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19520 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19521 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19522 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19523 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19524 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19527 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19528 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19529 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19530 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19533 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19534 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19535 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19536 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19537 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19538 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19539 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19540 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19541 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19542 instead, if you feel like.
19545 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19546 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19547 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19548 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19549 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19550 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19554 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19555 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19559 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19560 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19562 These predicates are true if
19565 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19568 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19569 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19576 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19577 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19578 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19579 it's not. I think.)
19581 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19582 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19583 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19584 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19587 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19588 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19589 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19590 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19591 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19592 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19593 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19597 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19598 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19599 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19600 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19601 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19602 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19603 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19604 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19607 @item Head, Body, All
19608 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
19612 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
19613 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
19614 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
19615 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
19616 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
19617 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
19618 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19622 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19623 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19624 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19625 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19626 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19627 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19628 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19629 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19630 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19631 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19632 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19636 @cindex score file atoms
19638 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19639 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19642 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19643 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19645 @item mark-and-expunge
19646 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19647 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19650 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19651 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19652 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19653 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19654 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19657 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19658 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19661 @item exclude-files
19662 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19663 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19667 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19668 ignored when handling global score files.
19671 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19672 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19673 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19674 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19677 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19678 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19679 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19680 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19682 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19686 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19689 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19690 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19691 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19692 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19693 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19695 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19696 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19697 scoring rules exist.
19700 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19701 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19702 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19703 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19704 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19705 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19706 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19707 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19708 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19709 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19710 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19714 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19715 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19716 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19717 file for a number of groups.
19720 @cindex local variables
19721 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19722 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19723 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19724 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19725 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19730 @node Score File Editing
19731 @section Score File Editing
19733 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19734 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19735 with a mode for that.
19737 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19738 additional commands:
19743 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19744 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19745 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19746 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19749 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19750 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19751 Insert the current date in numerical format
19752 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19753 you were wondering.
19756 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19757 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19758 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19759 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19760 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19765 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19767 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19768 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19770 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
19771 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
19774 @node Adaptive Scoring
19775 @section Adaptive Scoring
19776 @cindex adaptive scoring
19778 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19779 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19780 stupidity, to be precise.
19782 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19783 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19784 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19785 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19786 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19787 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19788 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19789 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19790 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19792 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19793 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19794 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19795 might look something like this:
19798 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19799 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19800 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19801 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19802 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19803 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19804 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19805 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19806 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19807 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19808 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19809 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19812 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19813 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19814 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19815 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19816 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19817 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19820 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19821 will be applied to each article.
19823 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19824 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19825 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19826 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19828 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19829 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19830 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19831 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19833 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19834 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19835 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19836 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19838 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19839 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19840 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19841 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19842 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19843 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19845 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19846 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19847 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19849 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19850 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19851 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19853 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19854 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19855 let you use different rules in different groups.
19857 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19858 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19859 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19862 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
19863 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
19864 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
19865 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
19867 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19868 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19869 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19870 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19871 the length of the match is less than
19872 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19873 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19876 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19877 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19878 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19879 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19880 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19883 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19884 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19885 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19886 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19887 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19890 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19891 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19892 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19893 score with 30 points.
19895 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19896 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19897 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19898 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19899 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19901 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19902 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19903 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19904 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19905 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19907 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19908 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19909 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19910 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19912 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19913 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19914 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19915 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19917 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19918 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19919 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19920 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19921 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19923 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19924 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19925 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19927 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19928 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19929 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19930 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19933 @node Home Score File
19934 @section Home Score File
19936 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19937 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19938 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19939 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19941 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19942 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19943 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19945 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19946 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19951 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19955 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19956 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19960 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19964 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19965 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19968 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19969 be used as the home score file.
19972 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19975 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19980 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19983 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19984 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19987 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19988 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19990 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19992 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19993 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19996 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19997 Other functions include
20000 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20001 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20002 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20003 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20007 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20008 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20009 their own home score files:
20012 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20013 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20014 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20015 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20016 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20019 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20020 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20021 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20022 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20023 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20025 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20026 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20027 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20028 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20029 precedence over this variable.
20032 @node Followups To Yourself
20033 @section Followups To Yourself
20035 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20036 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20037 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20038 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20039 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20040 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20044 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20045 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20046 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20049 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20050 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20051 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20055 @vindex message-sent-hook
20056 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20057 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20059 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20063 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20064 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20068 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20069 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20072 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20073 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20078 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20082 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20083 is system-dependent.
20086 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20087 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20088 @cindex scoring on other headers
20090 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20091 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20092 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20093 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20094 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20096 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
20097 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20098 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20099 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20100 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20102 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20105 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20106 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20109 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20110 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20111 time if you have much mail.
20113 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20114 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20120 @section Scoring Tips
20121 @cindex scoring tips
20127 @cindex scoring crossposts
20128 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20129 the @code{Xref} header.
20131 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20134 @item Multiple crossposts
20135 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20136 more than, say, 3 groups:
20139 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20143 @item Matching on the body
20144 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20145 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20146 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20147 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20148 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20149 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20150 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20153 @item Marking as read
20154 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20155 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20156 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20160 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20162 @item Negated character classes
20163 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20164 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20165 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20169 @node Reverse Scoring
20170 @section Reverse Scoring
20171 @cindex reverse scoring
20173 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20174 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20175 like this in your score file:
20179 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20184 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20185 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20188 @node Global Score Files
20189 @section Global Score Files
20190 @cindex global score files
20192 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20193 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20194 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20196 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20197 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20198 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20200 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20201 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20202 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20203 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20204 files are applicable to which group.
20206 To use the score file
20207 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20208 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20212 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20213 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20214 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20217 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20219 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20220 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20221 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20222 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20224 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20225 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20227 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20228 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20229 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20230 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20231 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20232 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20234 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20240 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20242 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20244 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20246 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20247 lowered out of existence.
20249 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20250 articles completely.
20253 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20254 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20255 old articles for a long time.
20258 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20259 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20260 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20261 holding our breath yet?
20265 @section Kill Files
20268 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20269 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20270 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20272 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20273 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20274 files into score files.
20276 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20277 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20278 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20279 that isn't a very good idea.
20281 Normal kill files look like this:
20284 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20285 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20289 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20290 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20292 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20293 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20296 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20301 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20302 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20303 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20306 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20307 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20308 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20311 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20316 @kindex M-k (Group)
20317 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20318 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20321 @kindex M-K (Group)
20322 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20323 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20326 Kill file variables:
20329 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20330 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20331 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20332 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20333 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20334 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20335 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20337 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20338 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20339 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20340 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20343 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20344 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20345 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20346 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20347 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20348 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20349 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20350 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20351 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20353 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20354 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20355 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20360 @node Converting Kill Files
20361 @section Converting Kill Files
20363 @cindex converting kill files
20365 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20366 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20367 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20370 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20371 You can fetch it from
20372 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20374 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20375 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20376 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20380 @node Advanced Scoring
20381 @section Advanced Scoring
20383 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20384 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20385 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20386 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20387 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20389 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20393 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20394 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20395 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20399 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20400 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20402 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20403 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20404 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20405 non-@code{nil} value.
20407 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20408 operator, and various match operators.
20415 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20416 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20417 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20422 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20423 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20424 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20429 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20430 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20434 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20435 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20436 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20437 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20438 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20439 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20440 the ancestry you want to go.
20442 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20443 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20444 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20445 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20446 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20449 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20450 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20452 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20453 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20456 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20457 when he's talking about Gnus:
20462 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20463 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20470 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20474 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20481 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20482 really don't want to read what he's written:
20486 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20487 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20491 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20492 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20493 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20500 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20501 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20502 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20503 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20507 The possibilities are endless.
20510 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20511 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20513 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20514 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20515 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20516 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20517 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20518 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20519 @samp{subject}) first.
20521 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20522 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20533 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20534 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20540 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20547 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20548 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20553 @section Score Decays
20554 @cindex score decays
20557 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20558 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20559 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20560 use them in any sensible way.
20562 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20563 @findex gnus-decay-score
20564 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20565 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20566 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20567 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20568 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20569 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
20570 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
20571 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
20572 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
20573 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
20577 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20578 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20579 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20581 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20583 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20585 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20586 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20587 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
20588 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
20589 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
20591 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
20595 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20596 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20597 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20598 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20602 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20605 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20608 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20612 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20613 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20614 the new score, which should be an integer.
20616 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20617 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20622 @include message.texi
20623 @chapter Emacs MIME
20624 @include emacs-mime.texi
20626 @include sieve.texi
20638 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20639 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20640 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20641 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20642 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20643 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20644 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20645 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20646 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20647 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20648 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20649 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20650 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20651 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20652 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20653 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
20654 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20655 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20656 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20657 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
20658 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20662 @node Process/Prefix
20663 @section Process/Prefix
20664 @cindex process/prefix convention
20666 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20667 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20669 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20670 command to be performed on.
20674 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20675 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20676 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20677 with the current one.
20679 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20680 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20681 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20683 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20684 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20687 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20688 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20690 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20693 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20694 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20695 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20696 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20698 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20699 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20700 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20701 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20702 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20703 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20704 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20705 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20707 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20708 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20709 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20710 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20711 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20715 @section Interactive
20716 @cindex interaction
20720 @item gnus-novice-user
20721 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20722 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20723 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20724 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20725 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20728 @item gnus-expert-user
20729 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20730 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20731 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20732 matter how strange.
20734 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20735 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20736 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20737 is @code{t} by default.
20739 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20740 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20741 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20746 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20747 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20748 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20750 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20751 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20752 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20753 rule of 900 to the current article.
20755 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20756 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20757 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20758 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20759 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20760 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20761 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20763 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20764 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20765 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20766 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20767 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20768 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20769 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20770 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20771 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20773 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20774 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20775 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20777 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20781 @node Formatting Variables
20782 @section Formatting Variables
20783 @cindex formatting variables
20785 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20786 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20787 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20788 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20789 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20792 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20793 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20794 lots of percentages everywhere.
20797 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20798 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20799 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20800 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20801 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20802 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20803 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20804 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20807 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20808 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20809 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20810 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20811 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20812 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20813 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20814 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20816 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20817 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20819 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20820 @findex gnus-update-format
20821 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20822 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20823 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20824 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20828 @node Formatting Basics
20829 @subsection Formatting Basics
20831 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20832 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20833 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20835 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20836 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20837 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20838 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20839 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20842 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20843 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20844 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20845 less than 4 characters wide.
20847 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20848 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20851 @node Mode Line Formatting
20852 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20854 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20855 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20856 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20857 with the following two differences:
20862 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20865 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20866 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20867 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20868 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20869 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20870 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20871 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20876 @node Advanced Formatting
20877 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20879 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20880 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20881 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20882 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20884 These are the valid modifiers:
20889 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20893 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20898 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20901 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20906 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20909 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20912 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20915 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20921 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20926 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20927 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20928 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20929 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20930 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20931 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20932 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20934 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20935 last operation, padding.
20937 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
20938 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
20939 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
20940 @xref{Compilation}.
20943 @node User-Defined Specs
20944 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20946 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20947 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20948 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20949 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20950 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20951 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20952 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20953 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20954 should protect against that.
20956 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20957 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20959 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20960 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20961 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20962 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20966 @node Formatting Fonts
20967 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20969 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20970 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20971 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20972 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20975 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20976 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20977 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20978 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20979 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20980 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20982 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20983 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20984 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20985 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20986 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20987 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20988 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20989 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20990 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20991 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20992 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20995 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20998 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20999 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
21000 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
21002 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
21003 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
21004 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
21005 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
21006 ;; @r{Set the color.}
21007 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
21008 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
21010 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
21011 (setq gnus-group-line-format
21012 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
21015 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
21016 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
21018 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
21019 mode-line variables.
21021 @node Positioning Point
21022 @subsection Positioning Point
21024 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
21025 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
21026 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
21028 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
21030 @findex gnus-goto-colon
21031 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
21032 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
21034 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
21035 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
21036 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
21041 @subsection Tabulation
21043 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
21044 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
21045 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
21046 about lining up the following text afterwards.
21048 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
21049 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
21051 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21052 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
21053 This is the soft tabulator.
21055 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21056 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
21057 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
21060 @node Wide Characters
21061 @subsection Wide Characters
21063 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
21064 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
21065 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
21067 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
21068 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
21069 these countries, that's not true.
21071 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
21072 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
21073 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
21074 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
21078 @node Window Layout
21079 @section Window Layout
21080 @cindex window layout
21082 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
21084 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
21085 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
21086 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
21087 @code{t} by default.
21089 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
21090 glitches. Use at your own peril.
21092 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
21093 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
21094 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
21097 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
21098 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
21099 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21103 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
21104 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
21105 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
21106 possible names is listed below.
21108 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
21109 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
21112 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21116 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
21117 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
21118 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
21119 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
21120 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
21121 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
21122 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
21123 size spec per split.
21125 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
21126 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
21127 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
21128 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
21129 present) gets focus.
21131 Here's a more complicated example:
21134 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21135 (summary 0.25 point)
21136 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21140 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21141 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21142 occupy, not a percentage.
21144 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21145 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21146 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21147 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21148 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21151 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21154 (article (horizontal 1.0
21159 (summary 0.25 point)
21164 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21165 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21167 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21168 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21169 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21170 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21171 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21173 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21174 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21175 lines from the splits.
21177 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21182 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21183 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21184 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21185 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21186 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21187 size = number | frame-params
21188 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21192 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21193 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21194 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21195 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21197 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21198 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21199 @cindex window height
21200 @cindex window width
21201 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21202 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21203 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21204 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21205 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21206 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21208 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21209 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21210 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21211 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21213 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21214 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21215 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21216 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21217 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21218 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21219 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21220 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21221 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21222 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21223 configuration list.
21226 (gnus-configure-frame
21230 (article 0.3 point))
21238 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21239 @code{frame} split:
21242 (gnus-configure-frame
21245 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21247 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21248 (user-position . t)
21249 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21254 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21255 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21256 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21257 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21258 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21259 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21260 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21261 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21263 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21264 be found in its default value.
21266 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21267 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21268 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21272 (message (horizontal 1.0
21273 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21275 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21280 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21281 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21282 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21287 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21288 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21289 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21290 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21291 (name . "Message"))
21292 (message 1.0 point))))
21295 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21296 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21297 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21298 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21299 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21302 (gnus-add-configuration
21303 '(article (vertical 1.0
21305 (summary .25 point)
21309 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21310 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21311 Gnus has been loaded.
21313 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21314 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21315 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21316 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21317 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21319 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21320 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21321 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21324 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21328 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21329 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21344 (gnus-add-configuration
21347 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21349 (summary 0.16 point)
21352 (gnus-add-configuration
21355 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21356 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21362 @node Faces and Fonts
21363 @section Faces and Fonts
21368 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21369 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21370 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21375 @section Compilation
21376 @cindex compilation
21377 @cindex byte-compilation
21379 @findex gnus-compile
21381 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21382 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21383 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
21384 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21385 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21386 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21389 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21390 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21391 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21392 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
21393 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
21394 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
21395 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
21399 @section Mode Lines
21402 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21403 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21404 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21405 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21406 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21407 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21408 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21411 @cindex display-time
21413 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21414 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21415 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21416 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21417 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21418 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21419 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21420 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21423 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21425 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21426 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21428 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21429 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21430 (length display-time-string)))))
21433 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21434 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21435 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21436 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21437 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21440 @node Highlighting and Menus
21441 @section Highlighting and Menus
21443 @cindex highlighting
21446 @vindex gnus-visual
21447 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21448 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21449 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21452 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21453 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21456 @item group-highlight
21457 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21458 @item summary-highlight
21459 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21460 @item article-highlight
21461 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21463 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21465 Create menus in the group buffer.
21467 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21469 Create menus in the article buffer.
21471 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21473 Create menus in the server buffer.
21475 Create menus in the score buffers.
21477 Create menus in all buffers.
21480 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21481 buffers, you could say something like:
21484 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21487 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21490 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21493 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21494 in all Gnus buffers.
21496 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21499 @item gnus-mouse-face
21500 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21501 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21502 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21506 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21510 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21511 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21512 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21514 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21515 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21516 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21518 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21519 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21520 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21522 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21523 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21524 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21526 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21527 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21528 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21530 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21531 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21532 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21543 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21544 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21545 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21546 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21547 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21551 @vindex gnus-carpal
21552 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21553 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21554 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21559 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21560 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21561 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21563 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21564 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21565 Face used on buttons.
21567 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21568 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21569 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21571 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21572 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21573 Buttons in the group buffer.
21575 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21576 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21577 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21579 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21580 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21581 Buttons in the server buffer.
21583 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21584 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21585 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21588 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21589 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21590 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21598 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21599 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21600 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21601 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21602 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21604 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21605 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21606 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21608 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21609 been idle for thirty minutes:
21612 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21615 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21619 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21622 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
21623 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21624 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21626 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21627 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21628 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21629 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21631 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21632 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21633 @var{idle} minutes.
21635 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21636 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21639 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21640 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21641 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21643 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21644 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21645 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21646 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21648 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21649 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21651 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21653 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21656 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21657 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21658 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21659 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21660 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21661 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21662 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21663 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21664 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21665 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21666 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21668 @findex gnus-demon-init
21669 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21670 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21671 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21672 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21673 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21675 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21676 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21677 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21686 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21687 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21689 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21690 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21691 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21692 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21695 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21696 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21697 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21698 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21700 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21701 this will make spam disappear.
21703 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21706 @item gnus-use-nocem
21707 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21708 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21711 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21712 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21713 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21716 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21717 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21720 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21721 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21722 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21723 people you want to listen to. The default is
21725 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21726 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21728 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21730 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21731 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21733 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21734 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21735 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21736 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21737 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21738 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21739 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21740 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21741 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21742 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21744 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21745 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21748 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21751 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21752 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21755 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21758 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21761 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21762 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21764 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21765 says she is. The default is @code{pgg-verify}, which returns
21766 non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful, otherwise (including
21767 the case the NoCeM message was not signed) returns @code{nil}. If this
21768 is too slow and you don't care for verification (which may be dangerous),
21769 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21771 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21772 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
21773 @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if you are willing to add the
21774 @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
21776 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21777 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21778 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21779 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21781 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21782 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21783 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21784 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21785 might then see old spam.
21787 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21788 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21789 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21790 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21791 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21794 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21795 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21796 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21797 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21801 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21802 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21803 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21804 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21811 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21812 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21813 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21815 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21816 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21817 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21818 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21819 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21820 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21821 @code{undo} function.
21823 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21824 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21825 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21826 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21827 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21828 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21829 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21830 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21831 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21832 never be totally undoable.
21834 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21835 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21837 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21838 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21839 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21840 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21844 @node Predicate Specifiers
21845 @section Predicate Specifiers
21846 @cindex predicate specifiers
21848 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21849 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21850 to type all that much.
21852 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21857 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21858 gnus-article-unread-p)
21861 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21862 functions all take one parameter.
21864 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21865 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21866 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21867 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21872 @section Moderation
21875 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21876 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21877 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21880 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21884 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21887 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21889 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21894 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21895 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21896 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21899 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21900 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21903 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21904 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21908 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21911 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21912 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21916 @node Fetching a Group
21917 @section Fetching a Group
21918 @cindex fetching a group
21920 @findex gnus-fetch-group
21921 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
21922 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
21923 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
21924 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
21925 It takes the group name as a parameter.
21928 @node Image Enhancements
21929 @section Image Enhancements
21931 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21932 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21933 taken advantage of that.
21936 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21937 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
21938 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21939 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21940 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21948 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21949 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21950 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21954 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21955 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21956 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21964 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21965 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21966 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21967 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21969 The variable that controls this is the
21970 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21971 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21972 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21973 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21974 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21976 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21977 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21978 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21979 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21982 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21983 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21984 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21985 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21986 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21987 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21988 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21989 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21991 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21999 @vindex gnus-x-face
22000 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22001 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22002 default colors are black and white.
22004 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22005 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22006 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22007 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22008 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22009 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22012 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22013 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22014 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22015 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22017 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22018 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22019 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22020 (png . (:relief -2))))
22023 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22024 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
22025 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
22026 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
22027 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
22028 @samp{libcompface} library.
22031 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22032 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
22034 @findex gnus-random-x-face
22035 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
22036 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
22037 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
22038 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
22039 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
22040 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
22041 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
22042 header data as a string.
22044 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
22045 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
22046 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
22047 randomly generated data.
22049 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
22050 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22051 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22052 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22053 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22055 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22056 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22059 (setq message-required-news-headers
22060 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22061 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22064 Using the last function would be something like this:
22067 (setq message-required-news-headers
22068 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22069 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22070 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22071 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22079 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
22081 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22082 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22083 represent the author of the message.
22086 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22087 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22088 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22091 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22092 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22094 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22095 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
22097 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
22098 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
22099 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
22101 @findex gnus-face-from-file
22102 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
22103 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
22104 converts the file to Face format by using the
22105 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
22107 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
22108 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22111 (setq message-required-news-headers
22112 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22113 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22114 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22119 @subsection Smileys
22124 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22129 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22130 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22132 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22133 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22136 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22139 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22140 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22141 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22142 text and maps that to file names.
22144 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22145 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22146 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22147 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22148 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22151 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22156 @item smiley-data-directory
22157 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22158 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22160 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22161 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22162 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22176 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22177 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22178 over your shoulder as you read news.
22180 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22189 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22190 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22191 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22192 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22193 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22194 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22195 @code{GIF} formats.
22198 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22199 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22200 point your Web browser at
22201 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22203 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22204 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22206 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22207 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22210 @vindex gnus-picon-style
22211 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
22212 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
22213 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
22215 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22219 @item gnus-picon-databases
22220 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22221 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22222 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22223 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22224 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22226 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22227 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22228 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22229 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22231 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22232 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22233 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22234 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22236 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22237 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22238 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22239 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22240 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22242 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22243 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22244 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22245 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22251 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22254 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22255 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22256 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22257 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22258 unusual directory structure.
22260 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22261 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22262 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22263 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22265 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22266 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22267 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22268 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22269 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22270 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22272 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22273 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22274 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22279 @subsubsection Toolbar
22283 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22284 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22285 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22286 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22287 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22289 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22290 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22291 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22293 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22294 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22295 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22297 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22298 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22299 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22310 @node Fuzzy Matching
22311 @section Fuzzy Matching
22312 @cindex fuzzy matching
22314 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22315 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22317 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22318 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22319 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22321 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22322 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22323 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22324 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22325 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22328 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22329 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22333 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22335 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22336 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22337 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22338 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22339 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22340 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22341 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22342 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22345 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22346 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22347 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22348 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22349 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22350 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22352 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22355 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22356 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22357 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22358 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22359 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22360 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22363 @node The problem of spam
22364 @subsection The problem of spam
22366 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22367 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22369 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22371 First, some background on spam.
22373 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22374 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22375 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22376 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22377 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22378 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22379 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22380 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22381 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22383 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22384 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22385 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22386 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22387 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22388 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22389 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22390 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22391 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22394 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22395 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22396 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22397 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22398 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22399 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22400 from Bulgarian IPs.
22402 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
22403 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
22404 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
22405 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
22407 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
22408 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
22409 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
22410 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
22412 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22413 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22414 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22415 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22416 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
22417 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
22418 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
22419 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
22420 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22422 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22423 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22424 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22425 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22426 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22427 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
22428 down for some time because of the incident.
22430 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22431 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22432 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22433 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22434 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22435 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22436 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22437 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
22438 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
22439 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
22440 the server that it has misclassified mail.
22442 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
22443 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
22444 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
22445 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
22446 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
22447 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
22448 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
22451 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22452 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22456 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22458 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22459 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22461 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22462 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22463 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22464 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22465 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22466 part of the mail address.)
22469 (setq message-default-news-headers
22470 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22473 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22474 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22478 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22479 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22480 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22485 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22486 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22487 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22488 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22490 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22491 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22492 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22493 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22494 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22495 your fancy split rule in this way:
22500 (to "larsi" "misc")
22504 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22505 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22506 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22507 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22508 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22510 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22511 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22512 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22513 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22515 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
22519 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22520 @cindex SpamAssassin
22521 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22524 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
22525 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22526 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22527 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22528 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22529 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22530 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22532 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
22533 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
22534 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
22537 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22538 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22539 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22540 Specifiers}) follow.
22544 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22548 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22551 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22552 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22553 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22556 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22560 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22563 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22564 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22568 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22569 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22570 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22571 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22574 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22576 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22580 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22581 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22585 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
22586 downloaded by default. You need to set
22587 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
22588 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
22590 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22591 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22592 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22595 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22596 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22598 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22599 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22600 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22604 @subsection Hashcash
22607 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22608 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
22609 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
22610 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
22611 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
22613 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22614 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22615 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22616 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22617 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22618 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
22619 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22620 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22621 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22622 one of them separately.
22625 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22626 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22627 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
22628 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
22629 need to install to use this feature, see
22630 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
22631 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22633 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
22634 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
22635 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
22638 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
22641 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22645 @item hashcash-default-payment
22646 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22647 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22648 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
22651 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22652 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22653 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22654 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22655 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22656 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22657 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22658 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22659 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22661 @item hashcash-path
22662 @vindex hashcash-path
22663 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
22664 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
22665 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
22666 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
22667 when you generate hashcash payments.
22671 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
22672 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
22673 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
22674 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
22675 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
22676 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
22677 Hashcash Payments}).
22679 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22680 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22681 @cindex spam filtering
22684 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22685 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
22686 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22687 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
22690 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
22691 events. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events}.
22693 @cindex spam-initialize
22694 To use @code{spam.el}, you @strong{must} run the function
22695 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @file{spam.el} and to install the
22696 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
22697 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
22698 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
22701 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
22705 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
22707 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
22708 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
22709 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
22710 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
22711 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
22713 You get the following keyboard commands:
22723 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22724 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22726 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22727 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22728 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22729 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22735 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22736 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22738 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22744 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22745 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22749 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
22750 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
22751 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
22752 * Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer::
22753 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
22754 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22755 * BBDB Whitelists::
22756 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22757 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22759 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22761 * SpamAssassin back end::
22762 * ifile spam filtering::
22763 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22765 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
22768 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22769 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22770 @cindex spam filtering
22771 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
22773 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
22774 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
22776 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
22777 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
22780 Getting new mail in Gnus is done in one of two ways. You can either
22781 split your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or
22782 spam when you enter the group.
22784 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail back ends such as
22785 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
22786 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
22789 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
22790 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
22791 For back ends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
22792 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
22793 back ends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
22794 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
22795 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
22796 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
22797 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
22798 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
22800 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
22801 group/topic or wholesale by regular expression matches, as needed), it
22802 hooks into the process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group
22803 with unseen or unread articles becomes the substitute for checking
22804 incoming mail. Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles
22805 will be processed is determined by the
22806 @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When set to @code{t}, unread
22807 messages will be rechecked. You should probably stick with the
22808 default of only checking unseen messages.
22810 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
22811 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
22812 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
22813 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
22814 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
22815 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
22816 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
22817 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
22818 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
22820 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
22821 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
22822 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
22823 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
22824 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
22825 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
22826 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
22827 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
22828 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
22829 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
22831 Thus, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied,
22832 if any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
22833 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
22834 depending on the article's classification. If the
22835 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
22836 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
22839 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
22840 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
22841 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
22842 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
22843 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
22844 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
22845 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22846 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
22847 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
22848 which is what most people want. If the
22849 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
22850 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
22852 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
22853 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22855 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
22856 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
22857 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
22858 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
22859 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
22860 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
22861 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22862 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
22863 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
22864 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
22865 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
22867 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
22868 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22870 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
22871 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
22872 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
22874 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22875 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22876 @cindex spam filtering
22877 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
22880 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22881 must add the following to your fancy split list
22882 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22888 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22889 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22890 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22892 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
22894 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22895 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22896 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22897 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
22898 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
22899 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
22900 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
22901 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
22902 actually give you the group
22903 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
22904 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
22906 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22907 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
22910 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22911 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22914 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22915 (any "ding" "ding")
22917 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22921 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22922 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22923 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22924 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22925 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22926 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22928 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
22929 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22930 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22935 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
22936 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22937 (any "ding" "ding")
22938 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
22940 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22944 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
22945 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
22946 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
22947 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
22948 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
22949 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
22950 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
22952 You should still have specific checks such as
22953 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
22954 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
22955 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
22956 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
22957 is usually not critical, though.
22959 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22961 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22962 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22963 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22964 message headers. If you use a @emph{statistical} filter,
22965 e.g. @code{spam-check-bogofilter}, @code{spam-check-ifile}, or
22966 @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that can benefit from the full
22967 message body), this variable will be set automatically. It is not set
22968 for non-statistical back ends by default because it will slow
22969 @acronym{IMAP} down.
22971 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22973 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22974 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22975 @cindex spam filtering
22976 @cindex spam filtering variables
22977 @cindex spam variables
22980 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22981 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22982 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22983 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22984 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22985 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22986 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22987 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22988 will be detected later.
22990 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
22991 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
22992 for more information.
22994 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22995 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22996 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22997 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22998 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22999 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
23000 by customizing the corresponding variable
23001 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
23002 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
23003 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
23004 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
23005 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
23006 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
23007 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
23010 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
23012 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
23013 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
23014 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
23015 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
23016 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
23017 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
23018 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
23019 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
23020 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
23021 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
23022 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
23023 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
23024 processor which will study them as spam samples.
23026 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
23027 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
23028 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
23029 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
23030 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
23031 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
23032 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
23033 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
23036 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23037 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
23038 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
23039 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
23040 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
23041 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
23042 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
23047 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23048 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
23049 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
23050 you really want to.
23053 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
23054 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
23055 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
23056 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
23057 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
23058 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
23061 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23062 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
23063 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
23064 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
23065 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
23066 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
23067 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
23068 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
23069 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
23070 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
23071 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
23072 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
23073 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
23074 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
23075 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
23077 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23078 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23080 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23081 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
23082 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
23084 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
23085 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
23087 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
23088 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
23089 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
23090 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
23091 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
23093 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
23094 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
23095 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
23096 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
23097 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
23100 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23101 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
23102 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
23103 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
23104 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
23105 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
23106 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
23107 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
23108 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
23109 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
23110 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
23111 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
23112 group buffer then you need it here as well.
23114 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23115 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23117 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23118 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
23121 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23122 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23123 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23124 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23125 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23126 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23127 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23129 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23130 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23131 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23132 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23134 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23135 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23136 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23137 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23138 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23139 from the mail server.
23141 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23142 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23143 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23144 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23146 @node Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23147 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23148 @cindex spam scoring
23149 @cindex spam sorting
23150 @cindex spam score summary buffer
23151 @cindex spam sort summary buffer
23154 You can display the spam score of articles in your summary buffer, and
23155 you can sort articles by their spam score.
23157 First you need to decide which back end you will be using. If you use
23158 the @code{spam-use-spamassassin},
23159 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}, or @code{spam-use-regex-headers}
23160 back end, the @code{X-Spam-Status} header will be used. If you use
23161 @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, the @code{X-Bogosity} header will be used.
23162 If you use @code{spam-use-crm114}, any header that matches the CRM114
23163 score format will be used. As long as you set the appropriate back end
23164 variable to t @emph{before} you load @file{spam.el}, you will be
23165 fine. @code{spam.el} will automatically add the right header to the
23166 internal Gnus list of required headers.
23168 To show the spam score in your summary buffer, add this line to your
23169 @code{gnus.el} file (note @code{spam.el} does not do that by default
23170 so it won't override any existing @code{S} formats you may have).
23173 (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-S 'spam-user-format-function-S)
23176 Now just set your summary line format to use @code{%uS}. Here's an
23177 example that formats the spam score in a 5-character field:
23180 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
23181 "%U%R %10&user-date; $%5uS %6k %B %(%4L: %*%-25,25a%) %s \n")
23184 Finally, to sort by spam status, either do it globally:
23188 gnus-show-threads nil
23189 gnus-article-sort-functions
23190 '(spam-article-sort-by-spam-status))
23193 or per group (@pxref{Sorting the Summary Buffer}).
23195 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23196 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23197 @cindex spam filtering
23198 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23199 @cindex spam configuration examples
23202 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23204 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23206 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23207 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23208 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23211 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23212 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23215 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23217 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23218 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23219 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23220 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23221 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23222 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23223 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23224 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23225 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23226 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23227 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23228 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23229 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23230 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23231 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23232 (any "ding" "ding")
23233 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23235 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23238 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23240 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23241 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23242 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23243 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23245 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23247 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23248 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23249 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23250 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23251 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23253 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23254 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23256 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23258 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23259 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23261 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23262 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23263 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23265 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23267 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23268 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23270 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23271 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23272 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23274 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23275 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23276 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23277 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23279 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23280 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23281 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23285 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23286 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23288 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23289 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23290 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23291 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23292 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23293 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23294 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23295 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23296 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23298 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23299 does most of the job for me:
23302 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23303 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23304 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23305 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23306 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23307 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23308 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23313 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23315 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23316 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23317 bogofilter or DCC).
23319 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23320 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23321 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23322 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23323 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23324 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23325 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23327 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23328 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23329 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23330 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23331 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23332 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23334 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23336 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23337 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23338 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23339 @samp{training.spam}.
23342 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23344 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23346 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23347 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23348 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23352 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23355 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23356 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23357 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23358 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23359 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23361 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23362 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23363 @cindex spam filtering
23364 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23365 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23368 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23370 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23371 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23372 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23373 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23378 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23380 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23381 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23382 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23383 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23384 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23388 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23390 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23391 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23392 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23396 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23398 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23399 customizing the group parameters or the
23400 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23401 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23402 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
23406 Instead of the obsolete
23407 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
23408 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
23409 the same way, we promise.
23413 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
23415 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23416 customizing the group parameters or the
23417 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23418 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23419 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23424 Instead of the obsolete
23425 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
23426 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
23427 the same way, we promise.
23431 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
23432 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
23433 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
23434 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
23435 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
23437 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
23438 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
23439 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
23440 Emacs regular expression syntax.
23442 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
23443 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
23444 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
23445 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
23446 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
23447 @file{blacklist} respectively.
23449 @node BBDB Whitelists
23450 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
23451 @cindex spam filtering
23452 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
23453 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
23456 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
23458 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23459 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
23460 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
23461 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
23462 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23463 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
23464 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23468 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
23470 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
23471 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23472 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
23473 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
23474 classified as spammers.
23476 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
23477 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
23478 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
23479 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
23484 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
23486 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23487 customizing the group parameters or the
23488 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23489 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23490 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23495 Instead of the obsolete
23496 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
23497 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
23498 the same way, we promise.
23502 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
23503 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
23504 @cindex spam reporting
23505 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23506 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23509 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
23511 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23512 customizing the group parameters or the
23513 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23514 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23515 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
23518 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
23522 Instead of the obsolete
23523 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
23524 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
23525 same way, we promise.
23529 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
23531 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
23532 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
23533 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
23534 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
23535 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
23540 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23541 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23542 @cindex spam filtering
23543 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
23546 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
23548 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23549 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
23550 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
23551 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
23552 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
23553 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23558 @subsubsection Blackholes
23559 @cindex spam filtering
23560 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
23563 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
23565 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
23566 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
23567 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
23568 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
23569 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
23570 contains outdated servers.
23572 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
23573 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
23574 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
23575 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
23576 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
23577 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
23581 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
23583 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
23587 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
23589 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
23590 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
23594 @defvar spam-use-dig
23596 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
23597 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
23601 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
23602 ham processor for blackholes.
23604 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
23605 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
23606 @cindex spam filtering
23607 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
23610 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
23612 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
23613 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
23614 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
23615 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
23616 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
23617 message is spam or ham, respectively.
23621 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
23623 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23624 the message, positively identify it as spam.
23628 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
23630 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23631 the message, positively identify it as ham.
23635 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
23636 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
23639 @subsubsection Bogofilter
23640 @cindex spam filtering
23641 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
23644 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
23646 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23649 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
23650 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
23651 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
23652 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
23653 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
23654 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
23656 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
23657 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
23660 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
23661 processing will be turned off.
23663 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
23667 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
23669 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23670 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
23671 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
23672 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
23673 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
23674 installation documents for details.
23676 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
23680 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
23681 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23682 customizing the group parameters or the
23683 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23684 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
23685 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
23689 Instead of the obsolete
23690 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23691 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23692 the same way, we promise.
23695 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
23696 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23697 customizing the group parameters or the
23698 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23699 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23700 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
23701 of non-spam messages.
23705 Instead of the obsolete
23706 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23707 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23708 the same way, we promise.
23711 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
23713 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
23714 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
23715 database directory.
23719 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
23720 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23721 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
23722 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
23723 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
23724 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
23726 @node SpamAssassin back end
23727 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
23728 @cindex spam filtering
23729 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
23732 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
23734 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
23736 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
23737 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
23738 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
23739 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
23742 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
23743 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
23744 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
23745 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
23748 You should not enable this is you use
23749 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
23753 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
23755 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
23756 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
23758 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
23762 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
23764 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
23765 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
23766 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
23767 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
23771 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
23772 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
23773 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
23774 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
23775 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
23776 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
23777 to test this functionality.
23779 @node ifile spam filtering
23780 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
23781 @cindex spam filtering
23782 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
23785 @defvar spam-use-ifile
23787 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
23788 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
23792 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
23794 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
23795 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
23796 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
23800 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
23802 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
23803 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
23804 the default value of @samp{spam}.
23807 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
23809 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
23810 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
23814 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
23815 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23816 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
23817 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
23820 @node spam-stat spam filtering
23821 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
23822 @cindex spam filtering
23823 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
23827 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
23829 @defvar spam-use-stat
23831 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
23832 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
23836 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
23837 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23838 customizing the group parameters or the
23839 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23840 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23841 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
23845 Instead of the obsolete
23846 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23847 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23848 the same way, we promise.
23851 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
23852 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23853 customizing the group parameters or the
23854 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23855 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23856 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
23857 of non-spam messages.
23861 Instead of the obsolete
23862 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23863 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23864 the same way, we promise.
23867 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
23868 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
23869 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
23870 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
23871 @code{spam-split} are provided.
23874 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
23875 @cindex spam filtering
23879 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
23880 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
23881 installed separately.
23883 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
23884 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
23885 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
23886 mail as a spam mail or not.
23888 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
23889 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
23890 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
23892 The easiest method is to make @code{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
23893 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
23895 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
23896 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
23897 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
23898 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
23899 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
23900 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
23901 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
23902 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
23906 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
23907 spam-split-group "Junk"
23908 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
23909 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23910 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
23913 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
23914 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
23918 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
23919 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
23920 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
23924 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
23925 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
23926 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
23927 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
23928 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
23929 database to live somewhere special, set
23930 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
23933 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
23934 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
23935 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
23936 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
23937 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
23938 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
23939 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @code{spam.el}'s
23940 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
23941 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
23942 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
23944 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
23945 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23946 customizing the group parameter or the
23947 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23948 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
23949 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
23953 Instead of the obsolete
23954 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23955 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23956 the same way, we promise.
23959 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
23960 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23961 customizing the group parameter or the
23962 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23963 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
23964 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
23969 Instead of the obsolete
23970 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23971 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23972 the same way, we promise.
23975 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
23976 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
23979 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
23980 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
23981 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
23983 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
23984 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
23985 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
23986 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
23987 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
23988 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
23990 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
23991 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
23992 @cindex spam filtering
23993 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
23994 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
23996 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
23997 incoming mail, provide the following:
24005 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
24006 "True if blackbox should be used.")
24009 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
24011 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
24012 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
24013 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
24014 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
24015 register/unregister spam and ham.
24020 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
24021 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
24022 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
24023 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
24028 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
24035 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
24036 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
24038 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
24039 variables. Instead the form @code{'(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
24040 @code{'(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
24041 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
24044 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
24045 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
24046 Only applicable to spam groups.")
24048 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
24049 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
24050 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24059 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
24060 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
24062 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
24063 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
24064 variable customization.
24068 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
24070 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
24071 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
24073 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
24074 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
24080 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
24082 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
24083 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
24084 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
24087 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
24089 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
24090 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
24094 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
24096 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
24097 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
24098 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
24102 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
24104 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
24105 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
24106 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
24109 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
24111 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
24112 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
24116 @code{spam-install-backend}
24118 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
24119 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
24120 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
24123 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
24125 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
24126 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
24127 never install such a back end.
24133 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24134 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24135 @cindex Paul Graham
24136 @cindex Graham, Paul
24137 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
24138 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
24139 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
24141 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
24142 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
24143 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
24144 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
24145 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
24146 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
24147 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
24148 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
24149 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
24152 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
24153 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
24154 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
24155 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
24156 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
24157 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
24158 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
24159 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
24161 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
24162 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
24163 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
24164 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
24165 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
24168 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
24169 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
24170 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
24173 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24174 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24176 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
24177 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
24178 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
24179 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
24180 need several hundred emails in both collections.
24182 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
24183 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
24184 per mail. Use the following:
24186 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
24187 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
24188 is treated as one spam mail.
24191 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
24192 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
24193 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
24196 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
24197 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
24198 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
24199 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
24200 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
24201 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
24203 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
24204 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
24205 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
24206 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
24207 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24210 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24211 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24212 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24213 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24216 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24217 reset the dictionary.
24219 @defun spam-stat-reset
24220 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24223 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24224 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24225 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24226 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24227 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24228 only non-spam mails.
24230 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24231 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24232 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24235 @defun spam-stat-save
24236 Save the dictionary.
24239 @defvar spam-stat-file
24240 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24241 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24244 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24245 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24247 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24248 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24251 (require 'spam-stat)
24255 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24258 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24259 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24260 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24261 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24263 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24264 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24265 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24266 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24269 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24270 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24274 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24275 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24278 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24279 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24280 expression are considered potential spam.
24283 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24284 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24285 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24289 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24290 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24291 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24292 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24293 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24296 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24297 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24298 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24302 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24303 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24304 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24305 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24306 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24310 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24311 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24312 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24313 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24318 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24319 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24321 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24323 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24324 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24325 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24328 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24329 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24330 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24333 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24334 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24335 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24336 already been processed as non-spam.
24339 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24340 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24341 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24342 been processed as spam.
24345 @defun spam-stat-save
24346 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24347 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24350 @defun spam-stat-load
24351 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24352 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24355 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24356 Return the spam score for a word.
24359 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24360 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24363 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24364 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24365 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24368 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
24369 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24372 (require 'spam-stat)
24376 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
24379 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24380 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24381 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24382 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24383 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24384 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24385 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24386 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24387 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24388 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24389 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24390 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24391 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24392 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24395 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
24398 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24399 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24400 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24401 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
24402 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24403 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24407 @section Interaction with other modes
24412 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
24413 buffers. It is enabled with
24415 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24420 @findex gnus-dired-attach
24421 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
24422 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
24425 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
24426 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
24427 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
24431 @findex gnus-dired-print
24432 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
24433 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
24436 @node Various Various
24437 @section Various Various
24443 @item gnus-home-directory
24444 @vindex gnus-home-directory
24445 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
24446 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
24448 @item gnus-directory
24449 @vindex gnus-directory
24450 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
24451 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
24452 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
24454 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
24455 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
24456 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
24457 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
24459 @item gnus-default-directory
24460 @vindex gnus-default-directory
24461 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
24462 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
24463 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
24464 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
24465 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
24466 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
24469 @vindex gnus-verbose
24470 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
24471 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
24472 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
24473 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
24474 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
24476 @item gnus-verbose-backends
24477 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
24478 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
24479 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
24481 @item nnheader-max-head-length
24482 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
24483 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
24484 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
24485 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
24486 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
24487 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
24488 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
24489 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
24490 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
24492 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
24493 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
24494 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
24495 read when doing the operation described above.
24497 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24498 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24500 @cindex invalid characters in file names
24501 @cindex characters in file names
24502 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
24503 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
24504 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
24508 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24513 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
24514 Windows (phooey) systems.
24516 @item gnus-hidden-properties
24517 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
24518 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
24519 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
24520 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
24522 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
24523 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
24524 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
24525 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
24526 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
24528 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
24529 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
24530 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
24532 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24533 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24535 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
24536 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
24537 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
24538 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
24541 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
24549 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
24550 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
24552 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
24554 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
24560 Not because of victories @*
24563 but for the common sunshine,@*
24565 the largess of the spring.
24569 but for the day's work done@*
24570 as well as I was able;@*
24571 not for a seat upon the dais@*
24572 but at the common table.@*
24577 @chapter Appendices
24580 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
24581 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
24582 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
24583 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
24584 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
24585 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
24586 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
24587 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
24588 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
24595 @cindex installing under XEmacs
24597 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
24598 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
24599 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
24600 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
24601 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{w3},
24602 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
24609 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
24610 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
24612 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
24613 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
24614 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
24615 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
24616 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
24618 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
24619 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
24620 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
24621 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
24622 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
24623 appropriate name, don't you think?)
24625 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
24626 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
24627 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
24628 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
24631 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
24632 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
24633 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
24634 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
24635 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
24636 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
24637 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
24638 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
24639 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
24643 @node Gnus Versions
24644 @subsection Gnus Versions
24646 @cindex September Gnus
24648 @cindex Quassia Gnus
24649 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
24652 @cindex Gnus versions
24654 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
24655 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
24656 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
24658 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
24659 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
24661 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
24662 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
24664 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
24665 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
24667 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
24668 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
24671 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
24673 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
24674 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
24675 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
24676 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
24677 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
24678 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
24681 @node Other Gnus Versions
24682 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
24685 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
24686 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
24687 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
24688 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
24690 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
24691 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
24692 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
24693 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
24700 What's the point of Gnus?
24702 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
24703 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
24704 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
24705 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
24706 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
24707 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
24708 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
24709 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
24710 keep track of millions of people who post?
24712 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
24713 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
24714 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
24715 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
24716 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
24717 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
24718 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
24719 every one of you to explore and invent.
24721 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
24722 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
24725 @node Compatibility
24726 @subsection Compatibility
24728 @cindex compatibility
24729 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
24730 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
24731 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
24736 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
24740 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
24743 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
24746 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
24747 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
24748 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
24749 important variables have their values copied into their global
24750 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
24751 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
24753 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
24754 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
24755 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
24756 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
24757 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
24761 @cindex highlighting
24762 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
24763 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
24764 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
24765 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
24766 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
24767 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
24770 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
24771 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
24772 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
24773 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
24775 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
24776 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
24777 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
24778 to stop doing it the old way.
24780 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
24782 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24784 @cindex reporting bugs
24786 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
24787 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
24788 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
24790 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
24791 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
24792 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
24793 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
24798 @subsection Conformity
24800 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
24801 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
24809 There are no known breaches of this standard.
24813 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
24815 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
24816 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
24817 We do have some breaches to this one.
24823 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
24824 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
24825 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
24826 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
24827 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
24832 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
24833 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
24834 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
24835 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
24837 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
24838 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
24839 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
24841 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
24842 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
24844 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
24847 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
24848 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
24849 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
24850 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
24851 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
24854 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
24855 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
24856 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
24857 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
24859 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
24860 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
24862 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
24863 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
24864 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
24865 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
24866 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
24867 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
24868 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
24869 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
24873 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
24874 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
24879 @subsection Emacsen
24885 Gnus should work on:
24893 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
24897 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
24898 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
24901 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
24902 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
24903 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
24907 @node Gnus Development
24908 @subsection Gnus Development
24910 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
24911 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
24912 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
24913 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
24914 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
24915 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
24916 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
24917 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
24919 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
24920 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
24921 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
24922 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
24923 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
24926 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
24927 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
24928 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
24929 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
24930 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
24932 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
24933 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
24934 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
24935 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
24936 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
24937 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
24938 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
24939 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
24940 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
24941 can't be assumed to do so.
24946 @subsection Contributors
24947 @cindex contributors
24949 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
24950 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
24951 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
24952 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
24953 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
24954 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
24955 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
24956 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
24957 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
24958 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
24960 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
24966 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
24969 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
24970 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
24971 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
24972 functionality and stuff.
24975 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
24976 well as numerous other things).
24979 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
24982 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
24985 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
24988 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
24991 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
24992 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
24995 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
24998 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
25001 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
25004 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
25007 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
25010 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
25013 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
25014 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
25017 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
25020 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
25023 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
25026 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
25030 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
25033 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
25036 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
25039 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
25040 well as autoconf support.
25044 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
25045 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
25047 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
25062 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
25064 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
25068 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
25078 Alexei V. Barantsev,
25093 Massimo Campostrini,
25098 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
25099 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
25103 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
25106 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
25112 Michael Welsh Duggan,
25117 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
25121 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
25129 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
25131 Michelangelo Grigni,
25135 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
25137 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
25139 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
25146 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
25147 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
25148 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
25150 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
25160 Peter Skov Knudsen,
25161 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
25163 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
25164 Thor Kristoffersen,
25167 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
25185 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
25186 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
25193 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
25198 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
25202 John McClary Prevost,
25208 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25213 Christian von Roques,
25216 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25223 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25225 Randal L. Schwartz,
25239 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25244 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25264 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25265 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25266 (550kB and counting).
25268 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25271 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25272 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25276 @subsection New Features
25277 @cindex new features
25280 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25281 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25282 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25283 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25284 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25285 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
25286 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
25289 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25290 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25291 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25294 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25296 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25301 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25302 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25305 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25306 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25309 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25312 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25313 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25314 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25317 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25318 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25319 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25320 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25323 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25324 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25327 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25328 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25329 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25332 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25333 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25336 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25337 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25338 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25341 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25342 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25343 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25346 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25347 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25350 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25351 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25354 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25355 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25358 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25359 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25362 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25363 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
25366 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
25367 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25370 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
25373 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
25374 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
25377 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
25378 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25381 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25382 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25385 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25388 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
25389 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25392 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
25396 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
25400 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
25401 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
25404 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
25410 @node September Gnus
25411 @subsubsection September Gnus
25415 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
25419 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
25424 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
25425 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
25429 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
25430 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
25434 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
25438 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
25439 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
25442 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
25446 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
25449 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
25452 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
25455 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
25459 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
25460 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
25463 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
25467 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
25471 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
25475 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
25479 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
25482 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
25483 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
25486 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
25490 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
25491 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
25494 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
25497 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
25498 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
25499 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25502 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
25506 The Gnus cache is much faster.
25509 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
25513 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
25514 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
25517 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
25518 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
25521 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
25522 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
25525 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
25526 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
25527 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
25530 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
25531 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
25534 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
25537 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25540 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
25543 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
25546 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
25547 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
25550 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
25554 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
25557 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
25562 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
25565 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
25569 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25572 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
25576 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
25579 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
25582 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
25583 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25586 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
25587 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
25591 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
25592 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
25595 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
25599 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
25600 buffer to allow easier treatment.
25603 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
25606 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
25610 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
25614 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
25615 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
25618 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
25622 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
25623 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25626 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
25627 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25630 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
25634 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25637 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
25640 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
25646 @subsubsection Red Gnus
25648 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
25652 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
25659 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
25662 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
25663 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25666 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
25667 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
25671 Article washing status can be displayed in the
25672 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
25675 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
25678 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
25679 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
25682 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
25686 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
25687 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
25691 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
25692 Server Internals}).
25695 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
25699 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
25702 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
25703 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
25706 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
25707 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
25708 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
25711 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
25712 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25715 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
25716 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
25719 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
25723 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
25724 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25727 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
25728 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25731 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
25735 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
25738 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
25742 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
25743 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25746 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
25747 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25750 A new command for reading collections of documents
25751 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
25752 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
25755 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
25759 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
25760 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
25763 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
25764 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
25765 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
25768 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
25769 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
25773 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
25777 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
25781 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
25786 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
25790 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
25794 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
25795 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
25798 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
25804 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
25806 New features in Gnus 5.6:
25811 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
25812 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
25813 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
25816 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
25817 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
25818 group, which is created automatically.
25821 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
25825 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
25828 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
25829 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
25832 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
25836 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
25839 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
25840 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
25843 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
25846 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
25850 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
25851 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
25854 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
25855 control over simplification.
25858 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
25861 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
25865 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
25868 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
25871 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
25872 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
25873 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
25876 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
25877 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
25880 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
25884 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
25885 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
25888 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
25889 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
25892 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
25896 A history of where mails have been split is available.
25899 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
25902 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
25903 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
25906 A new function for citing in Message has been
25907 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
25910 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
25913 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
25917 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
25918 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
25921 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
25922 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
25925 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
25928 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
25932 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
25933 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
25935 New features in Gnus 5.8:
25940 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
25941 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
25943 If you used procmail like in
25946 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
25947 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
25948 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
25949 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
25952 this now has changed to
25956 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
25960 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
25963 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
25964 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
25967 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
25968 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
25971 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
25972 called to position point.
25975 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
25976 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
25979 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
25980 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
25983 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
25984 subtly different manner.
25987 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
25988 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
25989 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
25992 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
25997 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
26000 New features in Gnus 5.10:
26005 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
26006 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
26007 region if the region is active.
26010 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
26014 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
26015 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
26018 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
26019 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
26022 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
26024 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
26025 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
26026 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
26027 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
26028 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
26029 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
26030 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
26031 isn't save in general.
26036 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
26037 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
26038 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
26039 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
26044 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
26045 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
26046 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
26050 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
26053 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
26058 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
26059 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
26061 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
26062 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
26066 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
26067 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
26070 Retrieval of charters and control messages
26072 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
26073 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
26078 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
26079 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
26080 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
26083 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
26084 decompressed when activated.
26087 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
26088 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
26091 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
26094 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
26095 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
26098 Warn about email replies to news
26100 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
26101 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
26105 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
26106 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
26110 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
26111 opposed to old but unread messages).
26114 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
26115 Gcc articles as read.
26118 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
26121 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
26122 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
26125 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
26126 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
26129 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
26130 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
26133 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
26134 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
26137 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
26139 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
26140 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
26141 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
26142 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
26145 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
26147 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
26148 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
26149 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
26150 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
26151 the second parameter.
26153 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
26154 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
26155 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
26156 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
26157 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
26158 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
26159 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
26160 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
26161 cycle used under Unix systems.
26163 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
26167 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
26169 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
26170 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
26171 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
26172 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
26173 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
26177 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
26179 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
26180 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
26181 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
26182 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
26186 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
26188 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
26189 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
26190 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
26191 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
26193 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
26194 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
26195 message cited below.
26198 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
26201 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
26203 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
26204 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
26205 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
26206 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
26207 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26210 (setq gnus-parameters
26212 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26213 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26214 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26215 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26219 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
26221 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
26225 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
26227 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
26228 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
26229 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
26230 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
26231 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
26232 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
26233 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
26234 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
26235 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
26238 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26240 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26241 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26242 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26243 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26244 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26245 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26248 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
26249 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26253 Improved anti-spam features.
26255 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26256 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26257 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26258 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26259 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26262 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26265 Face headers handling.
26268 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26269 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26272 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26275 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26277 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26278 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26279 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26280 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26281 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26282 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26283 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26284 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26285 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26288 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26290 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26291 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26292 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26293 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26294 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26295 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26296 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26297 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26298 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26299 was inserted directly.
26302 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26304 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26305 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26311 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26312 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26313 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26314 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26315 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26316 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26317 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26318 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26319 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26320 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26321 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26322 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26323 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26324 is not needed any more.
26327 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26329 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26330 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26331 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26332 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26333 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26337 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26339 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26340 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26343 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26345 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26346 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26347 lisp directory into load-path.
26349 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26350 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26353 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26355 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26358 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26360 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26361 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26362 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
26363 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
26366 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
26368 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
26370 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
26371 'bbdb-complete-name)
26375 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
26377 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
26378 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
26379 local files as external parts.
26381 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
26382 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
26383 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
26384 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
26385 that support editing.
26388 @code{gnus-default-charset}
26390 The default value is determined from the
26391 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
26392 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
26393 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
26396 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
26398 Add a new format of match like
26400 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
26401 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26403 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
26405 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
26406 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26410 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
26412 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
26413 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
26414 need add those two headers too.
26417 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
26419 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
26420 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
26421 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
26424 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
26425 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
26426 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
26430 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
26432 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
26435 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
26437 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
26440 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
26442 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
26443 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
26444 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
26447 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
26449 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
26453 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
26455 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
26456 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
26457 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
26458 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
26459 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
26460 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
26461 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
26462 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
26465 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26467 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26468 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26469 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26470 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26471 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26474 Extended format specs.
26476 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
26477 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
26478 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
26479 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
26480 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
26481 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
26484 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
26486 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
26487 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
26488 out other articles.
26490 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
26492 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
26493 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
26494 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
26495 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
26498 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26500 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26501 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26502 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26505 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
26507 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
26508 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
26509 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
26510 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
26511 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
26512 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
26513 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
26514 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
26515 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
26516 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
26517 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
26520 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
26521 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
26524 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
26525 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
26526 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
26527 message, Message Manual}).
26530 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
26531 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
26533 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
26534 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
26535 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
26537 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
26541 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
26542 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
26544 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
26545 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
26546 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
26547 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
26550 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
26553 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
26556 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
26557 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
26560 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
26562 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
26563 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
26564 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
26565 invalidate the digital signature.
26569 @subsubsection No Gnus
26572 New features in No Gnus:
26573 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
26575 @include gnus-news.texi
26581 @section The Manual
26585 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
26586 either @code{texi2dvi}
26588 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
26589 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
26591 to get what you hold in your hands now.
26593 The following conventions have been used:
26598 This is a @samp{string}
26601 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
26604 This is a @file{file}
26607 This is a @code{symbol}
26611 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
26615 (setq flargnoze "yes")
26618 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
26621 (setq flumphel 'yes)
26624 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
26625 ever get them confused.
26629 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
26630 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
26631 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
26632 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
26633 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
26634 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
26635 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
26641 @node On Writing Manuals
26642 @section On Writing Manuals
26644 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
26645 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
26646 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
26647 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
26648 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
26649 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
26652 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
26653 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
26654 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
26657 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
26658 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
26663 @section Terminology
26665 @cindex terminology
26670 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
26671 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
26672 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
26673 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
26674 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
26678 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
26679 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
26680 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
26681 not posting, and replying is not following up.
26685 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
26689 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
26694 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
26695 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
26696 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
26697 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
26698 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
26699 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
26700 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
26701 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
26702 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
26705 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
26706 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
26707 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
26708 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
26709 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
26710 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
26712 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
26713 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
26714 access the articles.
26716 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
26717 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
26718 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
26723 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
26724 default, way of getting news.
26728 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
26729 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
26734 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
26735 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
26739 A message that has been posted as news.
26742 @cindex mail message
26743 A message that has been mailed.
26747 A mail message or news article
26751 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
26756 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
26761 A line from the head of an article.
26765 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
26766 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
26768 @item @acronym{NOV}
26769 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
26770 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
26771 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
26772 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
26773 normal @sc{head} format.
26777 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
26778 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
26779 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
26780 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
26781 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
26782 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
26784 @item killed groups
26785 @cindex killed groups
26786 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
26787 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
26789 @item zombie groups
26790 @cindex zombie groups
26791 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
26794 @cindex active file
26795 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
26796 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
26797 is rather large, as you might surmise.
26800 @cindex bogus groups
26801 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
26802 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
26803 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
26806 @cindex activating groups
26807 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
26808 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
26809 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
26813 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
26814 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
26815 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
26819 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
26821 @item select method
26822 @cindex select method
26823 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
26826 @item virtual server
26827 @cindex virtual server
26828 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
26829 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
26830 whole is a virtual server.
26834 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
26835 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
26838 @item ephemeral groups
26839 @cindex ephemeral groups
26840 @cindex temporary groups
26841 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
26842 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
26843 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
26846 @cindex solid groups
26847 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
26848 group buffer are solid groups.
26850 @item sparse articles
26851 @cindex sparse articles
26852 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
26853 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
26857 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
26858 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
26862 @cindex thread root
26863 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
26864 articles in the thread.
26868 An article that has responses.
26872 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
26876 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
26877 specified by RFC 1153.
26880 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
26881 @cindex mail sorting
26882 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
26883 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
26884 incorrectly called mail filtering.
26890 @node Customization
26891 @section Customization
26892 @cindex general customization
26894 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
26895 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
26896 for some quite common situations.
26899 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
26900 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
26901 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
26902 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
26906 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
26907 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
26909 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
26910 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
26911 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
26915 @item gnus-read-active-file
26916 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
26917 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
26918 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26919 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
26920 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
26922 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
26923 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
26924 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
26925 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
26929 @node Slow Terminal Connection
26930 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
26932 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
26933 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
26934 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
26938 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
26939 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
26940 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
26941 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
26942 horizontal and vertical recentering.
26944 @item gnus-visible-headers
26945 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
26946 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
26947 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
26948 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
26950 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
26952 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
26953 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
26954 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
26957 @item gnus-use-full-window
26958 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
26959 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
26960 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
26961 want to read them anyway.
26963 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
26964 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
26968 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
26969 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
26970 lines, which might save some time.
26974 @node Little Disk Space
26975 @subsection Little Disk Space
26978 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
26979 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
26983 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
26984 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
26985 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26986 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26989 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
26990 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
26991 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26992 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26995 @item gnus-save-killed-list
26996 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
26997 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
26998 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
26999 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
27005 @subsection Slow Machine
27006 @cindex slow machine
27008 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
27009 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
27011 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27012 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
27014 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
27015 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
27016 summary buffer faster.
27020 @node Troubleshooting
27021 @section Troubleshooting
27022 @cindex troubleshooting
27024 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
27032 Make sure your computer is switched on.
27035 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
27036 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
27040 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
27041 like @samp{Gnus v5.10.6} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise
27042 you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
27045 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
27046 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
27049 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
27050 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
27051 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
27052 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
27053 something like that.
27056 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
27059 @cindex reporting bugs
27061 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
27063 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
27064 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
27065 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
27066 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
27068 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
27069 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
27070 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
27071 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
27074 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
27075 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
27076 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
27077 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
27078 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
27079 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
27081 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
27082 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
27083 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
27087 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
27088 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
27091 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
27092 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
27093 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
27094 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
27095 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
27096 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
27097 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
27098 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
27099 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
27100 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
27101 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
27102 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
27103 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
27104 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
27109 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
27110 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
27111 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
27112 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
27113 helps isolating the real problem areas).
27115 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
27116 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
27117 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
27118 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
27119 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
27120 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
27121 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
27122 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
27123 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
27124 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
27125 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
27126 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
27127 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
27130 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
27131 @cindex ding mailing list
27132 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
27133 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
27134 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
27135 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
27139 @node Gnus Reference Guide
27140 @section Gnus Reference Guide
27142 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
27143 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
27144 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
27145 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
27148 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
27149 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
27150 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
27151 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
27152 and general methods of operation.
27155 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
27156 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
27157 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
27158 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
27159 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
27160 * Group Info:: The group info format.
27161 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
27162 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
27163 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
27167 @node Gnus Utility Functions
27168 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
27169 @cindex Gnus utility functions
27170 @cindex utility functions
27172 @cindex internal variables
27174 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
27175 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
27176 Below is a list of the most common ones.
27180 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
27181 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
27182 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
27184 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
27185 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
27186 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
27188 @item gnus-group-real-name
27189 @findex gnus-group-real-name
27190 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
27193 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
27194 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
27195 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
27196 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
27198 @item gnus-get-info
27199 @findex gnus-get-info
27200 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
27202 @item gnus-group-unread
27203 @findex gnus-group-unread
27204 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
27208 @findex gnus-active
27209 The active entry for @var{group}.
27211 @item gnus-set-active
27212 @findex gnus-set-active
27213 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
27215 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27216 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27217 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
27220 @item gnus-continuum-version
27221 @findex gnus-continuum-version
27222 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
27223 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
27226 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
27227 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
27228 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
27230 @item gnus-news-group-p
27231 @findex gnus-news-group-p
27232 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
27234 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27235 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27236 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
27238 @item gnus-server-to-method
27239 @findex gnus-server-to-method
27240 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27242 @item gnus-server-equal
27243 @findex gnus-server-equal
27244 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27246 @item gnus-group-native-p
27247 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27248 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27250 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27251 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27252 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27254 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27255 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27256 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27258 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27259 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27260 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27261 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27263 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27264 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27265 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27267 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27268 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27269 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27271 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27272 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27273 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27274 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27277 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27281 @item gnus-read-method
27282 @findex gnus-read-method
27283 Prompts the user for a select method.
27288 @node Back End Interface
27289 @subsection Back End Interface
27291 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27292 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27293 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27294 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27295 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27296 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27298 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27299 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27300 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27301 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27302 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27303 been opened, the function should fail.
27305 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27306 name. Take this example:
27310 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27311 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27314 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27315 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27317 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27318 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27319 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27321 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27322 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27323 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27325 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27326 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27327 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27328 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27329 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27330 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27333 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27334 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27335 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27336 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27339 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27340 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27341 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27342 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27343 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27344 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27345 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27346 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27347 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27348 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27350 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27351 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27352 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27353 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27354 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27355 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27356 of numbers as long as possible.
27358 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
27359 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
27360 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
27362 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
27365 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
27368 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
27369 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
27370 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
27371 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
27372 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
27373 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
27377 @node Required Back End Functions
27378 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
27382 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
27384 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
27385 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
27386 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
27387 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
27389 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
27390 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
27391 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
27392 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
27394 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
27395 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
27396 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
27397 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
27398 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
27399 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
27400 number, do maximum fetches.
27402 Here's an example HEAD:
27405 221 1056 Article retrieved.
27406 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
27407 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
27408 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
27409 Subject: Re: Something very droll
27410 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
27411 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
27413 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
27414 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
27415 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
27419 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
27420 these in the data buffer.
27422 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
27426 head = error / valid-head
27427 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
27428 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
27429 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
27430 header = <text> eol
27434 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
27436 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
27437 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
27441 nov-buffer = *nov-line
27442 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
27443 field = <text except TAB>
27446 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
27450 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
27452 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
27453 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
27455 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
27456 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
27457 server. In fact, it should do so.
27459 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
27460 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
27463 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
27465 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
27466 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
27469 There should be no data returned.
27472 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
27474 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
27475 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
27476 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
27477 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
27479 There should be no data returned.
27482 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
27484 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
27485 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
27486 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
27487 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
27489 There should be no data returned.
27492 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
27494 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
27496 There should be no data returned.
27499 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
27501 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
27502 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
27503 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
27504 it would be nice if that were possible.
27506 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
27507 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
27508 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
27509 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
27510 into its article buffer.
27512 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
27513 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
27514 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
27515 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
27516 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
27517 on successful article retrieval.
27520 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
27522 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
27523 making @var{group} the current group.
27525 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
27528 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
27531 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
27534 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
27535 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
27536 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
27537 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
27538 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
27539 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
27540 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
27541 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
27542 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
27546 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
27547 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
27548 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
27552 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27554 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
27555 a no-op on most back ends.
27557 There should be no data returned.
27560 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
27562 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
27565 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
27568 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
27569 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
27572 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
27573 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
27574 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
27575 and the highest as 0.
27578 active-file = *active-line
27579 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
27581 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
27584 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
27585 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
27586 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
27589 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
27591 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
27592 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
27593 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
27594 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
27595 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
27596 clear if the posting could not be completed.
27598 There should be no result data from this function.
27603 @node Optional Back End Functions
27604 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
27608 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
27610 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
27611 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
27612 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
27614 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
27615 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
27616 former is in the same format as the data from
27617 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
27618 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
27621 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
27625 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
27627 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
27628 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
27629 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
27630 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
27631 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
27632 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
27633 the network resources).
27635 There should be no result data from this function.
27638 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
27640 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
27641 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
27642 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
27643 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
27644 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
27645 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
27646 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
27647 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
27649 There should be no result data from this function.
27652 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
27654 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
27655 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
27656 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
27657 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
27658 propagate the mark information to the server.
27660 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
27663 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
27666 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
27667 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
27668 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
27669 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
27670 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
27671 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
27672 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
27673 possible, not limit itself to these.
27675 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
27676 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
27677 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
27678 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
27680 An example action list:
27683 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
27684 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
27685 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
27688 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
27689 mark on (currently not used for anything).
27691 There should be no result data from this function.
27693 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
27695 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
27696 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
27697 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
27698 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
27699 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
27701 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
27702 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
27703 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
27706 There should be no result data from this function.
27709 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
27711 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
27712 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
27713 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
27714 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
27715 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
27716 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
27717 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
27718 local if that's practical.
27720 There should be no result data from this function.
27723 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
27725 The result data from this function should be a description of
27729 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
27731 description = <text>
27734 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
27736 The result data from this function should be the description of all
27737 groups available on the server.
27740 description-buffer = *description-line
27744 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
27746 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
27747 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
27748 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
27749 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
27750 in the active buffer format.
27752 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
27753 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
27754 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
27755 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
27756 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
27757 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
27758 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
27761 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27763 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
27765 There should be no return data.
27768 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
27770 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
27771 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
27772 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
27773 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
27774 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
27777 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
27780 There should be no result data returned.
27783 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
27785 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
27786 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
27788 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
27789 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
27790 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
27791 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
27792 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
27793 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
27795 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
27796 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
27799 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27800 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27802 There should be no data returned.
27805 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
27807 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
27808 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
27809 this function in short order.
27811 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27812 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27814 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
27815 article for that group.
27817 There should be no data returned.
27820 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
27822 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
27823 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
27825 There should be no data returned.
27828 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
27830 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
27831 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
27832 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
27834 There should be no data returned.
27837 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
27839 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
27840 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
27842 There should be no data returned.
27847 @node Error Messaging
27848 @subsubsection Error Messaging
27850 @findex nnheader-report
27851 @findex nnheader-get-report
27852 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
27853 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
27854 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
27855 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
27856 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
27857 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
27860 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
27862 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
27865 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
27866 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
27867 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
27868 takes one argument---the server symbol.
27870 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
27871 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
27872 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
27875 @node Writing New Back Ends
27876 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
27878 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
27879 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
27880 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
27881 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
27882 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
27885 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
27886 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
27887 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
27889 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
27890 package called @code{nnoo}.
27892 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
27893 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
27899 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
27900 parameters. For instance:
27903 (nnoo-declare nndir
27907 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
27908 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
27911 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
27912 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
27913 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
27915 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
27916 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
27917 a function in those back ends.
27920 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27921 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27922 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27925 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
27926 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
27927 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
27929 @item nnoo-define-basics
27930 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
27934 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27938 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
27939 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
27940 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
27942 @item nnoo-map-functions
27943 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
27944 functions from the parent back ends.
27947 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27948 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27949 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
27952 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
27953 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
27954 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
27955 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
27958 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
27959 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
27960 haven't already been defined.
27966 nnmh-request-newgroups)
27970 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
27971 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
27972 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
27977 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
27980 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
27981 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
27985 (require 'nnheader)
27989 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
27991 (nnoo-declare nndir
27994 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27995 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27996 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27998 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
27999 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
28002 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
28004 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
28005 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
28006 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
28008 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
28009 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
28011 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
28013 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28015 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
28016 (setq nndir-directory
28017 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
28019 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
28020 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
28021 (push `(nndir-current-group
28022 ,(file-name-nondirectory
28023 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28025 (push `(nndir-top-directory
28026 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28028 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
28030 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28031 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28032 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28033 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
28034 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
28038 nnmh-status-message
28040 nnmh-request-newgroups))
28046 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28047 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28049 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
28050 @findex gnus-declare-backend
28051 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
28052 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
28053 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
28055 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
28056 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
28061 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
28064 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
28066 The abilities can be:
28070 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
28072 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
28074 This back end supports both mail and news.
28076 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
28079 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
28080 articles and groups.
28082 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
28083 true for almost all back ends.
28084 @item prompt-address
28085 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
28086 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
28087 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
28091 @node Mail-like Back Ends
28092 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
28094 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
28095 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
28096 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
28097 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
28100 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
28101 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
28102 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
28105 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
28106 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
28109 This function takes four parameters.
28113 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
28116 @item exit-function
28117 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
28119 @item temp-directory
28120 Where the temporary files should be stored.
28123 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
28124 performed for one group only.
28127 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
28128 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
28129 find the article number assigned to this article.
28131 The function also uses the following variables:
28132 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
28133 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
28134 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
28135 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
28139 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
28140 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
28144 @node Score File Syntax
28145 @subsection Score File Syntax
28147 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
28148 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
28149 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
28151 Here's a typical score file:
28155 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
28162 BNF definition of a score file:
28165 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
28166 element = rule / atom
28167 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
28168 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
28169 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
28170 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
28172 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
28173 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
28174 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
28175 date-header = "date"
28176 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28177 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28178 score = "nil" / <integer>
28179 date = "nil" / <natural number>
28180 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
28181 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
28182 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
28183 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
28184 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28185 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28186 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
28187 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28188 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
28189 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
28190 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
28191 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
28192 exclude-files / read-only / touched
28193 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
28194 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
28195 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
28196 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
28197 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
28198 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
28199 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
28200 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
28201 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
28202 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
28203 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
28204 eval = "eval" space <form>
28205 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
28208 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
28211 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
28212 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
28213 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
28214 one looong line, then that's ok.
28216 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
28217 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
28221 @subsection Headers
28223 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
28224 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
28225 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
28226 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
28228 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
28229 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
28230 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
28231 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
28232 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
28233 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
28234 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
28236 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
28237 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
28238 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
28239 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
28240 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
28242 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28243 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28249 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28250 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28252 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28253 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28254 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28255 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28257 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28261 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28264 is transformed into
28267 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28270 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28271 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28274 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28277 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28278 is slightly tricky:
28281 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28287 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28290 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28296 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28303 and is equal to the previous range.
28305 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28306 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28307 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28311 range = simple-range / normal-range
28312 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28313 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28314 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28315 number *[ " " contents ]
28318 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28319 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28320 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28321 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28322 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28327 @subsection Group Info
28329 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28330 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28331 describes the group.
28333 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28334 second is a more complex one:
28337 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28339 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28340 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28342 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28345 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28346 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28347 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28348 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28349 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28350 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28351 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28352 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28353 this section is about.
28355 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28356 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
28357 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
28359 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
28362 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
28363 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
28364 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28365 group = quote <string> quote
28366 ralevel = rank / level
28367 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28368 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
28369 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28371 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
28372 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
28373 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
28374 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
28377 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
28378 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
28381 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
28382 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
28385 @item gnus-info-group
28386 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
28387 @findex gnus-info-group
28388 @findex gnus-info-set-group
28389 Get/set the group name.
28391 @item gnus-info-rank
28392 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
28393 @findex gnus-info-rank
28394 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
28395 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
28397 @item gnus-info-level
28398 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
28399 @findex gnus-info-level
28400 @findex gnus-info-set-level
28401 Get/set the group level.
28403 @item gnus-info-score
28404 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
28405 @findex gnus-info-score
28406 @findex gnus-info-set-score
28407 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
28409 @item gnus-info-read
28410 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
28411 @findex gnus-info-read
28412 @findex gnus-info-set-read
28413 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
28415 @item gnus-info-marks
28416 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
28417 @findex gnus-info-marks
28418 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
28419 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
28421 @item gnus-info-method
28422 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
28423 @findex gnus-info-method
28424 @findex gnus-info-set-method
28425 Get/set the group select method.
28427 @item gnus-info-params
28428 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
28429 @findex gnus-info-params
28430 @findex gnus-info-set-params
28431 Get/set the group parameters.
28434 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
28435 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
28437 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
28438 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
28439 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
28440 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
28443 @node Extended Interactive
28444 @subsection Extended Interactive
28445 @cindex interactive
28446 @findex gnus-interactive
28448 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
28449 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
28450 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
28453 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
28454 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
28459 The best thing to do would have been to implement
28460 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
28461 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
28462 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
28463 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
28464 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
28465 @code{interactive}.
28467 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
28472 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
28473 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
28477 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
28478 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
28479 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
28482 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
28486 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
28490 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
28496 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
28497 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
28501 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
28502 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
28503 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
28505 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
28506 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
28507 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
28508 Gnus, that's very useful.
28510 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
28511 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
28512 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
28513 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
28514 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
28515 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
28516 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
28517 following function:
28520 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
28524 (,function ,@@args))
28528 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
28529 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
28530 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
28533 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
28534 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
28535 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
28537 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
28538 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
28539 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
28542 @node Various File Formats
28543 @subsection Various File Formats
28546 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
28547 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
28551 @node Active File Format
28552 @subsubsection Active File Format
28554 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
28555 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
28558 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
28561 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
28562 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
28563 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
28564 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
28565 no.general 1000 900 y
28568 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
28571 active = *group-line
28572 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
28573 group = <non-white-space string>
28575 high-number = <non-negative integer>
28576 low-number = <positive integer>
28577 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
28580 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
28581 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
28584 @node Newsgroups File Format
28585 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
28587 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
28588 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
28589 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
28592 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
28593 Here's the definition:
28597 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
28598 group = <non-white-space string>
28600 description = <string>
28605 @node Emacs for Heathens
28606 @section Emacs for Heathens
28608 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
28609 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
28610 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
28611 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
28612 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
28613 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
28614 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
28618 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
28619 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
28624 @subsection Keystrokes
28628 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
28631 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
28634 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
28635 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
28636 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
28637 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
28638 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
28639 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
28641 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
28642 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
28643 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
28644 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
28645 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
28646 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
28647 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
28649 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
28650 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
28651 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
28652 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
28653 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
28654 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
28655 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
28657 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
28658 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
28659 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
28660 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
28661 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
28667 @subsection Emacs Lisp
28669 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
28670 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
28671 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
28672 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
28674 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
28675 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
28676 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
28677 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
28678 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
28679 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
28680 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
28683 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
28684 write the following:
28687 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
28690 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
28691 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
28692 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
28695 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
28696 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
28697 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
28698 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
28699 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
28701 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
28702 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
28703 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
28707 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
28711 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
28714 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
28715 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
28718 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
28721 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
28722 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
28725 @include gnus-faq.texi
28745 @c Local Variables:
28747 @c coding: iso-8859-1
28751 arch-tag: c9fa47e7-78ca-4681-bda9-9fef45d1c819