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10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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280 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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289 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
290 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
293 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
294 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
295 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
296 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
297 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
298 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
299 License'' in the Emacs manual.
301 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
302 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
303 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
305 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
306 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
307 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
308 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
316 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
318 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
319 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
321 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
322 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
323 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
324 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
325 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
326 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
327 License'' in the Emacs manual.
329 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
330 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
331 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
333 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
334 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
335 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
336 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
344 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
347 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
348 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
349 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
351 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
352 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
353 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
354 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
355 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
356 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
357 License'' in the Emacs manual.
359 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
360 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
361 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
363 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
364 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
365 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
366 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
375 @top The Gnus Newsreader
379 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
380 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
381 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
384 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v.
395 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
396 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
398 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
399 being accused of plagiarism:
401 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
402 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
403 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
404 can even read news with it!
406 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
407 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
408 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
409 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
410 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
416 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
417 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
418 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
419 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
420 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
421 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
422 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
423 * Various:: General purpose settings.
424 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
425 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
426 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
427 * Key Index:: Key Index.
430 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
441 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
442 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
443 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
449 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
450 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
454 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
455 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
456 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
457 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
458 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
459 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
460 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
461 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
462 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
463 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
464 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
465 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
466 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
467 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
468 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
469 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
470 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
474 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
475 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
476 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
480 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
483 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
484 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
488 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
489 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
490 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
491 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
495 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
496 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
497 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
498 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
499 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
501 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
502 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
503 * Threading:: How threads are made.
504 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
505 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
506 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
507 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
508 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
509 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
510 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
511 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
512 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
513 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
514 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
515 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
516 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
517 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
518 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
519 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
520 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
521 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
522 or reselecting the current group.
523 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
524 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
525 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
526 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
528 Summary Buffer Format
530 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
531 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
532 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
533 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
537 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
538 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
540 Reply, Followup and Post
542 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
543 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
544 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
545 * Canceling and Superseding::
549 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
550 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
551 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
553 * Generic Marking Commands::
554 * Setting Process Marks::
558 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
559 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
560 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
564 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
565 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
567 Customizing Threading
569 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
570 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
571 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
572 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
576 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
577 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
578 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
579 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
580 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
581 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
585 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
586 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
587 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
591 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
592 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
593 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
594 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
595 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
596 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
597 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
598 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
600 Alternative Approaches
602 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
603 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
605 Various Summary Stuff
607 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
608 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
609 * Summary Generation Commands::
610 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
614 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
615 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
616 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
617 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
618 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
622 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
623 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
624 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
625 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
626 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
627 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
628 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
629 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
633 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
634 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
635 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
636 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
637 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
638 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
639 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
640 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
644 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
645 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
646 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
647 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
648 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
649 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
650 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
654 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
655 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
659 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
660 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
661 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
665 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
666 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
667 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
668 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
669 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
670 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
671 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
672 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
673 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
674 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
675 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
676 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
677 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
678 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
682 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
683 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
684 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
686 Choosing a Mail Back End
688 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
689 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
690 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
691 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
692 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
693 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
697 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
698 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
699 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
700 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
701 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
702 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
706 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
707 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
708 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
712 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
713 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
714 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
715 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
716 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
720 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
724 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
725 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
726 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
730 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
731 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
735 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
736 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
737 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
738 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
739 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
740 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
741 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
742 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
743 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
744 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
748 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
749 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
750 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
754 * Group Agent Commands::
755 * Summary Agent Commands::
756 * Server Agent Commands::
760 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
761 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
762 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
763 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
764 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
765 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
766 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
767 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
768 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
769 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
770 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
771 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
772 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
773 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
774 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
775 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
776 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
780 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
781 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
782 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
783 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
787 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
788 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
789 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
793 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
794 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
795 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
796 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
797 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
798 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
799 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
800 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
801 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
802 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
803 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
804 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
805 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
806 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
807 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
808 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
809 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
810 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
814 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
815 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
816 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
817 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
818 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
819 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
820 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
821 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
825 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
826 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
827 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
828 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
832 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
833 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
834 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
835 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
836 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
840 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
841 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
842 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
843 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
844 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
845 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
846 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
850 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
851 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
852 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
853 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
854 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
855 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
856 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
857 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
858 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
862 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
863 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
864 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
865 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
866 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
870 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
871 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
872 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
873 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
877 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
878 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
879 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
880 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
881 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
882 * Group Info:: The group info format.
883 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
884 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
885 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
889 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
890 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
891 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
892 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
893 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
894 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
898 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
899 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
903 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
904 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
910 @chapter Starting Gnus
915 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
916 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
919 @findex gnus-other-frame
920 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
921 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
922 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
924 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
925 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
926 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
928 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
929 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
932 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
933 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
934 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
935 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
936 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
937 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
938 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
939 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
940 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
941 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
942 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
946 @node Finding the News
947 @section Finding the News
950 @vindex gnus-select-method
952 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
953 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
954 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
955 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
958 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
959 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
962 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
965 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
968 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
971 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
972 certainly be much faster.
974 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
976 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
977 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
978 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
979 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
980 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
981 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
983 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
984 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
985 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
986 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
988 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
989 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
990 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
991 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
992 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
993 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
994 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
995 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
996 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
999 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1001 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1002 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1003 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1004 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1005 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1006 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1008 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1010 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1011 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1012 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1013 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1014 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1015 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1018 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1019 you would typically set this variable to
1022 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1026 @node The First Time
1027 @section The First Time
1028 @cindex first time usage
1030 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1031 be subscribed by default.
1033 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1034 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1035 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1036 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1039 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1040 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1041 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1043 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1044 help you with most common problems.
1046 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1047 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1051 @node The Server is Down
1052 @section The Server is Down
1053 @cindex server errors
1055 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1056 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1057 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1059 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1060 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1061 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1062 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1063 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1064 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1065 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1067 @findex gnus-no-server
1068 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1070 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1071 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1072 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1073 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1074 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1075 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1076 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1080 @section Slave Gnusae
1083 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1084 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1085 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1086 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1088 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1089 @code{.newsrc} file.
1091 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1092 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1093 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1094 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1095 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1096 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1097 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1099 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1100 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1101 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1102 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1103 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1104 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1105 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1106 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1108 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1109 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1112 @node Fetching a Group
1113 @section Fetching a Group
1114 @cindex fetching a group
1116 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1117 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1118 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1119 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1120 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1121 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1127 @cindex subscription
1129 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1130 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1131 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1132 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1133 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1134 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1135 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1136 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1137 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1140 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1141 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1142 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1146 @node Checking New Groups
1147 @subsection Checking New Groups
1149 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1150 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1151 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1152 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1153 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1154 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1155 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1156 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1157 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1158 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1160 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1161 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1162 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1163 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1164 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1165 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1166 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1167 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1168 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1169 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1170 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1172 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1173 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1174 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1175 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1176 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1177 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1180 @node Subscription Methods
1181 @subsection Subscription Methods
1183 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1184 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1185 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1187 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1188 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1190 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1194 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1195 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1196 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1197 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1198 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1200 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1201 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1202 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1203 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1205 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1206 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1207 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1209 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1211 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1212 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1213 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1214 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1215 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1216 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1217 up. Or something like that.
1219 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1220 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1221 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1222 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1223 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1225 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1227 Kill all new groups.
1229 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1230 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1231 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1232 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1233 topic parameter that looks like
1239 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1242 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1248 A closely related variable is
1249 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1250 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1251 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1252 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1255 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1256 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1257 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1258 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1261 @node Filtering New Groups
1262 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1264 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1265 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1266 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1269 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1272 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1273 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1274 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1275 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1276 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1277 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1278 subscribing these groups.
1279 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1280 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1282 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1283 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1284 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1285 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1286 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1287 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1288 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1289 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1291 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1292 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1293 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1294 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1295 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1296 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1297 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1298 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1299 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1300 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1302 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1303 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1306 @node Changing Servers
1307 @section Changing Servers
1308 @cindex changing servers
1310 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1311 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1312 very flaky and you want to use another.
1314 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1315 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1319 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1320 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1321 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1322 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1325 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1326 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1327 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1328 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1330 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1331 @findex gnus-change-server
1332 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1333 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1334 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1335 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1336 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1338 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1339 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1340 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1341 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1342 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1344 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1345 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1346 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1347 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1348 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1349 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1351 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1352 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1353 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1357 @section Startup Files
1358 @cindex startup files
1363 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1364 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1366 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1367 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1368 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1369 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1370 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1371 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1372 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1374 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1375 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1376 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1377 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1378 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1379 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1381 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1382 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1383 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1384 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1385 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1386 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1387 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1388 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1389 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1390 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1392 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1393 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1394 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1395 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1396 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1397 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1398 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1399 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1400 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1401 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1402 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1403 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1405 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1406 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1407 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1408 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1410 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1411 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1412 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1413 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1414 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1415 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1416 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1417 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1418 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1419 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1422 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1423 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1425 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1426 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1429 @vindex gnus-init-file
1430 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1431 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1432 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1433 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1434 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1435 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1436 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1437 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1438 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1444 @cindex dribble file
1447 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1448 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1449 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1450 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1451 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1454 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1455 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1458 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1459 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1460 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1462 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1463 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1464 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1465 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1466 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1467 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1469 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1470 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1471 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1474 @node The Active File
1475 @section The Active File
1477 @cindex ignored groups
1479 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1480 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1481 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1483 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1484 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1485 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1486 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1487 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1488 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1489 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1492 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1493 @c if you set it to anything else.
1495 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1497 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1498 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1499 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1501 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1502 you actually subscribe to.
1504 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1505 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1506 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1507 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1509 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1510 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1511 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1512 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1513 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1514 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1516 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1517 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1518 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1521 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1522 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1523 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1524 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1525 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1526 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1528 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1529 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1531 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1532 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1534 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1535 secondary select methods.
1538 @node Startup Variables
1539 @section Startup Variables
1543 @item gnus-load-hook
1544 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1545 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1546 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1547 times you start Gnus.
1549 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1550 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1551 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1553 @item gnus-startup-hook
1554 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1555 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1557 @item gnus-started-hook
1558 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1559 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1562 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1563 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1564 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1565 generating the group buffer.
1567 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1568 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1569 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1570 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1571 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1572 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1573 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1574 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1576 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1577 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1578 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1579 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1580 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1581 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1583 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1584 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1585 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1587 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1588 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1589 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1591 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1592 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1593 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1594 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1600 @chapter Group Buffer
1601 @cindex group buffer
1603 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1605 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1606 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1607 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1608 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1609 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1610 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1611 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1612 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1613 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1614 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1615 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1616 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1617 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1618 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1619 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1620 @c human rights at 9...
1623 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1624 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1625 long as Gnus is active.
1629 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1630 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1631 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1632 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1633 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1634 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1635 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1636 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1642 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1643 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1644 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1645 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1646 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1647 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1648 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1649 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1650 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1651 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1652 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1653 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1654 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1655 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1656 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1657 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1658 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1662 @node Group Buffer Format
1663 @section Group Buffer Format
1666 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1667 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1668 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1672 @node Group Line Specification
1673 @subsection Group Line Specification
1674 @cindex group buffer format
1676 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1677 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1679 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1682 25: news.announce.newusers
1683 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1688 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1689 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1690 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1691 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1693 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1694 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1695 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1696 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1697 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1698 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1700 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1702 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1703 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1704 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1705 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1708 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1709 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1710 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1712 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1717 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1720 Whether the group is subscribed.
1723 Level of subscribedness.
1726 Number of unread articles.
1729 Number of dormant articles.
1732 Number of ticked articles.
1735 Number of read articles.
1738 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1739 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1741 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1742 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1743 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1744 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1745 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1746 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1747 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1748 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1751 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1754 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1763 Newsgroup description.
1766 @samp{m} if moderated.
1769 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1778 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1782 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1785 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1786 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1787 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1788 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1789 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1792 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1794 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1798 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1801 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1805 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1806 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1807 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1808 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1809 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1810 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1815 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1816 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1817 group, or a bogus native group.
1820 @node Group Modeline Specification
1821 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1822 @cindex group modeline
1824 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1825 The mode line can be changed by setting
1826 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1827 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1831 The native news server.
1833 The native select method.
1837 @node Group Highlighting
1838 @subsection Group Highlighting
1839 @cindex highlighting
1840 @cindex group highlighting
1842 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1843 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1844 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1845 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1846 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1848 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1852 (cond (window-system
1853 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1854 (defface my-group-face-1
1855 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1856 (defface my-group-face-2
1857 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1858 (defface my-group-face-3
1859 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1860 (defface my-group-face-4
1861 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1862 (defface my-group-face-5
1863 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1865 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1866 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1867 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1868 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1869 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1870 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1873 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1875 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1882 The number of unread articles in the group.
1886 Whether the group is a mail group.
1888 The level of the group.
1890 The score of the group.
1892 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1894 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1895 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1897 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1898 topic being inserted.
1901 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1902 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1903 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1905 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1906 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1907 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1908 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1909 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1912 @node Group Maneuvering
1913 @section Group Maneuvering
1914 @cindex group movement
1916 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1917 expected, hopefully.
1923 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1924 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1925 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1931 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1932 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1933 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1937 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1938 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1942 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1943 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1947 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1948 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1949 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1953 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1954 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1955 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1958 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1964 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1965 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1966 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1971 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1972 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1973 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1977 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1978 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1979 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1982 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1983 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1984 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1985 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1989 @node Selecting a Group
1990 @section Selecting a Group
1991 @cindex group selection
1996 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1997 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1998 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1999 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2000 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2001 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2002 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2003 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2004 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2005 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2007 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2008 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2009 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2011 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2012 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2017 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2018 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2019 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2020 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2021 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2025 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2026 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2027 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2028 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2029 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2030 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2031 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2032 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2033 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2034 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2037 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2038 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2039 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2040 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2041 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2044 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
2045 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2046 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2047 doing any processing of its contents
2048 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2049 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2050 manner will have no permanent effects.
2054 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2055 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2056 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2057 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2058 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2059 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2060 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2061 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2064 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2065 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2066 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2067 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2072 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2073 full summary buffer.
2076 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2079 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2084 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2085 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2086 Useful functions include:
2089 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2090 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2091 don't select the article.
2093 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2094 Select the first unread article.
2096 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2097 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2101 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2102 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2103 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2107 @node Subscription Commands
2108 @section Subscription Commands
2109 @cindex subscription
2117 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2118 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2119 Toggle subscription to the current group
2120 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2126 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2127 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2128 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2129 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2135 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2136 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2137 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2143 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2144 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2147 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2148 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2149 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2150 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2151 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2157 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2158 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2162 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2163 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2166 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2167 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2168 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2169 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2170 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2171 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2172 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2173 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2174 @file{.newsrc} file.
2178 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2188 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2189 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2190 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2191 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2192 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2193 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2198 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2199 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2200 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2204 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2205 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2206 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2208 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2209 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2210 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2211 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2212 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2213 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2220 @section Group Levels
2224 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2225 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2226 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2227 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2228 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2230 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2236 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2237 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2238 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2239 prompted for a level.
2242 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2243 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2244 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2245 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2246 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2247 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2248 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2249 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2250 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2251 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2252 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2253 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2254 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2255 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2256 reasons of efficiency.
2258 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2259 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2261 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2262 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2263 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2264 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2265 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2266 groups are hidden, in a way.
2268 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2269 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2270 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2271 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2272 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2273 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2275 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2276 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2277 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2278 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2279 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2280 list of killed groups.)
2282 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2283 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2284 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2286 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2287 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2288 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2289 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2290 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2291 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2292 relevant valid ranges.
2294 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2295 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2296 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2297 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2298 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2299 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2302 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2303 one with the best level.
2305 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2306 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2307 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2310 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2311 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2312 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2313 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2316 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2317 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2318 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2319 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2321 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2322 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2323 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2324 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2325 to 5. The default is 6.
2329 @section Group Score
2334 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2335 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2336 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2339 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2340 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2341 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2342 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2343 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2344 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2345 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2346 least significant part.))
2348 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2349 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2350 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2351 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2352 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2353 action after each summary exit, you can add
2354 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2355 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2356 slow things down somewhat.
2359 @node Marking Groups
2360 @section Marking Groups
2361 @cindex marking groups
2363 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2364 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2365 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2366 bidding on those groups.
2368 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2369 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2370 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2378 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2379 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2385 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2386 Remove the mark from the current group
2387 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2391 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2392 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2396 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2397 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2401 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2402 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2406 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2407 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2408 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2411 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2413 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2414 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2415 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2416 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2417 the command to be executed.
2420 @node Foreign Groups
2421 @section Foreign Groups
2422 @cindex foreign groups
2424 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2425 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2426 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2427 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2434 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2435 @cindex making groups
2436 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2437 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2438 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2442 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2443 @cindex renaming groups
2444 Rename the current group to something else
2445 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2446 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2452 @findex gnus-group-customize
2453 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2457 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2458 @cindex renaming groups
2459 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2460 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2464 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2465 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2466 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2470 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2471 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2472 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2476 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2478 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2479 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2485 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2489 @cindex (ding) archive
2490 @cindex archive group
2491 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2492 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2493 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2494 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2495 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2496 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2497 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2501 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2503 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2504 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2505 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2506 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2510 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2512 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2513 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2514 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2518 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2519 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2521 Make a group based on some file or other
2522 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2523 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2524 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2525 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2526 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2527 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2528 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2529 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2530 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2534 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2535 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2536 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2537 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2541 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2546 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2547 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2548 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2549 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2550 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2551 @xref{Web Searches}.
2553 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2554 to a particular group by using a match string like
2555 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2558 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2559 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2560 This function will delete the current group
2561 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2562 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2563 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2564 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2565 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2569 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2570 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2571 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2575 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2576 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2577 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2580 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2583 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2584 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2585 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2586 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2587 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2588 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2592 @node Group Parameters
2593 @section Group Parameters
2594 @cindex group parameters
2596 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2597 Here's an example group parameter list:
2600 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2604 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2605 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2606 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2607 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2609 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2610 is an alist of regexps and values.
2612 The following group parameters can be used:
2617 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2620 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2623 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2624 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2625 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2626 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2627 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2629 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2630 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2631 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2632 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2633 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2634 list address instead.
2636 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2640 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2643 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2646 It is totally ignored
2647 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2648 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2650 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2651 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2652 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2653 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2654 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2656 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2657 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2658 sending the message.
2660 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2661 @cindex Mail List Groups
2662 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2663 entering summary buffer.
2665 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2669 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2670 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2671 of whether it has any unread articles.
2673 @item broken-reply-to
2674 @cindex broken-reply-to
2675 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2676 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2677 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2678 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2679 broken behavior. So there!
2683 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2684 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2688 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2689 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2690 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2695 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2696 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2697 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2698 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2699 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2700 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2701 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2705 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2706 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2707 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2709 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2712 @cindex total-expire
2713 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2714 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2715 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2716 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2719 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2723 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2724 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2725 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2726 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2727 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2728 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2731 @cindex score file group parameter
2732 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2733 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2734 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2737 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2738 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2739 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2740 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2743 @cindex admin-address
2744 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2745 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2746 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2747 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2751 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2752 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2756 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2759 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2763 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2765 Here are some examples:
2769 Display only read articles.
2772 Display everything except expirable articles.
2774 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2775 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2779 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2780 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2781 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2782 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2783 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2787 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2788 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2789 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2793 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2794 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2795 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2800 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2801 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2802 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2804 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2806 @item ignored-charsets
2807 @cindex ignored-charset
2808 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2809 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2810 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2812 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2815 @cindex posting-style
2816 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2817 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2818 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2819 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2820 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2822 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2823 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2824 like this in the group parameters:
2829 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2834 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2835 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2839 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2840 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2841 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2842 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2843 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2845 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2846 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2847 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2848 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2849 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2850 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2851 @code{eval}ed there.
2853 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2854 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2855 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2856 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2857 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2861 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2862 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2863 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2864 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2865 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2867 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2868 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2872 (setq gnus-parameters
2874 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2875 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2876 (gnus-summary-line-format
2877 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2881 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2885 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2889 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2892 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2893 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2896 @node Listing Groups
2897 @section Listing Groups
2898 @cindex group listing
2900 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2908 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2909 List all groups that have unread articles
2910 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2911 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2912 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2913 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2920 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2921 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2922 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2923 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2924 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2925 unsubscribed groups).
2929 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2930 List all unread groups on a specific level
2931 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2932 with no unread articles.
2936 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2937 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2938 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2939 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2944 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2945 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2949 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2950 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2951 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2955 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2956 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2960 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2961 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2962 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2963 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2964 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2965 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2966 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2967 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2971 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2972 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2973 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2977 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2978 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2979 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2983 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2984 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2988 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2989 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2993 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2994 List groups limited within the current selection
2995 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2999 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3000 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3004 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3005 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3009 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3010 @cindex visible group parameter
3011 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3012 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3013 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3014 get the same effect.
3016 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3017 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3018 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3019 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3020 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3023 @node Sorting Groups
3024 @section Sorting Groups
3025 @cindex sorting groups
3027 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3028 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3029 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3030 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3031 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3032 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3037 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3038 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3039 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3041 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3042 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3043 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3045 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3046 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3047 Sort by group level.
3049 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3050 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3051 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3053 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3054 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3055 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3056 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3058 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3059 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3060 Sort by number of unread articles.
3062 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3063 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3064 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3066 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3067 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3068 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3073 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3074 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3078 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3079 some sorting criteria:
3083 @kindex G S a (Group)
3084 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3085 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3086 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3089 @kindex G S u (Group)
3090 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3091 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3092 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3095 @kindex G S l (Group)
3096 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3097 Sort the group buffer by group level
3098 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3101 @kindex G S v (Group)
3102 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3103 Sort the group buffer by group score
3104 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3107 @kindex G S r (Group)
3108 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3109 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3110 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3113 @kindex G S m (Group)
3114 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3115 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3116 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3120 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3121 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3123 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3124 commands will sort in reverse order.
3126 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3130 @kindex G P a (Group)
3131 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3132 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3133 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3136 @kindex G P u (Group)
3137 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3138 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3139 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3142 @kindex G P l (Group)
3143 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3144 Sort the groups by group level
3145 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3148 @kindex G P v (Group)
3149 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3150 Sort the groups by group score
3151 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3154 @kindex G P r (Group)
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3156 Sort the groups by group rank
3157 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3160 @kindex G P m (Group)
3161 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3162 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3163 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3167 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3171 @node Group Maintenance
3172 @section Group Maintenance
3173 @cindex bogus groups
3178 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3179 Find bogus groups and delete them
3180 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3184 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3185 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3186 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3187 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3188 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3192 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3193 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3194 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3195 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3196 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3197 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3200 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3201 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3202 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3203 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3208 @node Browse Foreign Server
3209 @section Browse Foreign Server
3210 @cindex foreign servers
3211 @cindex browsing servers
3216 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3217 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3218 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3219 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3222 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3223 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3224 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3225 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3227 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3232 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3233 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3237 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3238 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3241 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3242 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3243 Enter the current group and display the first article
3244 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3247 @kindex RET (Browse)
3248 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3249 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3253 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3254 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3255 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3261 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3262 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3266 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3267 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3268 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3273 @section Exiting Gnus
3274 @cindex exiting Gnus
3276 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3281 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3282 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3283 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3284 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3288 @findex gnus-group-exit
3289 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3290 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3294 @findex gnus-group-quit
3295 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3296 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3299 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3300 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3301 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3302 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3303 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3308 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3309 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3310 trying to customize meta-variables.
3315 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3316 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3317 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3323 @section Group Topics
3326 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3327 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3328 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3329 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3330 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3331 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3335 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3336 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3347 2: alt.religion.emacs
3350 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3352 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3353 13: comp.sources.unix
3356 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3358 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3359 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3360 is a toggling command.)
3362 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3363 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3364 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3365 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3368 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3369 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3370 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3373 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3377 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3378 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3379 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3380 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3381 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3385 @node Topic Commands
3386 @subsection Topic Commands
3387 @cindex topic commands
3389 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3390 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3391 definitions slightly.
3393 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3394 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3395 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3396 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3397 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3398 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3400 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3407 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3408 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3409 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3413 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3415 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3416 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3417 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3418 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3421 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3422 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3423 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3424 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3428 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3429 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3430 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3431 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3437 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3438 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3439 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3443 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3444 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3445 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3448 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3449 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3450 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3451 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3452 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3454 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3455 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3459 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3460 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3467 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3469 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3470 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3471 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3472 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3473 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3474 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3478 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3484 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3485 Move the current group to some other topic
3486 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3487 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3491 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3492 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3496 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3497 Copy the current group to some other topic
3498 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3499 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3503 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3504 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3505 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3509 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3510 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3511 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3515 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3516 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3517 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3518 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3519 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3520 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3521 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3524 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3525 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3529 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3530 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3531 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3535 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3536 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3537 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3541 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3542 Toggle hiding empty topics
3543 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3547 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3548 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3549 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3552 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3553 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3554 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3555 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3558 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3559 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3560 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3561 expiry process (if any)
3562 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3566 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3567 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3570 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3571 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3572 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3576 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3577 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3578 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3582 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3583 @cindex group parameters
3584 @cindex topic parameters
3586 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3587 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3592 @node Topic Variables
3593 @subsection Topic Variables
3594 @cindex topic variables
3596 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3597 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3599 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3600 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3601 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3614 Number of groups in the topic.
3616 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3618 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3621 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3622 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3623 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3626 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3627 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3629 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3630 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3631 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3635 @subsection Topic Sorting
3636 @cindex topic sorting
3638 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3644 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3645 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3646 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3647 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3650 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3651 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3652 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3653 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3656 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3657 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3658 Sort the current topic by group level
3659 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3662 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3663 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3664 Sort the current topic by group score
3665 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3668 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3669 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3670 Sort the current topic by group rank
3671 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3674 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3675 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3676 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3677 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3680 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3681 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3682 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3683 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3687 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3690 @node Topic Topology
3691 @subsection Topic Topology
3692 @cindex topic topology
3695 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3701 2: alt.religion.emacs
3704 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3706 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3707 13: comp.sources.unix
3710 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3711 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3712 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3717 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3718 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3722 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3723 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3724 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3725 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3726 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3727 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3729 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3730 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3731 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3734 @node Topic Parameters
3735 @subsection Topic Parameters
3736 @cindex topic parameters
3738 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3739 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3740 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3742 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3747 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3748 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3749 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3754 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3755 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3756 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3757 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3763 2: alt.religion.emacs
3767 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3769 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3770 13: comp.sources.unix
3774 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3775 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3776 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3777 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3778 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3779 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3781 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3782 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3783 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3784 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3785 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3787 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3788 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3789 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3790 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3791 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3792 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3793 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3794 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3797 @node Misc Group Stuff
3798 @section Misc Group Stuff
3801 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3802 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3803 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3804 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3811 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3812 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3813 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3817 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3818 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3819 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3823 @findex gnus-group-mail
3824 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3828 Variables for the group buffer:
3832 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3833 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3834 is called after the group buffer has been
3837 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3838 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3839 is called after the group buffer is
3840 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3843 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3844 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3845 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3846 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3848 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3849 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3850 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3851 whether they are empty or not.
3853 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3854 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3855 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3856 non-ASCII group names.
3860 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3861 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3864 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3865 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3866 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3867 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3868 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3869 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3873 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3874 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3879 @node Scanning New Messages
3880 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3881 @cindex new messages
3882 @cindex scanning new news
3888 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3889 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3890 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3891 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3892 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3893 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3898 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3899 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3900 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3901 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3902 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3903 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3904 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3906 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3907 @cindex activating groups
3909 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3910 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3915 @findex gnus-group-restart
3916 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3917 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3918 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3922 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3923 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3925 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3926 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3930 @node Group Information
3931 @subsection Group Information
3932 @cindex group information
3933 @cindex information on groups
3940 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3941 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3944 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3945 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3946 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3947 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3948 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3949 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3950 for fetching the file.
3952 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3953 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3957 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3959 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3960 @cindex describing groups
3961 @cindex group description
3962 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3963 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3964 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3968 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3969 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3970 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3977 @findex gnus-version
3978 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3982 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3983 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3986 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3989 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3990 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3994 @node Group Timestamp
3995 @subsection Group Timestamp
3997 @cindex group timestamps
3999 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4000 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4001 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4004 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4007 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4009 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4010 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4013 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4014 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4017 This will result in lines looking like:
4020 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4021 0: custom 19961002T012713
4024 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4025 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4029 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4030 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4035 @subsection File Commands
4036 @cindex file commands
4042 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4043 @vindex gnus-init-file
4044 @cindex reading init file
4045 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4046 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4050 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4051 @cindex saving .newsrc
4052 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4053 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4054 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4057 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4058 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4059 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4064 @node Summary Buffer
4065 @chapter Summary Buffer
4066 @cindex summary buffer
4068 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4069 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4071 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4072 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4074 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4077 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4078 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4079 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4080 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4081 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4082 * Delayed Articles::
4083 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4084 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4085 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4086 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4087 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4088 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4089 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4090 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4091 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4092 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4093 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4094 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4095 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4096 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4097 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4098 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4099 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4100 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4101 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4102 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4103 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4104 or reselecting the current group.
4105 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4106 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4107 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4108 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4112 @node Summary Buffer Format
4113 @section Summary Buffer Format
4114 @cindex summary buffer format
4118 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4119 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4120 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4126 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4127 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4128 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4129 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4132 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4133 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4134 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4135 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4136 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4137 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4138 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4139 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4140 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4141 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4142 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4145 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4146 'mail-extract-address-components)
4149 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4150 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4151 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4152 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4155 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4156 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4158 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4159 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4160 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4161 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4162 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4164 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4165 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4166 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4167 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4168 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4170 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4172 The following format specification characters are understood:
4178 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4179 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4181 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4182 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4183 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4185 Full @code{From} header.
4187 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4189 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4190 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4192 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4193 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4194 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4195 may be more thorough.
4197 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4200 Number of lines in the article.
4202 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4203 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4205 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4207 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4210 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4211 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4213 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4214 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4216 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4217 for adopted articles.
4219 One space for each thread level.
4221 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4226 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4227 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4231 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4233 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4234 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4235 default level. If the difference between
4236 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4237 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4245 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4247 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4253 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4254 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4256 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4257 article has any children.
4263 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4264 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4265 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4266 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4267 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4268 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4271 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4272 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4273 There can only be one such area.
4275 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4276 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4277 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4278 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4279 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4280 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4282 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4283 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4285 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4288 @node To From Newsgroups
4289 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4293 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4294 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4295 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4296 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4297 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4301 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4302 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4303 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4307 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4308 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4311 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4312 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4315 @findex gnus-extra-header
4316 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4317 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4318 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4321 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4325 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4326 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4327 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4328 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4329 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4330 headers are used instead.
4334 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4335 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4336 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4337 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4340 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4341 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4342 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4343 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4345 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4349 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4351 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4352 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4353 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4354 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4358 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4359 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4366 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4367 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4370 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4371 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4373 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4374 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4375 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4376 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4378 Here are the elements you can play with:
4384 Unprefixed group name.
4386 Current article number.
4388 Current article score.
4392 Number of unread articles in this group.
4394 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4397 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4398 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4399 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4400 and no unselected ones.
4402 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4403 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4405 Subject of the current article.
4407 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4409 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4411 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4413 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4415 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4417 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4421 @node Summary Highlighting
4422 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4426 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4427 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4428 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4429 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4430 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4432 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4433 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4434 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4435 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4437 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4438 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4439 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4440 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4442 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4443 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4444 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4445 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4446 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4447 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4450 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4451 ((> score default) . bold))
4453 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4454 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4458 @node Summary Maneuvering
4459 @section Summary Maneuvering
4460 @cindex summary movement
4462 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4463 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4465 None of these commands select articles.
4470 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4471 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4472 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4473 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4474 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4478 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4479 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4480 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4481 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4482 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4485 @kindex G g (Summary)
4486 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4487 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4488 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4491 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4492 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4493 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4494 to the group buffer.
4496 Variables related to summary movement:
4500 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4501 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4502 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4503 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4504 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4505 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4506 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4507 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4508 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4509 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4510 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4511 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4512 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4513 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4515 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4516 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4517 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4518 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4519 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4520 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4521 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4523 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4525 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4526 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4527 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4528 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4529 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4531 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4532 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4533 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4534 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4535 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4536 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4537 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4538 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4541 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4542 the given number of lines from the top.
4547 @node Choosing Articles
4548 @section Choosing Articles
4549 @cindex selecting articles
4552 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4553 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4557 @node Choosing Commands
4558 @subsection Choosing Commands
4560 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4561 and they all select and display an article.
4563 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4564 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4568 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4569 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4570 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4571 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4576 @kindex G n (Summary)
4577 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4578 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4579 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4584 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4585 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4586 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4591 @kindex G N (Summary)
4592 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4593 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4598 @kindex G P (Summary)
4599 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4600 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4603 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4604 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4605 Go to the next article with the same subject
4606 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4609 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4610 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4611 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4612 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4616 @kindex G f (Summary)
4618 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4619 Go to the first unread article
4620 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4624 @kindex G b (Summary)
4626 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4627 Go to the article with the highest score
4628 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4633 @kindex G l (Summary)
4634 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4635 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4638 @kindex G o (Summary)
4639 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4641 @cindex article history
4642 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4643 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4644 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4645 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4646 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4647 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4652 @kindex G j (Summary)
4653 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4654 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4655 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4660 @node Choosing Variables
4661 @subsection Choosing Variables
4663 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4666 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4667 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4668 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4669 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4670 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4671 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4673 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4674 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4675 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4676 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4678 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4679 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4680 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4681 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4682 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4683 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4684 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4685 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4686 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4687 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4688 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4689 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4690 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4691 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4696 @node Paging the Article
4697 @section Scrolling the Article
4698 @cindex article scrolling
4703 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4704 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4705 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4706 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4707 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4710 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4711 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4712 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4715 @kindex RET (Summary)
4716 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4717 Scroll the current article one line forward
4718 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4721 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4722 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4723 Scroll the current article one line backward
4724 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4728 @kindex A g (Summary)
4730 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4731 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4732 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4733 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4734 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4735 the way it came from the server.
4737 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4738 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4739 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4742 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4747 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4752 @kindex A < (Summary)
4753 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4754 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4755 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4760 @kindex A > (Summary)
4761 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4762 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4766 @kindex A s (Summary)
4768 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4769 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4770 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4774 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4775 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4780 @node Reply Followup and Post
4781 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4784 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4785 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4786 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4787 * Canceling and Superseding::
4791 @node Summary Mail Commands
4792 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4794 @cindex composing mail
4796 Commands for composing a mail message:
4802 @kindex S r (Summary)
4804 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4805 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4806 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4807 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4808 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4813 @kindex S R (Summary)
4814 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4815 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4816 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4817 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4818 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4821 @kindex S w (Summary)
4822 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4823 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4824 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4825 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4826 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4829 @kindex S W (Summary)
4830 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4831 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4832 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4833 the process/prefix convention.
4836 @kindex S v (Summary)
4837 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4838 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4839 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4840 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4841 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4842 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4846 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4847 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4848 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4849 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4850 Forward the current article to some other person
4851 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4852 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4853 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4854 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4855 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4856 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4857 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4858 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4859 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4864 @kindex S m (Summary)
4865 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4866 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4867 Send a mail to some other person
4868 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4871 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4872 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4873 @cindex bouncing mail
4874 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4875 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4876 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4877 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4878 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4879 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4880 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4881 very well fail, though.
4884 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4885 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4886 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4887 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4888 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4889 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4890 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4891 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4892 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4893 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4895 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4896 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4897 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4898 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4899 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4901 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4902 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4905 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4906 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4907 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4908 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4909 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4912 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4913 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4914 @cindex crossposting
4915 @cindex excessive crossposting
4916 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4917 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4919 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4920 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4921 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4922 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4923 command understands the process/prefix convention
4924 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4928 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
4929 Manual}, for more information.
4932 @node Summary Post Commands
4933 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4935 @cindex composing news
4937 Commands for posting a news article:
4943 @kindex S p (Summary)
4944 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4945 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4946 Post an article to the current group
4947 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4952 @kindex S f (Summary)
4953 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4954 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4955 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4959 @kindex S F (Summary)
4961 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4962 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4963 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4964 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4965 process/prefix convention.
4968 @kindex S n (Summary)
4969 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4970 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4971 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4974 @kindex S N (Summary)
4975 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4976 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4977 message through mail and include the original message
4978 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4979 the process/prefix convention.
4982 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4983 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4984 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4985 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
4986 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
4987 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
4988 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4989 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4990 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4991 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4992 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4993 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4994 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4997 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4998 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5000 @cindex making digests
5001 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5002 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5003 process/prefix convention.
5006 @kindex S u (Summary)
5007 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5008 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5009 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5010 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5013 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5014 Manual}, for more information.
5017 @node Summary Message Commands
5018 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5022 @kindex S y (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5024 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5025 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5026 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5027 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5032 @node Canceling and Superseding
5033 @subsection Canceling Articles
5034 @cindex canceling articles
5035 @cindex superseding articles
5037 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5038 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5040 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5042 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5044 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5045 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5046 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5047 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5048 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5049 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5051 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5052 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5055 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5056 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5057 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5059 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5060 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5061 your original article.
5063 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5065 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5066 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5067 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5070 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5071 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5072 have posted almost the same article twice.
5074 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5075 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5076 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5077 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5078 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5079 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5080 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5081 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5082 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5083 canceled/superseded.
5085 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5087 @node Delayed Articles
5088 @section Delayed Articles
5089 @cindex delayed sending
5090 @cindex send delayed
5092 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5093 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5094 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5095 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5098 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5101 @findex gnus-delay-article
5102 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5103 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5104 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5105 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5109 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5110 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5111 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5112 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5115 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5116 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5117 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5120 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5121 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5122 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5123 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5124 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5125 that means a time tomorrow.
5128 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5129 couple of variables:
5132 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5133 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5134 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5135 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5137 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5138 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5139 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5140 formats described above.
5142 @item gnus-delay-group
5143 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5144 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5145 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5146 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5148 @item gnus-delay-header
5149 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5150 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5151 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5152 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5155 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5156 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5157 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5158 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5159 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5161 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5162 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5163 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5164 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5165 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5166 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5169 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5170 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5171 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5172 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5173 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5174 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5175 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5176 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5178 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5179 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5180 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5181 forget to set that up :-)
5185 @node Marking Articles
5186 @section Marking Articles
5187 @cindex article marking
5188 @cindex article ticking
5191 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5193 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5194 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5195 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5197 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5200 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5201 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5202 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5206 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5210 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5211 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5212 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5216 @node Unread Articles
5217 @subsection Unread Articles
5219 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5224 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5225 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5227 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5228 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5229 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5230 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5231 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5232 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5233 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5236 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5237 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5239 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5240 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5241 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5242 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5246 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5247 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5249 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5254 @subsection Read Articles
5255 @cindex expirable mark
5257 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5262 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5263 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5264 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5267 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5268 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5271 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5272 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5273 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5276 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5277 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5280 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5281 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5284 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5285 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5288 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5289 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5292 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5293 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5296 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5297 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5300 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5301 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5305 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5306 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5307 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5311 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5312 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5314 One more special mark, though:
5318 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5319 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5321 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5322 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5323 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5324 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5330 @subsection Other Marks
5331 @cindex process mark
5334 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5340 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5341 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5342 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5343 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5344 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5347 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5348 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5349 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5350 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5352 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5353 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5354 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5356 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5357 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5358 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5359 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5362 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5363 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5364 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5367 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5368 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5369 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5370 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5373 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5374 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5375 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5376 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5377 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5380 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5381 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5382 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5385 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5386 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5387 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5388 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5389 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5392 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5393 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5394 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5395 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5396 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5397 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5401 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5402 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5403 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5405 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5406 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5407 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5411 @subsection Setting Marks
5412 @cindex setting marks
5414 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5419 @kindex M c (Summary)
5420 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5421 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5422 @cindex mark as unread
5423 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5424 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5430 @kindex M t (Summary)
5431 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5432 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5433 @xref{Article Caching}.
5438 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5439 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5440 Mark the current article as dormant
5441 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5445 @kindex M d (Summary)
5447 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5448 Mark the current article as read
5449 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5453 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5454 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5455 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5460 @kindex M k (Summary)
5461 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5462 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5463 and then select the next unread article
5464 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5468 @kindex M K (Summary)
5469 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5470 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5471 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5472 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5475 @kindex M C (Summary)
5476 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5477 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5478 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5481 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5482 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5483 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5484 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5487 @kindex M H (Summary)
5488 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5489 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5490 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5493 @kindex M h (Summary)
5494 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5495 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5496 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5499 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5500 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5501 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5502 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5505 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5506 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5507 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5508 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5512 @kindex M e (Summary)
5514 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5515 Mark the current article as expirable
5516 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5519 @kindex M b (Summary)
5520 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5521 Set a bookmark in the current article
5522 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5525 @kindex M B (Summary)
5526 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5527 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5528 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5531 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5532 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5533 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5534 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5537 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5538 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5539 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5540 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5543 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5544 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5545 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5546 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5547 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5550 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5551 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5552 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5553 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5554 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5555 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5556 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5557 The default is @code{t}.
5560 @node Generic Marking Commands
5561 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5563 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5564 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5565 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5566 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5567 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5570 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5571 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5574 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5575 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5576 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5577 to list in this manual.
5579 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5580 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5581 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5582 article, you could say something like:
5585 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5586 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5587 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5593 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5594 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5598 @node Setting Process Marks
5599 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5600 @cindex setting process marks
5607 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5608 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5609 Mark the current article with the process mark
5610 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5611 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5615 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5616 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5617 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5618 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5621 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5622 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5623 Remove the process mark from all articles
5624 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5627 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5628 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5629 Invert the list of process marked articles
5630 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5633 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5634 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5635 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5636 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5639 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5640 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5641 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5642 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5645 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5646 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5647 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5650 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5651 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5652 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5653 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5656 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5657 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5658 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5659 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5662 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5663 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5664 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5665 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5668 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5669 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5670 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5673 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5674 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5675 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5676 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5679 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5680 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5681 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5684 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5685 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5686 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5687 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5690 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5691 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5692 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5693 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5696 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5697 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5698 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5699 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5702 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5703 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5704 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5705 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5709 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5710 set process marks based on article body contents.
5717 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5718 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5719 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5722 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5723 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5724 additional articles.
5730 @kindex / / (Summary)
5731 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5732 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5733 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5736 @kindex / a (Summary)
5737 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5738 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5739 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5742 @kindex / x (Summary)
5743 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5744 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5745 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5746 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5750 @kindex / u (Summary)
5752 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5753 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5754 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5755 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5756 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5759 @kindex / m (Summary)
5760 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5761 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5762 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5765 @kindex / t (Summary)
5766 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5767 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5768 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5769 articles younger than that number of days.
5772 @kindex / n (Summary)
5773 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5774 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5775 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5776 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5779 @kindex / w (Summary)
5780 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5781 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5782 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5786 @kindex / v (Summary)
5787 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5788 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5789 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5792 @kindex / p (Summary)
5793 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5794 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5795 group parameter predicate
5796 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5797 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5801 @kindex M S (Summary)
5802 @kindex / E (Summary)
5803 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5804 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5805 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5808 @kindex / D (Summary)
5809 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5810 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5811 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5814 @kindex / * (Summary)
5815 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5816 Include all cached articles in the limit
5817 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5820 @kindex / d (Summary)
5821 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5822 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5823 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5826 @kindex / M (Summary)
5827 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5828 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5831 @kindex / T (Summary)
5832 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5833 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5836 @kindex / c (Summary)
5837 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5838 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5839 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5842 @kindex / C (Summary)
5843 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5844 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5845 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5846 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5849 @kindex / N (Summary)
5850 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
5851 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
5852 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
5855 @kindex / o (Summary)
5856 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
5857 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
5858 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
5866 @cindex article threading
5868 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5869 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5870 hierarchical fashion.
5872 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5873 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5874 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5875 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5876 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5877 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5878 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5880 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5884 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5887 A tree-like article structure.
5890 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5893 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5894 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5895 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5896 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5897 called loose threads.
5899 @item thread gathering
5900 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5902 @item sparse threads
5903 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5904 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5910 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5911 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5915 @node Customizing Threading
5916 @subsection Customizing Threading
5917 @cindex customizing threading
5920 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5921 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5922 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5923 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5928 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5931 @cindex loose threads
5934 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5935 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5936 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5937 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5938 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5939 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5941 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5942 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5943 There are four possible values:
5947 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5948 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
5949 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
5950 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
5951 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
5956 @cindex adopting articles
5961 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5962 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5963 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5964 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5967 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5968 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5969 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5970 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5971 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5972 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5973 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5976 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5977 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5978 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5982 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5983 display them after one another.
5986 Don't gather loose threads.
5989 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5990 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5991 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5992 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5993 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5994 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5995 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5996 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5997 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5998 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5999 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6001 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6002 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6003 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6006 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6007 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6008 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6009 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6010 simplification is used.
6012 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6013 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6014 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6015 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6017 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6019 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6025 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6026 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6027 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6028 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6033 (mapconcat 'identity
6034 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6036 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6039 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6042 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6043 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6044 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6045 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6046 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6047 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6049 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6052 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6053 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6054 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6056 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6057 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6060 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6061 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6062 Remove excessive whitespace.
6065 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6068 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6069 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6070 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6071 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6072 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6073 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6074 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6075 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6077 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6078 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6079 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6080 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6081 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6082 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6083 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6084 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6085 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6089 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6090 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6091 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6092 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6094 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6095 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6096 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6099 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6103 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6104 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6110 @node Filling In Threads
6111 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6114 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6115 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6116 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6117 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6118 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6119 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6120 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6121 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6122 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6123 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6124 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6125 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
6127 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6128 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6129 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6131 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6132 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6133 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6134 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6135 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6136 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6137 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6138 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6139 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6140 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6141 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6142 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6143 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6144 @code{nil} by default.
6146 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6147 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6148 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6149 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6150 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6151 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6152 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6154 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6155 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6156 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6161 @node More Threading
6162 @subsubsection More Threading
6165 @item gnus-show-threads
6166 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6167 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6168 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6169 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6170 slower and more awkward.
6172 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6173 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6174 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6177 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6178 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6179 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6180 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6181 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6182 threads are expunged.
6184 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6185 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6186 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6189 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6190 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6191 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6192 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6193 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6194 result in a new thread.
6196 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6197 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6198 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6201 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6202 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6203 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6204 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6205 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6206 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6207 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6208 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6209 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6210 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6211 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6216 @node Low-Level Threading
6217 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6221 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6222 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6223 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6225 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6226 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6227 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6228 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6229 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6230 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6231 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6232 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6233 meaningful. Here's one example:
6236 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6238 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6239 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6241 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6243 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6250 @node Thread Commands
6251 @subsection Thread Commands
6252 @cindex thread commands
6258 @kindex T k (Summary)
6259 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
6260 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6261 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6262 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6263 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6268 @kindex T l (Summary)
6269 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
6270 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6271 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6272 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6275 @kindex T i (Summary)
6276 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6277 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6278 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6281 @kindex T # (Summary)
6282 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6283 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6284 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6287 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6288 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6289 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6290 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6293 @kindex T T (Summary)
6294 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6295 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6298 @kindex T s (Summary)
6299 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6300 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6301 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6304 @kindex T h (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6306 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6309 @kindex T S (Summary)
6310 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6311 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6314 @kindex T H (Summary)
6315 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6316 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6319 @kindex T t (Summary)
6320 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6321 Re-thread the current article's thread
6322 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6323 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6326 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6327 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6328 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6329 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6333 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6334 understand the numeric prefix.
6339 @kindex T n (Summary)
6341 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
6343 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6344 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6345 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6348 @kindex T p (Summary)
6350 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
6352 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6353 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6354 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6357 @kindex T d (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6359 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6362 @kindex T u (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6364 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6367 @kindex T o (Summary)
6368 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6369 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6372 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6373 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6374 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6375 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6376 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6377 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6378 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6379 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6380 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6381 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6382 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6383 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6387 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6388 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6390 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6391 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6392 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6393 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6394 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6395 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6396 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6397 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6398 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6399 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6400 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6402 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6403 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6404 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6405 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6406 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6408 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6409 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6410 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6412 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6413 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6414 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6415 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6416 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6417 ascending article order.
6419 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6420 by number, you could do something like:
6423 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6424 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6425 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6426 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6429 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6430 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6431 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6432 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6433 which the articles arrived.
6435 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6439 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6441 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6442 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6445 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6446 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6447 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6448 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6451 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6452 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6453 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6454 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6455 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6456 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6457 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6458 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6459 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6460 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6461 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6462 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6463 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6465 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6469 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6470 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6471 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6476 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6477 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6478 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6479 @cindex article pre-fetch
6482 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6483 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6484 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6485 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6486 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6488 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6489 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6491 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6492 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6493 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6494 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6495 connection is blocked.
6497 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6498 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6499 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6500 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6502 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6503 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6504 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6505 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6508 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6511 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6512 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6513 happen automatically.
6515 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6516 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6517 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6518 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6519 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6520 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6521 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6523 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6524 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6525 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6526 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6527 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6528 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6529 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6530 data structure as the only parameter.
6532 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6535 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6536 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6537 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6538 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6541 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6544 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6545 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6546 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6548 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6549 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6550 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6551 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6555 Remove articles when they are read.
6558 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6561 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6563 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6564 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6565 @c from the next group.
6568 @node Article Caching
6569 @section Article Caching
6570 @cindex article caching
6573 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6574 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6575 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6576 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6577 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6579 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6581 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6582 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6583 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6584 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6585 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6586 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6587 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6588 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6590 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6591 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6592 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6593 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6594 as dormant, and don't worry.
6596 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6598 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6599 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6600 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6601 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6602 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6603 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6604 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6605 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6606 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6607 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6609 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6610 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6611 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6612 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6613 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6614 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6615 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6616 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6617 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6618 not then be downloaded by this command.
6620 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6621 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6622 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6623 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6624 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6625 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6627 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6628 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6629 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6630 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6631 variables, the group is not cached.
6633 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6634 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6635 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6636 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6637 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6638 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6639 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6640 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6641 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6645 @node Persistent Articles
6646 @section Persistent Articles
6647 @cindex persistent articles
6649 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6650 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6651 useful in my opinion.
6653 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6654 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6655 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6656 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6657 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6658 the expiry going on at the news server.
6660 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6661 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6662 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6668 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6669 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6672 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6673 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6674 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6675 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6679 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6681 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6682 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6683 interested in persistent articles:
6686 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6690 @node Article Backlog
6691 @section Article Backlog
6693 @cindex article backlog
6695 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6696 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6697 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6698 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6699 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6700 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6701 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6702 increase memory usage some.
6704 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6705 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6706 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6707 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6708 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6709 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6710 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6712 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6715 @node Saving Articles
6716 @section Saving Articles
6717 @cindex saving articles
6719 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6720 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6721 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6722 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6723 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6725 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6726 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6727 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6729 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6730 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6731 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6732 deleted before saving.
6738 @kindex O o (Summary)
6740 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6741 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6742 Save the current article using the default article saver
6743 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6746 @kindex O m (Summary)
6747 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6748 Save the current article in mail format
6749 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6752 @kindex O r (Summary)
6753 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6754 Save the current article in rmail format
6755 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6758 @kindex O f (Summary)
6759 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6760 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6761 Save the current article in plain file format
6762 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6765 @kindex O F (Summary)
6766 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6767 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6768 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6771 @kindex O b (Summary)
6772 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6773 Save the current article body in plain file format
6774 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6777 @kindex O h (Summary)
6778 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6779 Save the current article in mh folder format
6780 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6783 @kindex O v (Summary)
6784 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6785 Save the current article in a VM folder
6786 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6790 @kindex O p (Summary)
6792 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6793 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6794 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6797 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6798 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6799 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6800 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6801 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6802 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6803 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6804 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6805 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6806 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6807 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6808 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6812 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6813 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6814 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6815 functions below, or you can create your own.
6819 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6820 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6821 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6822 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6823 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6824 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6825 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6827 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6828 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6829 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6830 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6831 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6832 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6834 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6835 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6836 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6837 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6838 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6839 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6840 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6842 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6843 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6844 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6845 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6846 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6848 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6849 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6850 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6851 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6852 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6855 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6856 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6857 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6858 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6859 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6861 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6862 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6863 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6864 reader to use this setting.
6867 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6868 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6869 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6870 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6873 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6874 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6875 available functions that generate names:
6879 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6880 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6881 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6883 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6884 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6885 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6887 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6888 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6889 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6891 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6892 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6893 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6895 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6896 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6897 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6900 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6901 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6902 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6903 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6904 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6908 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6909 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6910 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6911 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6914 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6915 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6916 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6917 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6918 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6919 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6920 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6921 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6922 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6924 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6925 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6926 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6927 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6929 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6930 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6931 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6934 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6935 lots of mail groups called things like
6936 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6937 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6938 following will do just that:
6941 (defun my-save-name (group)
6942 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6943 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6945 (setq gnus-split-methods
6946 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6951 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6952 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6953 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6954 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6955 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6956 all the files in the top level directory
6957 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6958 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6959 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6960 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6962 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6963 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6964 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6965 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6966 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6969 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6973 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6974 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
6975 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6978 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6979 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6980 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6981 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6984 @node Decoding Articles
6985 @section Decoding Articles
6986 @cindex decoding articles
6988 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6989 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6992 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6993 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6994 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6995 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6996 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6997 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7001 @cindex article series
7002 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7003 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7004 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7005 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7006 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7008 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7009 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7010 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7012 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7013 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7014 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7016 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7017 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7018 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7021 @node Uuencoded Articles
7022 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7024 @cindex uuencoded articles
7029 @kindex X u (Summary)
7030 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7031 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7032 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7035 @kindex X U (Summary)
7036 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7037 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7038 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7041 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7042 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7043 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7046 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7047 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7048 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7049 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7053 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7054 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7055 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7056 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7057 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7059 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7060 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7061 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7062 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7065 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7066 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7067 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7068 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7069 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7070 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7074 @node Shell Archives
7075 @subsection Shell Archives
7077 @cindex shell archives
7078 @cindex shared articles
7080 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7081 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7082 some commands to deal with these:
7087 @kindex X s (Summary)
7088 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7089 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7092 @kindex X S (Summary)
7093 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7094 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7097 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7098 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7099 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7102 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7103 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7104 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7105 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7109 @node PostScript Files
7110 @subsection PostScript Files
7116 @kindex X p (Summary)
7117 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7118 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7121 @kindex X P (Summary)
7122 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7123 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7124 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7127 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7128 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7129 View the current PostScript series
7130 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7133 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7134 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7135 View and save the current PostScript series
7136 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7141 @subsection Other Files
7145 @kindex X o (Summary)
7146 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7147 Save the current series
7148 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7151 @kindex X b (Summary)
7152 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7153 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7154 doesn't really work yet.
7158 @node Decoding Variables
7159 @subsection Decoding Variables
7161 Adjective, not verb.
7164 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7165 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7166 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7170 @node Rule Variables
7171 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7172 @cindex rule variables
7174 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7175 variables are of the form
7178 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7185 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7186 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7188 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7189 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7192 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7193 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7196 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7197 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7198 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7199 user and default view rules.
7201 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7202 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7203 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7208 @node Other Decode Variables
7209 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7212 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7214 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7215 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7216 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7217 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7218 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7222 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7223 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7226 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7227 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7228 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7231 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7232 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7233 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7234 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7235 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7238 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7239 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7240 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7242 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7243 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7244 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7245 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7246 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7249 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7250 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7251 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7253 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7254 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7255 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7256 looking for files to display.
7258 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7259 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7260 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7263 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7264 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7265 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7268 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7269 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7270 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7273 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7274 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7275 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7278 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7279 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7280 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7281 decoded articles as unread.
7283 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7284 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7285 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7286 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7288 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7289 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7290 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7292 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7293 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7295 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7296 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7297 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7298 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7300 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7301 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7302 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7303 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7304 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7305 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7306 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7307 simply dropped them.
7312 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7313 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7317 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7318 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7319 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7320 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7321 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7322 for you when you post the article.
7324 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7325 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7326 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7327 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7329 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7330 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7331 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7332 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7333 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7334 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7335 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7337 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7338 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7339 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7340 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7341 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7342 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7343 Default is @code{t}.
7349 @subsection Viewing Files
7350 @cindex viewing files
7351 @cindex pseudo-articles
7353 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7354 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7355 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7356 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7357 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7358 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7359 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7361 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7362 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7363 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7364 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7366 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7367 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7368 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7370 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7371 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7372 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7373 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7374 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7376 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7377 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7378 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7379 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7380 a list of parameters to that command.
7382 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7383 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7384 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7386 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7387 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7388 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7391 @node Article Treatment
7392 @section Article Treatment
7394 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7395 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7396 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7397 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7398 these articles easier.
7401 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7402 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7403 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7404 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7405 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7406 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7407 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7408 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7412 @node Article Highlighting
7413 @subsection Article Highlighting
7414 @cindex highlighting
7416 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7417 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7422 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7423 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7424 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7425 Do much highlighting of the current article
7426 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7427 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7430 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7431 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7432 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7433 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7434 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7435 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7436 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7437 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7438 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7439 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7440 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7441 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7444 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7445 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7446 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7448 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7451 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7453 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7454 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7455 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7457 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7458 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7459 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7461 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7462 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7463 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7464 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7465 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7466 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7468 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7469 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7470 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7472 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7473 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7474 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7476 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7477 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7478 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7479 that it's a citation.
7481 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7482 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7483 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7485 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7486 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7487 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7489 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7490 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7491 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7492 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7498 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7499 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7500 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7501 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7502 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7503 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7504 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7505 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7510 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7513 @node Article Fontisizing
7514 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7516 @cindex article emphasis
7518 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7519 @kindex W e (Summary)
7520 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7521 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7522 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7523 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7525 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7526 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7527 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7528 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7529 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7530 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7531 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7532 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7536 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7537 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7538 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7547 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7548 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7549 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7550 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7551 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7552 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7553 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7554 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7555 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7556 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7557 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7558 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7559 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7561 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7562 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7563 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7567 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7570 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7572 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7573 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7574 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7575 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7577 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7580 @node Article Hiding
7581 @subsection Article Hiding
7582 @cindex article hiding
7584 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7585 too much cruft in most articles.
7590 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7591 @findex gnus-article-hide
7592 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7593 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7594 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7597 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7598 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7599 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7603 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7604 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7605 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7606 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7609 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7610 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7611 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7615 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7616 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7617 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7618 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7619 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7620 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7621 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7622 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7626 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7627 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7628 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7629 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7634 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7635 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7636 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7637 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7638 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7639 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7640 articles that have signatures in them do:
7642 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7644 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7646 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7647 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7649 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7652 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7657 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7658 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7659 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7660 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7663 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7664 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7667 @cindex stripping advertisements
7668 @cindex advertisements
7669 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7670 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7671 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7672 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7673 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7674 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7675 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7676 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7677 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7678 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7682 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7683 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7684 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7685 customizing the hiding:
7689 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7690 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7691 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7692 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7693 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7694 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7695 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7700 Starting point of the hidden text.
7702 Ending point of the hidden text.
7704 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7706 Number of lines of hidden text.
7709 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7710 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7711 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7712 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7713 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7718 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7719 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7721 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7722 following two variables:
7725 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7726 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7727 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7728 50), hide the cited text.
7730 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7731 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7732 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7737 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7738 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7739 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7740 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7741 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7742 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7746 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7747 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7748 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7750 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7751 citation customization.
7753 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7757 @node Article Washing
7758 @subsection Article Washing
7760 @cindex article washing
7762 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7763 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7765 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7766 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7769 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7770 articles by default.
7775 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7776 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7780 @kindex W l (Summary)
7781 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7782 Remove page breaks from the current article
7783 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7787 @kindex W r (Summary)
7788 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7789 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7790 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7791 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7792 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7793 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7795 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7796 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7797 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7798 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7802 @kindex W t (Summary)
7804 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7805 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7806 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7809 @kindex W v (Summary)
7810 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7811 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7812 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7815 @kindex W o (Summary)
7816 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7817 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7820 @kindex W d (Summary)
7821 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7822 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7824 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7826 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7827 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7828 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7829 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7832 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7833 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7834 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7835 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7838 @kindex W w (Summary)
7839 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7840 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7842 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7846 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7847 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7848 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7851 @kindex W C (Summary)
7852 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7853 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7854 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7857 @kindex W c (Summary)
7858 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7859 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7860 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7861 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7862 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7865 @kindex W q (Summary)
7866 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7867 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7868 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7869 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7870 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7871 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7872 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7873 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7874 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7877 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7878 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7879 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7880 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7881 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7882 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7883 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7885 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7888 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7889 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7890 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7891 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7892 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7895 @kindex W h (Summary)
7896 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7897 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7898 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7899 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7901 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7904 @kindex W f (Summary)
7906 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7907 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7908 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7909 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7916 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7917 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7918 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7919 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7920 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7921 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7922 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7923 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7924 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7925 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7926 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7927 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7928 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7929 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7930 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7931 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7932 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7933 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7934 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7935 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7939 @kindex W b (Summary)
7940 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7941 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7942 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7945 @kindex W B (Summary)
7946 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7947 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7948 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7951 @kindex W p (Summary)
7952 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
7953 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
7954 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
7955 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
7956 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
7957 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
7958 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
7961 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7962 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7963 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7964 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7967 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7968 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7969 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7970 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7973 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7974 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7975 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7976 lines with a single empty line.
7977 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7980 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7981 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7982 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7983 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7986 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7987 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7988 Do all the three commands above
7989 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7992 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7993 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7994 Remove all blank lines
7995 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7998 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7999 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8000 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8001 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8004 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8005 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8006 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8007 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8011 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8014 @node Article Buttons
8015 @subsection Article Buttons
8018 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8019 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8020 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8021 button on these references.
8023 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8024 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8025 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8030 @item gnus-button-alist
8031 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8032 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8035 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8041 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8042 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8043 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8046 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8047 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8048 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8051 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8052 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8053 avoid false matches.
8056 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8059 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8060 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8064 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8067 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8070 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8071 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8072 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8073 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8074 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8077 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8080 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8082 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8083 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8084 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8085 default values of the variables above.
8087 @item gnus-article-button-face
8088 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8089 Face used on buttons.
8091 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8092 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8093 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8097 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8101 @subsection Article Date
8103 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8104 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8105 when the article was sent.
8110 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8111 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8112 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8113 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8116 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8117 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8119 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8120 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8123 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8124 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8125 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8128 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8129 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8130 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8131 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8134 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8135 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8136 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8137 @findex format-time-string
8138 Display the date using a user-defined format
8139 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8140 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8141 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8142 for a list of possible format specs.
8145 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8146 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8147 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8148 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8149 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8150 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8153 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8156 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8157 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8160 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8161 into wonderful absurdities.
8163 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8166 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8169 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8170 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8174 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8175 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8176 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8177 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8178 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8179 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8180 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8184 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8185 preferred format automatically.
8188 @node Article Signature
8189 @subsection Article Signature
8191 @cindex article signature
8193 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8194 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8195 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8196 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8197 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8198 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8199 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8200 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8201 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8204 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8205 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8206 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8207 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8208 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8209 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8210 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8211 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8214 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8217 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8218 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8219 signature when displaying articles.
8223 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8226 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8229 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8230 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8232 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8233 in question is not a signature.
8236 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8237 listed above. Here's an example:
8240 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8241 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8244 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8245 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8246 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8247 signature after all.
8250 @node Article Miscellania
8251 @subsection Article Miscellania
8255 @kindex A t (Summary)
8256 @findex gnus-article-babel
8257 Translate the article from one language to another
8258 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8264 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8265 @cindex MIME decoding
8267 @cindex viewing attachments
8269 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8270 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8276 @kindex K v (Summary)
8277 View the @sc{mime} part.
8280 @kindex K o (Summary)
8281 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8284 @kindex K c (Summary)
8285 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8288 @kindex K e (Summary)
8289 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8292 @kindex K i (Summary)
8293 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8296 @kindex K | (Summary)
8297 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8300 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8305 @kindex K b (Summary)
8306 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8307 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8311 @kindex K m (Summary)
8312 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8313 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8314 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8315 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8316 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8319 @kindex X m (Summary)
8320 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8321 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8322 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8323 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8326 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8327 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8328 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8329 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8332 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8333 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8334 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8337 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8338 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8339 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8341 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8342 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8343 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8344 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8345 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8346 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8349 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8350 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8351 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8358 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8359 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8360 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8361 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8364 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8367 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8371 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8372 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8373 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8374 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8375 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8376 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8379 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8380 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8381 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8382 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8383 displayed. This variable overrides
8384 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8386 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8387 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8388 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8390 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8391 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8392 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8393 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8394 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8395 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8396 save all jpegs into some directory).
8398 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8401 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8402 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8404 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8405 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8406 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8407 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8408 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8411 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8412 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8413 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8415 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8416 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8417 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8418 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8420 Ready-made functions include@*
8421 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8422 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8423 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8424 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8425 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8426 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8427 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8428 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8429 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8430 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8431 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8432 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8434 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8435 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8437 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8438 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8439 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8442 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8443 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8444 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8445 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8449 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8458 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8459 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8460 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8461 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8462 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8463 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8464 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8466 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8467 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8468 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8469 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8471 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8472 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8473 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8474 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8475 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8476 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8477 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8478 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8480 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8481 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8482 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8483 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8484 quoted-printable header encoding.
8486 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8487 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8488 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8492 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8495 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8496 means encode all charsets),
8498 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8499 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8500 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8507 @cindex coding system aliases
8508 @cindex preferred charset
8510 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8512 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8513 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8516 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8517 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8520 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8521 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8523 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8526 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8529 This will almost do the right thing.
8531 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8535 (codepage-setup 1251)
8536 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8540 @node Article Commands
8541 @section Article Commands
8548 @kindex A P (Summary)
8549 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8550 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8551 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8552 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8553 run just before printing the buffer.
8558 @node Summary Sorting
8559 @section Summary Sorting
8560 @cindex summary sorting
8562 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8563 can't really see why you'd want that.
8568 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8569 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8570 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8573 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8574 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8575 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8578 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8579 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8580 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8583 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8584 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8585 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8588 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8589 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8590 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8593 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8594 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8595 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8598 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8599 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8600 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8603 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8604 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8605 Sort using the default sorting method
8606 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8609 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8610 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8611 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8612 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8613 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8617 @node Finding the Parent
8618 @section Finding the Parent
8619 @cindex parent articles
8620 @cindex referring articles
8625 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8626 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8627 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8628 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8629 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8630 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8631 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8632 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8633 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8635 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8636 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8637 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8638 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8639 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8643 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8644 @kindex A R (Summary)
8645 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8646 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8649 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8650 @kindex A T (Summary)
8651 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8652 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8653 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8654 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8655 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8656 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8657 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8659 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8660 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8661 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8662 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8663 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8664 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8667 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8668 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8670 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8671 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8672 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8673 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8674 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8675 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8676 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8679 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8680 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8681 by giving this command a prefix.
8683 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8684 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8685 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8686 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8687 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8688 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8691 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8692 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8693 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8696 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8697 then ask Deja if that fails:
8700 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8702 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8705 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8706 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8707 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8708 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8709 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8710 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8714 @node Alternative Approaches
8715 @section Alternative Approaches
8717 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8718 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8721 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8722 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8727 @subsection Pick and Read
8728 @cindex pick and read
8730 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8731 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8732 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8733 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8735 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8736 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8737 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8738 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8739 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8740 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8742 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8747 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8748 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8749 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8750 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8751 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8752 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8753 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8754 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8757 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8758 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8759 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8760 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8764 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8765 Unpick the thread or article
8766 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8767 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8768 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8769 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8770 the thread or article at that line.
8774 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8775 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8776 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8777 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8778 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8779 will still be visible when you are reading.
8783 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8784 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8785 which is mapped to the same function
8786 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8788 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8791 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8794 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8795 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8797 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8798 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8799 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8801 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8802 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8803 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8804 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8805 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8806 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8807 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8811 @subsection Binary Groups
8812 @cindex binary groups
8814 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8815 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8816 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8817 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8818 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8819 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8820 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8823 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8824 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8825 command, when you have turned on this mode
8826 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8828 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8829 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8833 @section Tree Display
8836 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8837 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8838 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8839 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8842 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8845 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8846 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8847 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8849 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8850 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8851 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8852 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8853 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8855 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8856 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8857 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8858 default is @code{modeline}.
8860 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8861 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8862 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8863 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8864 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8865 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8866 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8872 The name of the poster.
8874 The @code{From} header.
8876 The number of the article.
8878 The opening bracket.
8880 The closing bracket.
8885 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8887 Variables related to the display are:
8890 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8891 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8892 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8893 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8894 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8895 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8897 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8898 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8899 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8900 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8904 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8905 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8906 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8907 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8908 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8909 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8910 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8911 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8912 other windows displayed next to it.
8914 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8915 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8916 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8917 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8918 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8919 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8920 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8924 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8927 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8937 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8941 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8942 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8944 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8946 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8951 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8952 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8953 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8956 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8957 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8958 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8959 (gnus-add-configuration
8963 (summary 0.75 point)
8968 @xref{Window Layout}.
8971 @node Mail Group Commands
8972 @section Mail Group Commands
8973 @cindex mail group commands
8975 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8976 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8978 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8979 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8984 @kindex B e (Summary)
8985 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8986 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
8987 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
8988 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
8989 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
8992 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8993 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8994 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8995 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8996 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8997 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9000 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9001 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9002 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9003 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9004 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9005 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9008 @kindex B m (Summary)
9010 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9011 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9012 Move the article from one mail group to another
9013 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9014 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9017 @kindex B c (Summary)
9019 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9020 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9021 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9022 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9023 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9026 @kindex B B (Summary)
9027 @cindex crosspost mail
9028 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9029 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9030 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9031 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9032 be properly updated.
9035 @kindex B i (Summary)
9036 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9037 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9038 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9039 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9042 @kindex B r (Summary)
9043 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9044 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9045 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9046 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9047 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9048 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9049 (which is the default).
9053 @kindex B w (Summary)
9055 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9056 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9057 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9058 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9059 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9060 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9063 @kindex B q (Summary)
9064 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9065 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9066 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9067 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9070 @kindex B t (Summary)
9071 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9072 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9073 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9076 @kindex B p (Summary)
9077 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9078 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9079 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9080 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9081 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9082 article from your news server (or rather, from
9083 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9084 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9085 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9086 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9087 just not have arrived yet.
9091 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9092 @cindex moving articles
9093 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9094 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9095 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9096 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9097 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9098 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9099 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9102 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9103 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9104 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9105 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9109 @node Various Summary Stuff
9110 @section Various Summary Stuff
9113 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9114 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9115 * Summary Generation Commands::
9116 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9120 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9121 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9122 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9124 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9125 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9126 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9127 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9128 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9129 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9132 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9133 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9134 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9135 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9136 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9138 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9139 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9140 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9143 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9144 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9145 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9146 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9147 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9148 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9149 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9150 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9151 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9152 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9154 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9155 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9156 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9157 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9158 list of articles to be selected.
9160 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9161 the list in one particular group:
9164 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9165 (if (string= group "some.group")
9166 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9173 @node Summary Group Information
9174 @subsection Summary Group Information
9179 @kindex H f (Summary)
9180 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9181 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9182 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9183 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9184 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9185 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9186 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9187 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9188 be used for fetching the file.
9191 @kindex H d (Summary)
9192 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9193 Give a brief description of the current group
9194 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9195 rereading the description from the server.
9198 @kindex H h (Summary)
9199 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9200 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9201 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9204 @kindex H i (Summary)
9205 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9206 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9210 @node Searching for Articles
9211 @subsection Searching for Articles
9216 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9217 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9218 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9219 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9222 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9223 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9224 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9225 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9229 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9230 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9231 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9232 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9233 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9234 search backward instead.
9236 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9237 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9240 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9241 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9242 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9243 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9246 @node Summary Generation Commands
9247 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9252 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9253 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9254 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9257 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9258 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9259 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9260 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9265 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9266 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9272 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9273 @kindex A D (Summary)
9274 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9275 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9276 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9277 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9278 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9279 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9280 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9281 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9285 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
9286 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9287 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9288 several documents into one biiig group
9289 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9290 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9291 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9292 command understands the process/prefix convention
9293 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9296 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9297 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9298 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9299 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9300 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9301 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9305 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9306 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9307 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9310 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
9311 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9312 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9313 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9316 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
9317 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9318 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9319 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9324 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9325 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9326 @cindex summary exit
9327 @cindex exiting groups
9329 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9330 group and return you to the group buffer.
9336 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9338 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9339 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9340 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9341 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9342 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9343 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9344 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9345 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9346 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9347 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9348 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9352 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9354 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9355 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9356 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9360 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9362 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9363 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9364 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9365 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9368 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9369 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9370 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9371 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9374 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9375 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9376 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9377 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9380 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9381 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9382 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9383 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9384 all articles, both read and unread.
9388 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9389 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9390 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9391 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9392 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9393 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9394 articles, both read and unread.
9397 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9398 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9399 Exit the group and go to the next group
9400 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9403 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9404 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9405 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9406 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9409 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9410 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9411 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9412 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9413 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9414 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9417 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9418 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9419 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9420 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9422 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9423 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9424 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9425 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9426 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9427 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9428 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9429 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9430 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9431 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9432 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9433 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9435 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9437 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9438 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9439 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9440 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9441 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9442 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9443 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9444 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9445 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9448 @node Crosspost Handling
9449 @section Crosspost Handling
9453 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9454 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9455 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9456 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9457 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9458 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9461 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9462 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9463 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9464 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9465 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9467 @cindex cross-posting
9470 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9471 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9472 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9473 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9474 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9475 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9476 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9477 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9478 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9479 the cross reference mechanism.
9481 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9482 @cindex overview.fmt
9483 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9484 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9485 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9486 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9487 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9488 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9491 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9492 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9493 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9498 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9501 @node Duplicate Suppression
9502 @section Duplicate Suppression
9504 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9505 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9506 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9507 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9512 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9513 is evil and not very common.
9516 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9517 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9520 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9521 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9524 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9527 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9528 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9530 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9531 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9532 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9533 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9534 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9535 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9536 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9539 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9540 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9541 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9542 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9543 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9547 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9548 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9549 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9551 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9552 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9553 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9554 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9555 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9556 session are suppressed.
9558 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9559 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9560 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9561 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9563 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9564 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9565 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9566 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9569 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9570 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9571 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9572 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9573 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9574 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9575 to you to figure out, I think.
9580 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9581 The formats that are supported are PGP and S/MIME, however you need
9582 some external programs to get things to work:
9586 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9587 gpg.el as well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG). @xref{Using GPG}.
9590 To verify or decrypt S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL.
9591 OpenSSL 0.9.6 or newer is recommended.
9595 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9596 manual. @xref{Security, ,Security, message, The Message Manual}.
9599 @item mm-verify-option
9600 @vindex mm-verify-option
9601 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9602 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9603 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9605 @item mm-decrypt-option
9606 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9607 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9608 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9609 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9614 @section Mailing List
9616 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9617 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9618 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9621 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9624 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9629 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9630 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9631 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9634 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9635 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9636 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9639 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9640 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9641 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9645 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9646 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9647 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9650 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9651 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9652 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9655 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9656 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9657 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9661 @node Article Buffer
9662 @chapter Article Buffer
9663 @cindex article buffer
9665 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9666 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9667 tell Gnus otherwise.
9670 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9671 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9672 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9673 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9674 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9678 @node Hiding Headers
9679 @section Hiding Headers
9680 @cindex hiding headers
9681 @cindex deleting headers
9683 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9684 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9686 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9687 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9688 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9689 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9690 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9691 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9692 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9693 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9694 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9696 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9700 @item gnus-visible-headers
9701 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9702 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9703 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9704 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9706 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9707 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9710 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9713 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9716 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9717 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9718 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9719 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9720 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9721 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9723 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9724 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9727 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9730 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9733 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9734 variable will have no effect.
9738 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9739 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9740 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9741 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9742 the headers are to be displayed.
9744 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9745 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9748 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9751 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9752 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9754 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9755 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9756 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9757 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9758 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9759 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9760 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9763 These conditions are:
9766 Remove all empty headers.
9768 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9769 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9771 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9774 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9777 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9778 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9780 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9783 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9785 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9788 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9791 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9792 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9795 This is also the default value for this variable.
9799 @section Using @sc{mime}
9802 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9803 while people stand around yawning.
9805 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9806 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9808 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9809 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9810 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9812 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9813 @findex gnus-display-mime
9814 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9815 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9816 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9817 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9819 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9823 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9825 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9826 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9827 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9829 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9830 @item M-RET (Article)
9832 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9833 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9835 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9837 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9838 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9840 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
9842 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9843 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
9845 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9847 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9848 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9850 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
9852 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
9853 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
9854 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
9855 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
9856 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
9857 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
9859 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9861 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9862 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9864 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9866 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9867 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9868 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9869 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9870 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
9873 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
9875 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
9876 viewer is available, use an external viewer
9877 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
9879 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
9881 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
9882 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
9884 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9886 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9888 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
9890 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
9891 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
9895 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9896 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9899 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9900 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9901 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9902 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9903 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9904 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9905 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9906 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9907 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9909 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9911 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9914 @node Customizing Articles
9915 @section Customizing Articles
9916 @cindex article customization
9918 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9919 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9920 called automatically when you select the articles.
9922 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9923 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9924 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9925 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9927 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9928 for sensible values.
9932 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9935 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9938 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9941 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9944 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9948 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9949 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9950 regexps in the list.
9953 A list where the first element is not a string:
9955 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9956 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9957 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9961 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9966 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9967 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9968 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9969 considered to contain just a single part.
9971 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9972 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9973 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9974 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9975 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9976 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9977 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9979 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9980 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9981 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9982 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9985 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9986 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9987 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9988 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9989 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9990 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9991 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9992 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9993 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9994 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9995 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9996 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9997 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
9998 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9999 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10000 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10001 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10002 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10003 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10004 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10005 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10006 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10007 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10008 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10009 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10010 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10011 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10012 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10013 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10014 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10015 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10016 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
10017 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10018 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10019 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10020 @item gnus-treat-translate
10023 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10024 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10025 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10026 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10027 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10031 @node Article Keymap
10032 @section Article Keymap
10034 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10035 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10036 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10037 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10040 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10045 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10046 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10047 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10050 @kindex DEL (Article)
10051 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10052 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10055 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10056 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10057 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10058 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10059 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10062 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10063 @findex gnus-article-mail
10064 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10065 given a prefix, include the mail.
10068 @kindex s (Article)
10069 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10070 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10071 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10074 @kindex ? (Article)
10075 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10076 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10077 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10080 @kindex TAB (Article)
10081 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10082 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10083 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10086 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10087 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10088 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10094 @section Misc Article
10098 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10099 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10100 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10101 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10104 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10105 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10107 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10108 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10110 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10111 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10112 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10113 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10114 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10115 the contents of the article buffer.
10117 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10118 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10119 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10121 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10122 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10123 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10124 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10126 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10127 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10128 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10129 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10130 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10136 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10137 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10138 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10143 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10146 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10149 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10150 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10151 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10154 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10157 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10160 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10165 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10169 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10171 @item gnus-break-pages
10172 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10173 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10174 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10175 paging will not be done.
10177 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10178 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10179 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10184 @node Composing Messages
10185 @chapter Composing Messages
10186 @cindex composing messages
10189 @cindex sending mail
10195 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10196 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10197 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10198 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10199 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10200 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10203 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10204 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10205 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10206 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10207 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10208 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10209 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10210 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10213 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10214 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10220 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10223 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10224 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10225 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10226 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10228 @item gnus-add-to-list
10229 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10230 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10231 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10236 @node Posting Server
10237 @section Posting Server
10239 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10240 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10242 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10244 @vindex gnus-post-method
10246 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10247 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10248 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10249 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10250 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10251 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10252 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10255 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10258 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10259 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10260 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10261 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10263 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10264 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10266 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10267 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10270 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10271 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
10274 @node Mail and Post
10275 @section Mail and Post
10277 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10281 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10282 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10283 @cindex mailing lists
10285 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10286 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10287 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10288 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10289 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10290 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10291 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10292 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10293 still a pain, though.
10297 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10298 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10299 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10302 @findex ispell-message
10304 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10307 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10308 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10311 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10315 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10316 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10318 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10321 Modify to suit your needs.
10324 @node Archived Messages
10325 @section Archived Messages
10326 @cindex archived messages
10327 @cindex sent messages
10329 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10330 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10331 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10332 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10335 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10336 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10337 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10340 (nnfolder "archive"
10341 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10342 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10343 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10344 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10347 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10348 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10349 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10350 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10353 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10354 '(nnfolder "archive"
10355 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10356 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10357 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10360 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10362 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10363 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10364 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10366 This variable can be used to do the following:
10370 Messages will be saved in that group.
10372 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10373 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10374 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10375 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10376 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10377 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10378 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10379 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10381 @item a list of strings
10382 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10383 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10384 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10386 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10391 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10393 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10396 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10398 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10401 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10403 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10404 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10405 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10406 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10409 More complex stuff:
10411 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10412 '((if (message-news-p)
10417 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10418 messages in one file per month:
10421 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10422 '((if (message-news-p)
10424 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10427 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10428 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10430 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10431 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10432 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10433 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10434 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10435 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10436 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10437 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10438 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10439 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10441 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10442 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10443 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10444 this will disable archiving.
10447 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10448 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10449 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10450 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10451 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10454 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10455 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10456 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10459 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10460 but the latter is the preferred method.
10462 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10463 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10464 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10469 @node Posting Styles
10470 @section Posting Styles
10471 @cindex posting styles
10474 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10476 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10477 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10478 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10481 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10482 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10483 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10484 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10485 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10490 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10491 (organization "What me?"))
10493 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10494 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10495 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10498 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10499 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10500 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10501 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10502 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10503 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10504 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10505 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10507 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10508 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10509 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10510 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10511 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10512 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10513 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10514 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10515 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10517 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10518 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10519 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10520 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10521 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10522 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10523 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10524 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10525 result is thrown away.
10527 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10528 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10529 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10530 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10531 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10532 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10534 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10535 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10536 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10538 @findex message-mail-p
10539 @findex message-news-p
10541 So here's a new example:
10544 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10546 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10548 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10549 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10551 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10552 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10553 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10555 (signature my-news-signature))
10556 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10557 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10558 ((posting-from-work-p)
10559 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10560 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10561 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10562 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10564 (From (save-excursion
10565 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10566 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10568 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10571 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10572 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10573 if you fill many roles.
10580 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10581 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10582 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10583 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10584 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10586 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10587 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10588 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10589 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10590 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10594 @vindex nndraft-directory
10595 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10596 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10597 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10598 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10599 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10600 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10602 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10603 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10606 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10607 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10608 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10609 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10610 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10611 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10612 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10613 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10614 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10615 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10616 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10617 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10618 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10619 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10621 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10622 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10623 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10625 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10626 @kindex D e (Draft)
10627 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10628 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10629 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10631 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10634 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10635 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10636 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10637 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10638 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10639 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10640 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10643 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10644 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10645 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10648 @node Rejected Articles
10649 @section Rejected Articles
10650 @cindex rejected articles
10652 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10653 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10654 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10655 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10657 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10658 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10659 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10660 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10661 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10663 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10664 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10665 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10671 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10672 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10673 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10675 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10676 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10680 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10681 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10684 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10685 to 700, for your own safety.
10687 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10688 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10692 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10695 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10696 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10699 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10702 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10703 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME,
10704 @kbd{C-c C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also
10705 @kbd{C-c C-m c p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c
10706 C-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME. @xref{Security, ,Security, message,
10707 The Message Manual}.
10709 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10710 you've typed it correctly.
10712 @node Select Methods
10713 @chapter Select Methods
10714 @cindex foreign groups
10715 @cindex select methods
10717 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10718 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10719 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10720 personal mail group.
10722 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10723 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10724 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10725 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10726 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10727 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
10729 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10730 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10732 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
10735 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10736 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10737 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10738 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10739 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10741 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10744 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10745 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10746 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10747 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10748 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
10749 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10750 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10751 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10755 @node Server Buffer
10756 @section Server Buffer
10758 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10759 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10760 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10761 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10762 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10763 back end represents a virtual server.
10765 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
10766 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10767 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
10768 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10770 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10771 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10772 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10773 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10774 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10775 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10776 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10778 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10779 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10782 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10783 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10784 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10785 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10786 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10787 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10788 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10791 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10792 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10795 @node Server Buffer Format
10796 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10797 @cindex server buffer format
10799 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10800 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10801 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10802 variable, with some simple extensions:
10807 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
10810 The name of this server.
10813 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10816 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10819 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10820 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10821 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10822 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10832 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10835 @node Server Commands
10836 @subsection Server Commands
10837 @cindex server commands
10843 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10844 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10848 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10849 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10852 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10853 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10854 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10858 @findex gnus-server-exit
10859 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10863 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10864 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10868 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10869 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10873 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10874 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10878 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10879 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10883 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10884 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10885 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10890 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10891 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10892 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10893 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
10898 @node Example Methods
10899 @subsection Example Methods
10901 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10904 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10907 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10913 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10914 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10917 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10918 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10920 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10921 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10925 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10928 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
10929 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10931 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10932 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10933 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10937 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10940 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10943 Here's the method for a public spool:
10947 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10948 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10954 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10955 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10956 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10957 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10958 should probably look something like this:
10962 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
10963 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
10964 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
10965 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10968 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10969 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
10970 configuration to the example above:
10973 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
10976 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
10977 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
10978 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
10982 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
10983 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
10984 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
10985 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10988 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10989 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10990 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10991 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10994 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10995 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10997 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10998 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11000 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11001 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11002 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11004 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11006 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11007 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11008 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11009 will contain the following:
11019 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11020 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11021 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11024 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11025 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11026 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11029 @node Server Variables
11030 @subsection Server Variables
11032 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11033 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11034 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11035 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11036 won't change the "derived" variables.
11038 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11039 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11040 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11041 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11042 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11043 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11044 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11045 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11046 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11050 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11051 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11052 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11056 @node Servers and Methods
11057 @subsection Servers and Methods
11059 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11060 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11061 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11062 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11066 @node Unavailable Servers
11067 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11069 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11070 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11071 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11072 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11073 actually the case or not.
11075 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11076 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11077 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11078 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11079 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11080 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11081 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11082 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11084 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11085 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11087 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11088 with the following commands:
11094 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11095 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11096 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11100 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11101 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11102 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11106 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11107 Mark the current server as unreachable
11108 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11111 @kindex M-o (Server)
11112 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11113 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11114 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11117 @kindex M-c (Server)
11118 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11119 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11120 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11124 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11125 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11126 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11132 @section Getting News
11133 @cindex reading news
11134 @cindex news back ends
11136 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11137 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11138 or it can read from a local spool.
11141 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11142 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11147 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11150 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11151 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11152 server as the, uhm, address.
11154 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11155 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11156 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11157 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11159 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11160 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11161 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11163 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11168 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11169 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11170 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11172 @cindex authentification
11173 @cindex nntp authentification
11174 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11175 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11176 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11177 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11178 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11179 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11180 present in this hook.
11182 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11183 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11184 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11185 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11186 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11187 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11188 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11189 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11190 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11191 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11192 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11193 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11197 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11200 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11202 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11203 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11204 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11205 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11206 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11207 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11208 @samp{force} is explained below.
11212 Here's an example file:
11215 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11216 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11219 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11220 have to be first, for instance.
11222 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11223 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11224 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11225 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11226 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11227 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11228 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11230 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11231 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11237 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11238 previously mentioned.
11240 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11242 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11243 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11244 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11245 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11246 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11249 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11250 '(("innd" (ding))))
11253 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11255 The default value is
11258 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11259 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11260 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11263 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11264 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11266 @item nntp-maximum-request
11267 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11268 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11269 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11270 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11271 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11272 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11273 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11275 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11276 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11277 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11278 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11279 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11280 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11281 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11282 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11283 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11284 no timeouts are done.
11286 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11287 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11288 @c @cindex PPP connections
11289 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11290 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11291 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11292 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11293 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11294 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11295 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11296 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11297 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11298 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11300 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11301 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11302 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11303 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11304 @c described above.
11306 @item nntp-server-hook
11307 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11308 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11311 @item nntp-buggy-select
11312 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11313 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11315 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11316 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11317 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11318 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11321 @item nntp-xover-commands
11322 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11325 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11326 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11330 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11331 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11332 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11333 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11334 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11335 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11336 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11337 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11338 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11339 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11340 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11342 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11343 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11344 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11346 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11347 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11348 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11349 server closes connection.
11351 @item nntp-record-commands
11352 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11353 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11354 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11355 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11356 that doesn't seem to work.
11358 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11359 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11360 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11361 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11362 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11363 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11364 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11365 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11369 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11370 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11371 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11375 @node Direct Functions
11376 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11377 @cindex direct connection functions
11379 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11380 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11381 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11382 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11385 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11386 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11387 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11390 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11391 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11392 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11393 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11394 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11395 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11396 define a server as follows:
11399 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11401 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11403 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11404 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11405 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11406 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11409 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11410 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11411 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11412 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11413 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11414 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11415 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11416 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11420 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11421 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11422 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11425 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11426 session, which is not a good idea.
11430 @node Indirect Functions
11431 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11432 @cindex indirect connection functions
11434 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11435 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11436 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11437 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11438 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11439 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11442 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11443 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11444 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11445 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11446 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11448 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11451 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11452 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11453 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11454 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11457 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11458 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11459 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11460 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11462 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11465 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11466 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11467 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11470 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11471 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11472 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11473 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11475 @item nntp-via-user-password
11476 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11477 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11479 @item nntp-via-envuser
11480 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11481 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11482 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11483 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11485 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11486 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11487 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11488 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11495 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11500 @item nntp-via-user-name
11501 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11502 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11504 @item nntp-via-address
11505 @vindex nntp-via-address
11506 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11511 @node Common Variables
11512 @subsubsection Common Variables
11514 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11515 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11520 @item nntp-pre-command
11521 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11522 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11523 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11524 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11525 wrapper for instance.
11528 @vindex nntp-address
11529 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11531 @item nntp-port-number
11532 @vindex nntp-port-number
11533 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11535 @item nntp-end-of-line
11536 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11537 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11538 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11539 using a non native connection function.
11541 @item nntp-telnet-command
11542 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11543 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11544 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11545 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11547 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11548 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11549 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11556 @subsection News Spool
11560 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11561 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11562 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11565 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11566 anything else) as the address.
11568 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11569 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11570 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11571 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11575 @item nnspool-inews-program
11576 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11577 Program used to post an article.
11579 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11580 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11581 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11583 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11584 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11585 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11586 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11588 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11589 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11590 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11591 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11593 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11594 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11595 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11597 @item nnspool-active-file
11598 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11599 The path to the active file.
11601 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11602 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11603 The path to the group descriptions file.
11605 @item nnspool-history-file
11606 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11607 The path to the news history file.
11609 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11610 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11611 The path to the active date file.
11613 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11614 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11615 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11618 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11619 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11621 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11622 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11623 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11629 @section Getting Mail
11630 @cindex reading mail
11633 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11637 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11638 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11639 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11640 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11641 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11642 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11643 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11644 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11645 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11646 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11647 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11648 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
11649 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11650 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
11654 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11655 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11657 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11658 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11659 of a culture shock.
11661 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11662 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11664 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11665 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11666 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11667 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11669 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11671 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11672 deleted? How awful!
11674 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11675 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11676 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11677 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11680 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11681 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11682 they want to treat a message.
11684 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11685 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11686 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11687 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11688 archived somewhere else.
11690 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11691 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11692 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11693 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11694 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11696 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11697 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11698 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11700 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11701 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11704 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11705 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11706 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11707 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11708 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11710 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11711 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11712 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11713 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11714 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11715 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11719 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11720 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11722 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11723 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11724 and things will happen automatically.
11726 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11727 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11730 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11733 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
11734 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11735 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11736 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11737 like any other group.
11739 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11742 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11743 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11744 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11748 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11749 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11750 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11753 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11754 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11755 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11758 @node Splitting Mail
11759 @subsection Splitting Mail
11760 @cindex splitting mail
11761 @cindex mail splitting
11763 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11764 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11765 to be split into groups.
11768 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11769 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11770 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11771 ("mail.other" "")))
11774 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11775 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11776 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11777 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11778 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11779 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11780 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11783 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11786 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11787 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11788 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11789 mail belongs in that group.
11791 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11792 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11793 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11794 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11795 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11796 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11798 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11799 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11800 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11801 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11802 thinks should carry this mail message.
11804 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11805 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11806 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11807 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11809 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11810 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11811 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11812 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11813 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11815 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11818 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11819 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11820 links. If that's the case for you, set
11821 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11822 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11824 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11825 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11826 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11827 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11828 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11829 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11832 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11833 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11834 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11835 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11836 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11837 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11838 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11839 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11840 month's rent money.
11844 @subsection Mail Sources
11846 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11847 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11851 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11852 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11853 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11857 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11858 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11860 @cindex mail server
11863 @cindex mail source
11865 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11866 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11871 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11874 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11875 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11876 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11879 The following mail source types are available:
11883 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11889 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11890 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11893 An example file mail source:
11896 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11899 Or using the default path:
11905 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11906 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11907 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11910 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11914 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11917 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11921 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11924 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11926 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11929 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11933 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11934 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11935 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
11936 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
11937 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
11943 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11947 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11951 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11952 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11953 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11954 predicate are considered.
11958 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11962 An example directory mail source:
11965 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11970 Get mail from a POP server.
11976 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11977 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11980 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11981 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11982 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11983 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11984 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11987 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11991 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11995 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11996 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11999 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12002 The valid format specifier characters are:
12006 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12007 included in this string.
12010 The name of the server.
12013 The port number of the server.
12016 The user name to use.
12019 The password to use.
12022 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12023 corresponding keywords.
12026 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12027 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12030 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12031 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12034 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12035 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12038 @item :authentication
12039 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12040 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12045 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12046 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12048 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12049 default user name, and default fetcher:
12055 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12058 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12059 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12062 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12065 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12069 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12070 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12071 contains exactly one mail.
12077 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12078 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12081 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12082 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12084 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12085 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12086 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12089 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12090 from locking problems).
12094 Two example maildir mail sources:
12097 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12098 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12102 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12107 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12108 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12109 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12110 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12117 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12118 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12121 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12122 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
12125 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12129 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12133 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12134 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12135 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12136 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12138 @item :authentication
12139 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12140 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12141 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12142 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12145 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12146 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12147 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12153 The valid format specifier characters are:
12157 The name of the server.
12160 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12163 The port number of the server.
12166 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12167 corresponding keywords.
12170 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12171 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12174 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12175 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12176 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12177 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12178 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12179 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12182 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12183 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12184 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12185 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12188 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12189 after finishing the fetch.
12193 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12196 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12198 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12202 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12203 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12205 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12208 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12209 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12211 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12217 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12218 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12221 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12225 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12229 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12230 folder after finishing the fetch.
12234 An example webmail source:
12237 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12239 :password "secret")
12244 @item Common Keywords
12245 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12251 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12252 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12256 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12261 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12262 useful when you use local mail and news.
12267 @subsubsection Function Interface
12269 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12270 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12271 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12272 consider the following mail-source setting:
12275 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12276 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12279 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12280 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12281 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12282 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12283 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12285 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12288 @node Mail Source Customization
12289 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12291 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12292 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12296 @item mail-source-crash-box
12297 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12298 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12299 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12301 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12302 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12303 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12305 @item mail-source-directory
12306 @vindex mail-source-directory
12307 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12308 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12309 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12312 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12313 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12314 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12315 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12316 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12317 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12319 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12320 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12321 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12323 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12324 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12325 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12326 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12331 @node Fetching Mail
12332 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12334 @vindex mail-sources
12335 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12336 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12337 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12338 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12340 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12341 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12344 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12345 mail server, you'd say something like:
12350 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12351 :password "secret")))
12354 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12358 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12359 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12362 :password "secret")))
12366 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12367 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12368 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12369 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12370 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12371 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12375 @node Mail Back End Variables
12376 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12378 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12382 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12383 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12384 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12385 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12387 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12388 @item nnmail-split-hook
12389 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12390 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12391 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12392 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12393 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12394 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12395 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12396 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12397 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12400 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12401 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12402 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12403 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12404 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12405 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12406 starting to handle the new mail) and
12407 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12408 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12409 default file modes the new mail files get:
12412 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12413 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12415 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12416 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12419 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12420 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12421 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12422 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12423 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12424 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12425 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12427 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12428 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12429 @findex delete-file
12430 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12432 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12433 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12434 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12435 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12436 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12441 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12442 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12443 @cindex mail splitting
12444 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12446 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12447 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12448 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12449 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12450 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12451 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12453 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12456 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12457 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12458 ;; from real errors.
12459 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12461 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12462 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12463 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12464 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12465 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12466 ;; Other mailing lists...
12467 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12468 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12469 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12470 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12471 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12472 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12473 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12474 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12476 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12477 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12481 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12482 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12483 the five possible split syntaxes:
12488 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12489 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12493 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12494 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12495 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12496 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12497 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12498 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12499 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12500 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12503 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12504 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12505 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12506 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12509 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12510 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12513 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12514 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12517 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12518 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12519 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12520 function should return a @var{split}.
12523 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12524 body of the messages:
12527 (defun split-on-body ()
12529 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12530 (goto-char (point-min))
12531 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12535 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12536 when the @code{:} function is run.
12539 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12540 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12541 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12545 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12549 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12550 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12551 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12552 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12553 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12555 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12556 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12557 are expanded as specified by the variable
12558 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12559 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12562 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12563 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12564 when all this splitting is performed.
12566 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12567 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12568 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12571 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12574 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12575 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12577 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12578 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12579 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12580 groupings 1 through 9.
12582 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12583 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12584 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12585 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12586 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12587 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12588 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12589 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12590 it once per thread.
12592 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12593 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12594 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12597 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12598 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12599 ;; other splits go here
12603 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12604 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12605 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12606 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12607 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12608 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12609 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12610 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12611 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12612 unless the group name matches the regexp
12613 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12614 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12615 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12616 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12617 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12618 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12619 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12620 messages goes into the new group.
12623 @node Group Mail Splitting
12624 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12625 @cindex mail splitting
12626 @cindex group mail splitting
12628 @findex gnus-group-split
12629 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12630 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12631 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12632 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12633 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12634 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12635 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12636 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12638 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12639 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12640 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12641 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12643 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12644 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12645 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12646 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12647 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12648 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12649 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12651 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12652 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12653 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12654 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12655 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12656 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12657 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12659 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12660 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12661 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12662 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12663 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12664 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12665 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12666 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12667 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12668 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12669 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12670 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12671 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12673 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12678 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12679 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12681 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12682 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12683 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12684 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12686 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12689 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12690 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12691 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12694 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12695 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12696 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12700 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12701 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12702 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12706 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12709 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12710 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12711 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12712 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12713 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12714 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12715 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12716 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12717 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12719 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12720 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12721 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12722 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12723 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12724 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12725 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12726 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12727 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12729 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12730 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12731 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12732 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12733 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12734 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12737 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12740 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12741 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12742 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12743 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12744 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12747 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12748 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12749 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12750 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12752 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12753 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12754 @cindex incorporating old mail
12755 @cindex import old mail
12757 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12758 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12759 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12762 Doing so can be quite easy.
12764 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12765 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12766 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12767 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12768 your @code{nnml} groups.
12774 Go to the group buffer.
12777 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12778 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12781 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12784 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12785 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12788 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12789 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12792 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12793 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12794 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12795 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12796 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12798 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12799 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12800 using the new mail back end.
12803 @node Expiring Mail
12804 @subsection Expiring Mail
12805 @cindex article expiry
12807 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12808 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12809 different approach to mail reading.
12811 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12812 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12813 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12814 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12815 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12816 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12819 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12820 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12821 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12822 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12823 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12824 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12825 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12826 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12828 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12829 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12830 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12831 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12832 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12833 column in the summary buffer.
12835 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12836 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12837 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12838 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12841 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12843 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12844 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12845 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12848 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12849 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12850 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12851 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12852 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12854 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12855 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12858 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12859 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12862 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12863 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12865 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12866 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12867 don't really mix very well.
12869 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12870 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12871 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12872 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12875 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12876 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12877 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12878 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12881 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12883 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12885 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12887 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12889 ((string= group "important")
12895 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12896 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12898 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12899 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12900 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12903 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12904 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12906 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12907 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12908 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12909 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12910 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12911 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12912 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12913 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12914 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12915 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12916 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12917 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12920 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12922 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12926 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12927 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12928 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12929 easier for procmail users.
12931 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12932 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12933 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12934 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12935 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12936 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12937 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12938 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12939 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12940 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12941 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12942 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12943 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12946 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12948 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12949 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12950 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12951 auto-expire turned on.
12955 @subsection Washing Mail
12956 @cindex mail washing
12957 @cindex list server brain damage
12958 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12960 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12961 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12962 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12963 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12964 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12965 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12967 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12968 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12969 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12972 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12973 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12974 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12975 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12978 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12979 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12980 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12981 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12982 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12985 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12986 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12987 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12988 Emacs running on MS machines.
12992 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12993 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12994 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12995 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12998 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12999 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13000 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13001 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13003 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13004 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13005 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13006 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13007 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13008 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13009 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13012 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13013 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13016 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13017 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13020 This can also be done non-destructively with
13021 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13023 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13024 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13025 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13027 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13028 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13030 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13031 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13032 @code{References} headers.
13036 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13037 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13038 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13042 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13043 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13044 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13051 @subsection Duplicates
13053 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13054 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13055 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13056 @cindex duplicate mails
13057 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13058 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13059 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13060 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13061 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13062 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13063 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13064 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13065 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13066 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13067 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13068 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13069 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13071 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13072 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13073 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13074 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13076 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13079 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13080 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13084 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13085 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13086 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13087 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13088 (any mail "mail.misc")
13095 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13096 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13101 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13102 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13103 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13104 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13105 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13108 @node Not Reading Mail
13109 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13111 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13112 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13113 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13115 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13116 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13117 mail, which should help.
13119 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13120 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13121 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13122 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13123 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13124 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13125 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13126 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13127 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13128 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13129 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13131 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13132 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13136 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13137 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13139 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13140 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13141 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13143 There are five different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13144 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13145 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13146 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13149 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13150 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13151 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13152 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13153 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13154 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13158 @node Unix Mail Box
13159 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13161 @cindex unix mail box
13163 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13164 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13165 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13166 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13167 which group it belongs in.
13169 Virtual server settings:
13172 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13173 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13174 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13177 @item nnmbox-active-file
13178 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13179 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13180 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13182 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13183 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13184 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13185 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13190 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13194 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13195 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13196 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13197 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13198 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13200 Virtual server settings:
13203 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13204 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13205 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13207 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13208 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13209 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13210 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13212 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13213 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13214 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13220 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13222 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13224 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13225 format. It should be used with some caution.
13227 @vindex nnml-directory
13228 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13229 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13230 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13231 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13233 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13236 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13237 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13238 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13239 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13240 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13241 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13242 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13243 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13245 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13246 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13247 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13248 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13250 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13251 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13252 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13253 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13254 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13255 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13256 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13257 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13258 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13261 Virtual server settings:
13264 @item nnml-directory
13265 @vindex nnml-directory
13266 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13267 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13270 @item nnml-active-file
13271 @vindex nnml-active-file
13272 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13273 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13275 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13276 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13277 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13278 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13280 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13281 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13282 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13285 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13286 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13287 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13288 default is @code{nil}.
13290 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13291 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13292 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13294 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13295 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13296 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13298 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13299 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13300 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13301 default is @code{nil}.
13303 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13304 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13305 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13309 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13310 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13311 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13312 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13313 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13314 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13315 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13320 @subsubsection MH Spool
13322 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13324 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13325 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13326 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13327 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13329 Virtual server settings:
13332 @item nnmh-directory
13333 @vindex nnmh-directory
13334 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13335 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13338 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13339 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13340 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13344 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13345 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13346 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13347 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13348 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13349 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13350 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13355 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13357 @cindex mbox folders
13358 @cindex mail folders
13360 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13361 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13362 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13365 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13366 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13367 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13368 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13369 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13370 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13371 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13372 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13373 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13374 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13375 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13377 Virtual server settings:
13380 @item nnfolder-directory
13381 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13382 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13383 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13386 @item nnfolder-active-file
13387 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13388 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13390 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13391 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13392 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13393 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13395 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13396 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13397 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13400 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13401 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13402 @cindex backup files
13403 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13404 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13405 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13406 your @file{.emacs} file:
13409 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13410 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13412 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13415 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13416 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13417 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13418 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13419 extract some information from it before removing it.
13421 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13422 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13423 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13424 default is @code{nil}.
13426 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13427 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13428 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13430 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13431 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13432 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13433 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13435 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13436 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13437 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13438 default is @code{nil}.
13440 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13441 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13442 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13444 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13445 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13446 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13447 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13452 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13453 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13454 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13455 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13456 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13457 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13460 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13461 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13463 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13464 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13465 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13466 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13467 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13469 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13470 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13471 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13472 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13473 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13474 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13475 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13476 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13479 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13480 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13481 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13482 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13487 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13488 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13489 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13490 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13491 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13492 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13493 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13494 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13495 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13496 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13497 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13498 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13499 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13504 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13505 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13506 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13507 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13508 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13509 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13510 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13511 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13512 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13513 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13514 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13515 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13516 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13517 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13519 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13520 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13525 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13526 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13527 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13528 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13529 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13530 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13531 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13532 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13533 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13534 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13535 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13536 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13537 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13538 provided by the active file and overviews.
13540 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13541 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13542 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13543 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13544 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13547 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13548 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13553 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13554 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13555 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13556 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13557 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13558 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13559 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13563 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13564 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13565 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13566 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13567 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13568 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13569 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13570 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13571 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13573 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13574 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13575 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13576 friendly mail back end all over.
13581 @node Browsing the Web
13582 @section Browsing the Web
13584 @cindex browsing the web
13588 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13589 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13590 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13591 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13592 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13593 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13594 even know what a news group is.
13596 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13597 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13598 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13599 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13600 you mad in the end.
13602 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13605 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
13606 interfaces to these sources.
13609 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13610 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13611 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13612 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13613 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13614 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13617 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13619 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13620 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13621 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
13622 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
13623 though, you should be ok.
13625 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13626 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13627 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13628 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13629 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13631 @node Archiving Mail
13632 @subsection Archiving Mail
13633 @cindex archiving mail
13634 @cindex backup of mail
13636 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13637 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13638 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13640 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13641 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13644 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13645 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13646 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13647 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13648 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13649 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13650 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13653 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13654 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13655 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13656 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
13657 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
13658 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
13659 notice the new directory.
13662 @subsection Web Searches
13666 @cindex InReference
13667 @cindex Usenet searches
13668 @cindex searching the Usenet
13670 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13671 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13672 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13673 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13674 searches without having to use a browser.
13676 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13677 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13678 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13679 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13680 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13682 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13683 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13684 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13685 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13686 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13687 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13688 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13689 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13690 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13691 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13694 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13695 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13696 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13697 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13698 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13699 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13701 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13702 to use @code{nnweb}.
13704 Virtual server variables:
13709 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13710 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13714 @vindex nnweb-search
13715 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13717 @item nnweb-max-hits
13718 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13719 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13722 @item nnweb-type-definition
13723 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13724 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13725 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13730 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13734 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13737 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13740 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13744 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13751 @subsection Slashdot
13755 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13756 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13757 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13759 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13760 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13763 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13764 '((nnslashdot "")))
13767 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
13768 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13769 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13770 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13771 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13774 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13775 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13777 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13778 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13779 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13780 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13781 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13782 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13785 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13788 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13789 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13790 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13791 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13792 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13793 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13794 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13796 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13797 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13798 The login name to use when posting.
13800 @item nnslashdot-password
13801 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13802 The password to use when posting.
13804 @item nnslashdot-directory
13805 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13806 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13807 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13809 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13810 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13811 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13812 news articles and comments. The default is
13813 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13815 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13816 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13817 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13819 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13821 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13822 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13823 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13825 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13827 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13828 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13829 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13831 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13832 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13833 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13834 updated. The default is 0.
13841 @subsection Ultimate
13843 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13845 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13846 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13847 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13848 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13850 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13851 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13852 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13853 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13854 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13855 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13856 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13858 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13861 @item nnultimate-directory
13862 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13863 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13864 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13869 @subsection Web Archive
13871 @cindex Web Archive
13873 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13874 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13875 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13876 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13879 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13880 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13881 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13882 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13883 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13884 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13885 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13887 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13890 @item nnwarchive-directory
13891 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13892 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13893 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13895 @item nnwarchive-login
13896 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13897 The account name on the web server.
13899 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13900 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13901 The password for your account on the web server.
13909 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
13910 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
13911 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13914 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
13915 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
13918 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
13921 @item nnrss-directory
13922 @vindex nnrss-directory
13923 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
13924 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
13928 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
13929 the summary buffer.
13932 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
13933 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
13935 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
13937 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
13938 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
13941 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
13944 (require 'browse-url)
13946 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
13948 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
13951 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
13952 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
13954 (browse-url (cdr url))
13955 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
13957 (eval-after-load "gnus"
13958 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
13959 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
13960 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
13963 @node Customizing w3
13964 @subsection Customizing w3
13970 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13971 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13972 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13974 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13975 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13976 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13979 (eval-after-load "w3"
13981 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13982 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13983 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13984 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13986 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13989 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13990 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13998 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13999 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14000 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14001 specify the network address of the server.
14003 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14004 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14005 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14006 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14007 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14009 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14010 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14011 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14012 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14014 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14015 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14016 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14017 usage explained in this section.
14019 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14020 might look something like this:
14023 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14024 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14025 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14027 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14028 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14029 ; a UW server running on localhost
14031 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14032 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14033 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14034 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14035 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14036 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14037 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14038 (nnimap-stream network))
14039 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14041 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14042 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14043 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14046 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14051 @item nnimap-address
14052 @vindex nnimap-address
14054 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14055 server name if not specified.
14057 @item nnimap-server-port
14058 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14059 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14061 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
14064 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14065 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14068 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14069 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14070 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14071 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14072 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14073 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14074 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14076 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14077 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14078 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14081 Example server specification:
14084 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14085 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14086 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14089 @item nnimap-stream
14090 @vindex nnimap-stream
14091 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14092 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14093 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
14094 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
14096 Example server specification:
14099 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14100 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14103 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14107 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14108 @samp{imtest} program.
14110 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14112 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14113 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14116 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the
14117 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
14119 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14121 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14124 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14125 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14126 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14127 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14128 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14129 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14130 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14131 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14132 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14135 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14136 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14137 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14138 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14139 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14140 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14141 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14144 @vindex imap-shell-program
14145 @vindex imap-shell-host
14146 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14147 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14149 @item nnimap-authenticator
14150 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14152 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14153 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14155 Example server specification:
14158 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14159 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14162 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14166 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14167 external program @code{imtest}.
14169 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14172 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14173 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14175 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14177 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14179 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14182 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14184 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14185 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14186 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14187 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14188 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14189 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14192 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14193 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14194 running in circles yet?
14196 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14197 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14200 The possible options are:
14205 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14208 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14209 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14210 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14211 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14213 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14218 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14219 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14221 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14222 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14223 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14224 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14225 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14227 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14228 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14231 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14232 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14233 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14234 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14237 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14238 as ticked for other users.
14240 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14242 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14244 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14245 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14246 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14247 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14249 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14250 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14251 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14252 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14254 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14255 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14257 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14258 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14259 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14265 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14266 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14267 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14272 @node Splitting in IMAP
14273 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14274 @cindex splitting imap mail
14276 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14277 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14278 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14279 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14280 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14284 Here are the variables of interest:
14288 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14289 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14291 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14293 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14294 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14296 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14298 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14299 @cindex splitting, inbox
14301 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14303 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14304 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14308 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14309 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14312 No nnmail equivalent.
14314 @item nnimap-split-rule
14315 @cindex Splitting, rules
14316 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14318 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14321 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14322 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14323 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14324 Neither did I, we need examples.
14327 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14329 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14330 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14331 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14334 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14335 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14336 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14338 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14339 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14343 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14346 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14347 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14348 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14349 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14351 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14352 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14353 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14354 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14355 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14356 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14358 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14359 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14360 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14362 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14363 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14364 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14366 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14368 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14369 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14370 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14373 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14374 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14375 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14376 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14377 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14378 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14381 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14382 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14383 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14384 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14385 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14386 group/function elements.
14388 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14390 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14392 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14394 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14395 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14397 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14398 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14399 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14402 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14403 @cindex splitting, fancy
14404 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14405 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14407 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14408 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14409 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14411 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14412 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14413 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14414 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14419 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14420 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14423 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14427 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14428 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14429 @cindex editing imap acls
14430 @cindex Access Control Lists
14431 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14433 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14435 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14436 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14437 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14440 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14441 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14442 editing window with detailed instructions.
14444 Some possible uses:
14448 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14449 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14450 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14452 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14453 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14454 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14458 @node Expunging mailboxes
14459 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14463 @cindex Manual expunging
14465 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14467 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14468 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14469 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14471 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14476 @node Other Sources
14477 @section Other Sources
14479 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14480 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14484 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14485 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14486 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14487 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14488 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14492 @node Directory Groups
14493 @subsection Directory Groups
14495 @cindex directory groups
14497 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14498 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14501 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14502 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14503 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14504 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14506 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14507 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14508 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14509 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14510 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14512 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14514 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14515 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14516 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14517 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14520 @node Anything Groups
14521 @subsection Anything Groups
14524 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14525 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14526 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14529 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14530 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14531 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14532 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14533 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14534 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14535 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14536 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14537 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14538 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14541 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14542 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
14543 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
14544 in the article buffer, just as usual.
14546 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
14547 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
14548 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
14549 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
14551 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
14552 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
14553 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
14554 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
14555 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
14556 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
14557 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
14558 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
14563 @item nneething-map-file-directory
14564 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
14565 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
14566 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
14568 @item nneething-exclude-files
14569 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
14570 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
14571 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
14573 @item nneething-include-files
14574 @vindex nneething-include-files
14575 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
14576 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
14578 @item nneething-map-file
14579 @vindex nneething-map-file
14580 Name of the map files.
14584 @node Document Groups
14585 @subsection Document Groups
14587 @cindex documentation group
14590 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
14591 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
14598 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
14603 The standard Unix mbox file.
14605 @cindex MMDF mail box
14607 The MMDF mail box format.
14610 Several news articles appended into a file.
14613 @cindex rnews batch files
14614 The rnews batch transport format.
14615 @cindex forwarded messages
14618 Forwarded articles.
14621 Netscape mail boxes.
14624 MIME multipart messages.
14626 @item standard-digest
14627 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14630 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14633 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14634 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14635 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14638 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14639 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14640 group. And that's it.
14642 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14643 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14644 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14645 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14646 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14647 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14648 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14649 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14650 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
14651 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
14653 Virtual server variables:
14656 @item nndoc-article-type
14657 @vindex nndoc-article-type
14658 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
14659 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
14660 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
14661 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
14662 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
14664 @item nndoc-post-type
14665 @vindex nndoc-post-type
14666 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
14667 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
14672 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
14676 @node Document Server Internals
14677 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
14679 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
14680 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
14681 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
14682 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
14684 First, here's an example document type definition:
14688 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
14689 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
14692 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
14693 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
14694 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
14695 types can be defined with very few settings:
14698 @item first-article
14699 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
14700 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
14703 @item article-begin
14704 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
14705 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
14707 @item head-begin-function
14708 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
14711 @item nndoc-head-begin
14712 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
14715 @item nndoc-head-end
14716 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
14717 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
14719 @item body-begin-function
14720 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
14724 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
14727 @item body-end-function
14728 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
14732 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
14735 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
14736 regexp will be totally ignored.
14740 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
14741 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
14742 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
14743 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
14744 something that's palatable for Gnus:
14747 @item prepare-body-function
14748 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
14749 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
14750 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
14752 @item article-transform-function
14753 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
14754 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
14755 body of the article.
14757 @item generate-head-function
14758 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
14759 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
14760 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
14761 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
14765 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
14770 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14771 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14772 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
14773 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
14774 (head-end . "^ ?$")
14775 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
14776 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
14777 (subtype digest guess))
14780 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
14781 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
14782 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
14783 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
14784 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
14786 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
14787 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
14788 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
14789 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
14790 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
14791 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
14792 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
14793 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
14794 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
14795 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
14803 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
14804 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
14805 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
14807 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
14808 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
14809 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
14812 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
14813 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
14814 that interested in doing things properly.
14816 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
14817 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
14820 First some terminology:
14825 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
14826 get news and/or mail from.
14829 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
14830 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
14833 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
14837 @item message packets
14838 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
14839 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
14840 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14842 @item response packets
14843 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
14844 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
14845 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14855 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
14856 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
14857 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
14858 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
14861 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
14864 You put the packet in your home directory.
14867 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
14868 the native or secondary server.
14871 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
14872 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
14875 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
14879 You transfer this packet to the server.
14882 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
14885 You then repeat until you die.
14889 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
14890 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
14893 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
14894 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
14895 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
14899 @node SOUP Commands
14900 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
14902 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
14906 @kindex G s b (Group)
14907 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
14908 Pack all unread articles in the current group
14909 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
14910 process/prefix convention.
14913 @kindex G s w (Group)
14914 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
14915 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
14918 @kindex G s s (Group)
14919 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
14920 Send all replies from the replies packet
14921 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
14924 @kindex G s p (Group)
14925 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
14926 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
14929 @kindex G s r (Group)
14930 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
14931 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
14934 @kindex O s (Summary)
14935 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
14936 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
14937 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
14938 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14943 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
14948 @item gnus-soup-directory
14949 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
14950 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
14951 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
14953 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
14954 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
14955 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
14956 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
14958 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
14959 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
14960 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
14961 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
14963 @item gnus-soup-packer
14964 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
14965 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14966 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
14968 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
14969 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
14970 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14971 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14973 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
14974 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
14975 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
14977 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14978 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14979 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
14980 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
14986 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
14989 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
14990 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
14991 you can read them at leisure.
14993 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
14997 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
14998 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
14999 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15000 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15002 @item nnsoup-directory
15003 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15004 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15005 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15007 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15008 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15009 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15010 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15012 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15013 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15014 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15015 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15016 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15018 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15019 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15020 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15021 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15023 @item nnsoup-active-file
15024 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15025 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15026 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15027 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15028 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15030 @item nnsoup-packer
15031 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15032 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15033 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15035 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15036 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15037 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15038 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15040 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15041 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15042 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15045 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15046 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15047 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15050 @item nnsoup-always-save
15051 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15052 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15058 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15060 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15061 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15062 more for that to happen.
15064 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15065 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15066 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15069 In specific, this is what it does:
15072 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15073 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15076 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15077 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15078 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15081 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15082 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15083 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15086 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15087 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15088 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15090 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15096 @item nngateway-address
15097 @vindex nngateway-address
15098 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15100 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15101 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15102 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15103 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15104 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15105 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15106 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15109 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15110 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15111 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15114 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15117 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15120 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15123 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15125 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15128 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15129 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15130 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15132 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15134 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15135 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15136 @code{nngateway-address}.
15141 (setq gnus-post-method
15143 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15144 (nngateway-header-transformation
15145 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15153 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15156 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15161 @node Combined Groups
15162 @section Combined Groups
15164 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15168 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15169 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15173 @node Virtual Groups
15174 @subsection Virtual Groups
15176 @cindex virtual groups
15177 @cindex merging groups
15179 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15182 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15183 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15184 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15186 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15187 regexp to match component groups.
15189 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15190 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15191 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15192 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15193 the virtual group.)
15195 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15196 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15199 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15202 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15203 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15205 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15206 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15207 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15208 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15211 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15214 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15215 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15216 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15218 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15219 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15220 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15221 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15222 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15224 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15225 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15226 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15228 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15229 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15230 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15231 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15232 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15233 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15234 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15235 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15236 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15237 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15238 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15240 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15241 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15242 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15243 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15244 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15245 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15246 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15248 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15249 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15253 @node Kibozed Groups
15254 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15258 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15259 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15260 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15261 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15263 @kindex G k (Group)
15264 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15267 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15268 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15269 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15270 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15272 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15273 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15274 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15276 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15277 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15278 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15279 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15280 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15281 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15282 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15283 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15285 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15286 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15287 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15288 Stranger things have happened.
15290 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15291 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15293 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15294 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15295 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15296 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15297 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15298 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15300 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15301 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15304 @node Gnus Unplugged
15305 @section Gnus Unplugged
15310 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15312 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15313 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15314 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15315 read news. Believe it or not.
15317 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15318 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15319 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15320 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15321 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15323 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15324 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15325 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15326 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15327 reading news on a machine.
15329 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15333 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15334 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15338 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15339 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15346 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15348 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15351 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15352 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15353 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15354 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15355 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15356 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15357 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15358 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15359 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15360 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15365 @subsection Agent Basics
15367 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15369 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15370 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15371 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15372 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15374 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15375 connected to the net continuously.
15377 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15378 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15380 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15385 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15386 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15387 already fetched while in this mode.
15390 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15391 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15392 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15393 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15394 Source Specifiers}).
15397 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15398 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15399 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15400 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15401 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15404 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15405 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15406 then you read the news offline.
15409 And then you go to step 2.
15412 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15418 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15419 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15420 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15421 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15422 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15423 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15426 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15433 @node Agent Categories
15434 @subsection Agent Categories
15436 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15437 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15438 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15439 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15440 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15441 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15442 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15444 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15445 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15446 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15447 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15448 managing categories.
15451 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15452 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15453 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15457 @node Category Syntax
15458 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15460 A category consists of two things.
15464 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15465 are eligible for downloading; and
15468 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15469 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15470 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15473 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15474 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15475 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15476 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15478 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15479 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15480 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15482 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15483 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15484 operators sprinkled in between.
15486 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15488 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15489 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15495 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15496 short (for some value of ``short'').
15498 Here's a more complex predicate:
15507 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15508 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15511 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15512 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15513 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15515 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15516 you want to do, you can write your own.
15520 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15521 lines; default 100.
15524 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15525 lines; default 200.
15528 True iff the article has a download score less than
15529 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15532 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15533 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15536 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15537 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15538 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15547 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15548 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15549 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15552 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15553 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15554 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15555 something along the lines of the following:
15558 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15559 "Say whether an article is old."
15560 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15561 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15564 with the predicate then defined as:
15567 (not my-article-old-p)
15570 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15571 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15572 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15573 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15576 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15577 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15578 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15581 and simply specify your predicate as:
15587 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15588 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15589 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15590 just don't give a damn.
15592 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15593 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15594 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15595 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15596 parameters like so:
15599 (agent-predicate . short)
15602 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15603 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15604 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15606 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15609 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15612 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15613 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15614 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15617 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15618 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15619 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15620 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15621 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15622 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15624 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15625 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15626 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15627 if it's to be specific to that group.
15629 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15636 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15637 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15643 Category specification
15647 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15653 Group Parameter specification
15656 (agent-score ("from"
15657 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15662 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15668 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15675 Category specification
15678 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15684 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15688 Group Parameter specification
15691 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15694 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15699 Use @code{normal} score files
15701 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15702 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15703 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15704 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15706 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15707 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15708 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15709 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15713 Category Specification
15720 Group Parameter specification
15723 (agent-score . file)
15728 @node Category Buffer
15729 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15731 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15732 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15733 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15735 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15739 @kindex q (Category)
15740 @findex gnus-category-exit
15741 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15744 @kindex k (Category)
15745 @findex gnus-category-kill
15746 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15749 @kindex c (Category)
15750 @findex gnus-category-copy
15751 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15754 @kindex a (Category)
15755 @findex gnus-category-add
15756 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15759 @kindex p (Category)
15760 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15761 Edit the predicate of the current category
15762 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15765 @kindex g (Category)
15766 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15767 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15768 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15771 @kindex s (Category)
15772 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15773 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15774 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15777 @kindex l (Category)
15778 @findex gnus-category-list
15779 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15783 @node Category Variables
15784 @subsubsection Category Variables
15787 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15788 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15789 Hook run in category buffers.
15791 @item gnus-category-line-format
15792 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15793 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15794 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15798 The name of the category.
15801 The number of groups in the category.
15804 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15805 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15806 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15808 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15809 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15810 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15812 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15813 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15814 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15816 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15817 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15818 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15821 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15822 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15823 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15829 @node Agent Commands
15830 @subsection Agent Commands
15832 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15833 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
15834 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15838 * Group Agent Commands::
15839 * Summary Agent Commands::
15840 * Server Agent Commands::
15843 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15844 following incantation:
15846 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15848 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15853 @node Group Agent Commands
15854 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15858 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15859 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15860 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15861 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15864 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15865 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15866 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15869 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15870 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15871 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15872 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15875 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15876 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15877 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15878 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15881 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15882 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15883 Add the current group to an Agent category
15884 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15885 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15888 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15889 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15890 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15891 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15892 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15895 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15896 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15897 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15903 @node Summary Agent Commands
15904 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15908 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15909 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15910 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15913 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15914 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15915 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15916 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15919 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15920 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15921 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15924 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15925 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15926 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15929 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
15930 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
15931 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
15932 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
15937 @node Server Agent Commands
15938 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15942 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15943 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15944 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15945 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15948 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15949 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15950 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15951 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15957 @subsection Agent Expiry
15959 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15960 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15961 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15962 @cindex Agent expiry
15963 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15966 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15967 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15968 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15969 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15970 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15971 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15973 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15974 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15975 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15976 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15977 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15980 @node Agent and IMAP
15981 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15983 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
15984 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15985 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15986 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15988 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15989 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15990 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15991 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15993 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15994 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15995 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15996 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15997 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15999 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16000 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16001 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16002 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16003 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16004 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16006 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16007 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16008 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16009 in the group buffer by default.
16011 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16012 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16017 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16020 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16024 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16025 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16026 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16027 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16028 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16029 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16030 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16031 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16034 @node Outgoing Messages
16035 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16037 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16038 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16039 after posting, and edit them at will.
16041 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16042 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16043 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16044 messages in the draft group.
16048 @node Agent Variables
16049 @subsection Agent Variables
16052 @item gnus-agent-directory
16053 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16054 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16055 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16057 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16058 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16059 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16060 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16061 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16064 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16065 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16066 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16068 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16069 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16070 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16075 @node Example Setup
16076 @subsection Example Setup
16078 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16079 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16080 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16083 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16084 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16085 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16087 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16088 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16089 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16091 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16092 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16094 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16098 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16099 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16102 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16103 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16104 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16105 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16106 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16109 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16110 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16111 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16112 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16113 back all the killed groups.)
16115 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16116 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16117 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16120 @node Batching Agents
16121 @subsection Batching Agents
16123 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16124 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16125 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16129 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16133 @node Agent Caveats
16134 @subsection Agent Caveats
16136 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16137 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16141 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16146 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16147 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16153 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16154 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16161 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16162 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16163 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16166 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16167 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16168 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16169 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16170 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16172 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16173 before generating the summary buffer.
16175 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16176 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16177 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16179 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16180 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16181 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16182 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16185 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16186 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16187 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16188 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16189 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16190 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16191 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16192 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16193 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16194 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16195 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16196 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16197 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16198 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16199 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16200 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16201 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16205 @node Summary Score Commands
16206 @section Summary Score Commands
16207 @cindex score commands
16209 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16210 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16211 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16212 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16213 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16215 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16216 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16217 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16218 score file the current one.
16220 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16225 @kindex V s (Summary)
16226 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16227 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16230 @kindex V S (Summary)
16231 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16232 Display the score of the current article
16233 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16236 @kindex V t (Summary)
16237 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16238 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16239 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16242 @kindex V R (Summary)
16243 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16244 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16245 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16246 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16247 effect you're having.
16250 @kindex V c (Summary)
16251 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16252 Make a different score file the current
16253 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16256 @kindex V e (Summary)
16257 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16258 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16259 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16263 @kindex V f (Summary)
16264 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16265 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16266 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16269 @kindex V F (Summary)
16270 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16271 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16272 after editing score files.
16275 @kindex V C (Summary)
16276 @findex gnus-score-customize
16277 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16278 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16282 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16287 @kindex V m (Summary)
16288 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16289 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16290 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16293 @kindex V x (Summary)
16294 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16295 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16296 expunge all articles below this score
16297 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16300 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16301 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16304 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16305 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16309 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16310 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16312 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16313 keys are available:
16317 Score on the author name.
16320 Score on the subject line.
16323 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16326 Score on the @code{References} line.
16332 Score on the number of lines.
16335 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16338 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16339 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16340 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16349 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16355 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16356 what headers you are scoring on.
16368 Substring matching.
16371 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16400 Greater than number.
16405 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16406 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16407 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16411 Temporary score entry.
16414 Permanent score entry.
16417 Immediately scoring.
16422 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16423 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16424 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16425 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16427 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16428 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16429 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16430 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16431 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16433 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16434 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16435 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16436 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16437 current score file.
16439 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16440 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16441 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16444 @node Group Score Commands
16445 @section Group Score Commands
16446 @cindex group score commands
16448 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16453 @kindex W f (Group)
16454 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16455 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16456 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16457 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16461 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16463 @findex gnus-batch-score
16464 @cindex batch scoring
16466 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16470 @node Score Variables
16471 @section Score Variables
16472 @cindex score variables
16476 @item gnus-use-scoring
16477 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16478 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16479 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16481 @item gnus-kill-killed
16482 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16483 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16484 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16485 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16486 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16487 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16488 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16490 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16491 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16492 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16493 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16494 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16496 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16497 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16498 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16499 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16501 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16502 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16503 @cindex score cache
16504 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16505 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16506 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16507 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16508 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16509 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16512 @item gnus-save-score
16513 @vindex gnus-save-score
16514 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16515 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16516 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16518 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16519 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16520 across group visits.
16522 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16523 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16524 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16525 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16526 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16527 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16528 manually entered data.
16530 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16531 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16532 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16534 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16535 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16536 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16537 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16538 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16539 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16541 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16542 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16543 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16544 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16546 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16547 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16548 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16549 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16551 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16552 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16553 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16554 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16556 Predefined functions available are:
16559 @item gnus-score-find-single
16560 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16561 Only apply the group's own score file.
16563 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16564 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16565 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16566 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16567 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16568 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16569 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16570 then a regexp match is done.
16572 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16573 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16575 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16576 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16577 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16578 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16580 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16581 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16582 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16583 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16584 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16588 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16589 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16590 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16591 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16592 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16593 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16594 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16597 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16598 overall score file, you could use the value
16600 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16601 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16604 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16605 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16606 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16607 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16608 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16610 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16611 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16612 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16613 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16614 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16615 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16616 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16619 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16620 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16621 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16623 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16624 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16625 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16626 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16627 threading---according to the current value of
16628 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16629 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16630 simplified in this manner.
16635 @node Score File Format
16636 @section Score File Format
16637 @cindex score file format
16639 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16640 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16641 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16643 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16647 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16649 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16651 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16653 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16658 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16662 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16663 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16664 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16665 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16669 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16670 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16672 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16673 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16674 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16676 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16681 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16682 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16683 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16684 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16685 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16686 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16687 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16688 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16689 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16690 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16691 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16692 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16693 to articles that matches these score entries.
16695 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16696 score entry has one to four elements.
16700 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16701 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16705 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16706 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16707 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16708 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16709 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16710 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16713 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16714 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16715 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16716 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16717 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16720 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16721 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16722 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16723 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16726 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16727 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16728 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16729 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16730 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16731 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16732 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16733 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16734 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16735 instead, if you feel like.
16738 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16739 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16741 These predicates are true if
16744 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16747 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16748 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16755 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16756 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16757 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16758 it's not. I think.)
16760 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
16761 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16762 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16763 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16766 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16767 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16768 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16769 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16770 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16771 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16772 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16776 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16777 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16778 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16779 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16780 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16781 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16782 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16783 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16786 @item Head, Body, All
16787 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16791 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16792 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16793 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16794 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16795 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16796 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16797 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16801 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16802 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16803 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16804 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16805 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16806 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16807 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16808 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16809 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16810 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16811 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16815 @cindex Score File Atoms
16817 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16818 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16821 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16822 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16824 @item mark-and-expunge
16825 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16826 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16829 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16830 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16831 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16832 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16833 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16836 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16837 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16840 @item exclude-files
16841 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16842 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16846 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16847 ignored when handling global score files.
16850 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16851 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16852 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16853 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16856 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16857 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16858 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16859 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16861 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16865 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16868 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16869 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16870 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16871 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16872 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16874 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16875 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16876 scoring rules exist.
16879 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
16880 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
16881 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
16882 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16883 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16884 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16885 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16886 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16887 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16888 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16889 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16893 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16894 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16895 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16896 file for a number of groups.
16899 @cindex local variables
16900 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16901 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16902 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16903 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16904 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16908 @node Score File Editing
16909 @section Score File Editing
16911 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16912 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16913 with a mode for that.
16915 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16916 additional commands:
16921 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16922 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16923 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16924 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16927 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16928 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16929 Insert the current date in numerical format
16930 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16931 you were wondering.
16934 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16935 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16936 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16937 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16938 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16943 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16945 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16946 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16948 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16949 e} to begin editing score files.
16952 @node Adaptive Scoring
16953 @section Adaptive Scoring
16954 @cindex adaptive scoring
16956 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16957 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16958 stupidity, to be precise.
16960 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16961 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16962 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16963 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16964 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16965 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16966 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16967 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16968 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16970 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16971 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16972 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16973 might look something like this:
16976 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16977 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16978 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16979 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16980 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16981 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16982 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16983 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16984 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16985 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16986 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16987 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16990 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16991 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16992 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16993 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16994 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16995 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16998 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16999 will be applied to each article.
17001 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17002 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17003 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17004 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17006 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17007 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17008 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17009 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17011 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17012 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17013 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17014 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17016 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17017 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17018 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17019 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17020 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17021 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17023 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17024 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17025 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17026 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17027 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17028 aspirins afterwards.)
17030 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17031 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17032 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17034 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17035 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17036 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17038 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17039 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17040 let you use different rules in different groups.
17042 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17043 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17044 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17047 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17048 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17049 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17050 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17051 the length of the match is less than
17052 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17053 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17056 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17057 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17058 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17059 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17060 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17063 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17064 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17065 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17066 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17067 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17070 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17071 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17072 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17073 score with 30 points.
17075 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17076 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17077 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17078 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17079 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17081 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17082 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17083 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17084 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17085 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17087 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17088 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17089 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17090 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17092 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17093 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17094 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17095 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17097 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17098 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17099 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17100 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17101 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17103 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17104 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17105 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17107 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17108 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17109 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17110 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17113 @node Home Score File
17114 @section Home Score File
17116 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17117 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17118 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17119 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17121 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17122 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17123 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17125 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17126 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17131 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17135 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17136 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17140 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17144 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17145 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17148 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17149 the home score file.
17152 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17155 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17160 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17163 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17164 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17167 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17168 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17170 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17172 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17173 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17176 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17177 Other functions include
17180 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17181 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17182 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17183 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17187 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17188 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17189 their own home score files:
17192 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17193 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17194 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17195 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17196 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17199 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17200 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17201 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17202 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17203 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17205 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17206 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17207 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17208 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17209 precedence over this variable.
17212 @node Followups To Yourself
17213 @section Followups To Yourself
17215 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17216 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17217 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17218 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17219 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17220 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17224 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17225 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17226 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17229 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17230 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17231 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17235 @vindex message-sent-hook
17236 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17237 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17239 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17243 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17244 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17248 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17249 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17252 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17253 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17258 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17262 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17263 is system-dependent.
17266 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17267 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17268 @cindex scoring on other headers
17270 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17271 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17272 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17273 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17274 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17276 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17277 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17278 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17279 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17280 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17282 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17285 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17286 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17289 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17290 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17291 time if you have much mail.
17293 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17294 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17300 @section Scoring Tips
17301 @cindex scoring tips
17307 @cindex scoring crossposts
17308 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17309 the @code{Xref} header.
17311 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17314 @item Multiple crossposts
17315 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17316 more than, say, 3 groups:
17319 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17323 @item Matching on the body
17324 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17325 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17326 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17327 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17328 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17329 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17330 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17333 @item Marking as read
17334 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17335 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17336 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17340 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17342 @item Negated character classes
17343 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17344 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17345 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17349 @node Reverse Scoring
17350 @section Reverse Scoring
17351 @cindex reverse scoring
17353 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17354 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17355 like this in your score file:
17359 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17364 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17365 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17368 @node Global Score Files
17369 @section Global Score Files
17370 @cindex global score files
17372 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17373 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17374 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17376 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17377 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17378 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17380 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17381 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17382 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17383 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17384 files are applicable to which group.
17386 To use the score file
17387 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17388 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17392 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17393 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17394 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17397 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17399 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17400 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17401 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17402 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17404 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17405 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17407 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17408 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17409 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17410 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17411 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17412 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17414 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17420 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17422 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17424 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17426 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17427 lowered out of existence.
17429 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17430 articles completely.
17433 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17434 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17435 old articles for a long time.
17438 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17439 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17440 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17441 holding our breath yet?
17445 @section Kill Files
17448 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17449 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17450 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17452 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17453 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17454 files into score files.
17456 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17457 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17458 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17459 that isn't a very good idea.
17461 Normal kill files look like this:
17464 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17465 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17469 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17470 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17472 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17473 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17476 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17481 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17482 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17483 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17486 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17487 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17488 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17491 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17496 @kindex M-k (Group)
17497 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17498 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17501 @kindex M-K (Group)
17502 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17503 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17506 Kill file variables:
17509 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17510 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17511 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17512 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17513 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17514 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17515 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17517 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17518 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17519 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17520 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17523 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17524 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17525 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17526 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17527 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17528 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17529 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17530 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17531 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17533 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17534 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17535 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17540 @node Converting Kill Files
17541 @section Converting Kill Files
17543 @cindex converting kill files
17545 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17546 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17547 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17550 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17551 You can fetch it from
17552 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17554 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17555 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17556 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17564 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
17565 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
17566 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
17567 news articles generated every day.
17569 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17570 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17571 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17572 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17573 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17574 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17575 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17576 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17579 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
17580 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
17583 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17584 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17585 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17586 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17590 @node Using GroupLens
17591 @subsection Using GroupLens
17593 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17595 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17596 better bit in town at the moment.
17598 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17602 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17603 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17604 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17605 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17607 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17608 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17609 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17610 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17612 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17613 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17614 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17618 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17619 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17620 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17621 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17622 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17623 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17626 @node Rating Articles
17627 @subsection Rating Articles
17629 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17630 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17631 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17632 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17635 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17640 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17641 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17642 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17645 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17646 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17647 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17648 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17649 threads in rec.humor.
17653 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17654 the score of the article you're reading.
17659 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17660 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17661 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17664 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17665 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17666 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17670 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17671 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17674 @node Displaying Predictions
17675 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17677 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17678 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17679 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17680 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17681 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17683 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17684 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17685 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17686 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17687 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17688 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17689 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17690 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17691 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17692 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17693 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17694 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17695 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17697 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17698 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17699 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17700 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17702 The following are valid values for that variable.
17705 @item prediction-spot
17706 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17709 @item confidence-interval
17710 A numeric confidence interval.
17712 @item prediction-bar
17713 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17715 @item confidence-bar
17716 Numerical confidence.
17718 @item confidence-spot
17719 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17721 @item prediction-num
17722 Plain-old numeric value.
17724 @item confidence-plus-minus
17725 Prediction +/- confidence.
17730 @node GroupLens Variables
17731 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17735 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17736 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17737 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17738 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
17741 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17742 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17745 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17746 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17748 @item grouplens-score-offset
17749 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17750 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17753 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17754 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17755 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17760 @node Advanced Scoring
17761 @section Advanced Scoring
17763 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17764 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17765 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17766 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17767 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17769 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17773 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17774 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17775 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17779 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17780 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17782 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17783 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17784 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17785 non-@code{nil} value.
17787 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17788 operator, and various match operators.
17795 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17796 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17797 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17802 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17803 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17804 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17809 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17810 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17814 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17815 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17816 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17817 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17818 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17819 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17820 the ancestry you want to go.
17822 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17823 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17824 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17825 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17826 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17829 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17830 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17832 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17833 when he's talking about Gnus:
17837 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17838 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17844 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17848 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17855 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17856 really don't want to read what he's written:
17860 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17861 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17865 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17866 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17867 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17874 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17875 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17876 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17877 ("body" "white.*socks"))
17881 The possibilities are endless.
17884 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
17885 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
17887 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
17888 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
17889 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
17890 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
17891 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
17892 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
17893 @samp{subject}) first.
17895 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
17896 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
17907 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
17908 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
17914 ("subject" "Gnus")))
17921 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
17922 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
17927 @section Score Decays
17928 @cindex score decays
17931 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17932 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17933 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17934 use them in any sensible way.
17936 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17937 @findex gnus-decay-score
17938 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17939 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17940 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17941 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17942 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17943 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17944 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17945 definition of that function:
17948 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17950 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17951 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17954 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17956 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17958 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17961 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17962 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17963 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17964 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17968 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17971 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17974 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17978 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17979 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17980 the new score, which should be an integer.
17982 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17983 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17988 @include message.texi
17989 @chapter Emacs MIME
17990 @include emacs-mime.texi
17998 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17999 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18000 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18001 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18002 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18003 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18004 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18005 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18006 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18007 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18008 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18009 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18010 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18011 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18012 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
18013 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18014 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18015 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18019 @node Process/Prefix
18020 @section Process/Prefix
18021 @cindex process/prefix convention
18023 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18024 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18026 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18027 command to be performed on.
18031 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18032 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18033 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18034 with the current one.
18036 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18037 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18038 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18040 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18041 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18044 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18045 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18047 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18050 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18051 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18052 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18053 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18055 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18056 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18057 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18058 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18059 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18060 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18061 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18062 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18064 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18065 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18066 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18067 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18068 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18072 @section Interactive
18073 @cindex interaction
18077 @item gnus-novice-user
18078 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18079 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18080 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18081 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18082 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18085 @item gnus-expert-user
18086 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18087 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18088 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18089 matter how strange.
18091 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18092 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18093 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18094 is @code{t} by default.
18096 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18097 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18098 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18103 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18104 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18105 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18107 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18108 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18109 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18110 rule of 900 to the current article.
18112 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18113 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18114 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18115 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18116 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18117 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18118 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18120 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18121 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18122 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18123 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18124 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18125 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
18126 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
18127 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18128 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18130 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18131 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18132 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18134 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18138 @node Formatting Variables
18139 @section Formatting Variables
18140 @cindex formatting variables
18142 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18143 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18144 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18145 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18146 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18149 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18150 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18151 lots of percentages everywhere.
18154 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18155 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18156 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18157 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18158 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18159 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18160 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18161 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18164 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18165 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18166 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18167 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18168 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18169 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18170 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18171 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18173 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18174 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18176 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18177 @findex gnus-update-format
18178 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18179 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18180 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18181 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18185 @node Formatting Basics
18186 @subsection Formatting Basics
18188 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18189 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18190 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18192 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18193 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18194 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18195 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18196 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18199 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18200 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18201 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18202 less than 4 characters wide.
18205 @node Mode Line Formatting
18206 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18208 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18209 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18210 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18211 with the following two differences:
18216 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18219 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18220 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18221 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18222 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18223 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18224 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18225 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18230 @node Advanced Formatting
18231 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18233 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18234 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18235 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18236 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18238 These are the valid modifiers:
18243 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18247 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18252 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18255 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18260 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18263 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18266 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18269 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18273 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18274 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18275 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18276 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18277 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18278 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18279 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18281 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18282 last operation, padding.
18284 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
18285 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
18286 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
18287 @xref{Compilation}.
18290 @node User-Defined Specs
18291 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18293 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18294 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18295 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18296 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18297 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18298 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18299 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18300 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18301 should protect against that.
18303 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18304 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18305 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18306 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18310 @node Formatting Fonts
18311 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18313 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18314 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18315 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18316 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18319 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18320 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18321 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18322 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18323 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18324 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18326 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18327 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18328 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18329 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18330 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18331 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18332 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18333 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18335 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18338 ;; Create three face types.
18339 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18340 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18342 ;; We want the article count to be in
18343 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18344 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18345 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18347 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18348 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18350 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18351 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18352 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18355 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18356 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18358 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18359 mode-line variables.
18361 @node Positioning Point
18362 @subsection Positioning Point
18364 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18365 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18366 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18368 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18370 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18371 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18372 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18374 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18375 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18376 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18381 @subsection Tabulation
18383 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18384 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18385 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18386 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18388 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18389 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18391 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18392 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18393 This is the soft tabulator.
18395 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18396 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18397 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18400 @node Wide Characters
18401 @subsection Wide Characters
18403 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18404 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18405 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18407 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18408 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18409 these coutries, that's not true.
18411 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18412 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18413 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18414 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18418 @node Window Layout
18419 @section Window Layout
18420 @cindex window layout
18422 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18424 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18425 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18426 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18427 @code{t} by default.
18429 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18430 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18432 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18433 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18434 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18437 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18438 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18439 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18443 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18444 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18445 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18446 possible names is listed below.
18448 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18449 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18452 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18456 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18457 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18458 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18459 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18460 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18461 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18462 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18463 size spec per split.
18465 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18466 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18467 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18468 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18469 present) gets focus.
18471 Here's a more complicated example:
18474 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18475 (summary 0.25 point)
18476 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18480 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18481 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18482 occupy, not a percentage.
18484 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18485 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18486 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18487 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18488 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18491 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18494 (article (horizontal 1.0
18499 (summary 0.25 point)
18504 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18505 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18507 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18508 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18509 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18510 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18511 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18513 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18514 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18515 lines from the splits.
18517 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18521 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18522 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18523 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18524 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18525 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18526 size = number | frame-params
18527 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18530 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18531 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18532 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18533 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18535 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18536 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18537 @cindex window height
18538 @cindex window width
18539 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18540 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18541 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18542 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18543 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18544 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18546 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18547 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18548 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18549 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18551 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18552 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18553 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18554 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18555 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18556 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18557 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18558 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18559 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18560 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18561 configuration list.
18564 (gnus-configure-frame
18568 (article 0.3 point))
18576 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18577 @code{frame} split:
18580 (gnus-configure-frame
18583 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18585 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18586 (user-position . t)
18587 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18592 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18593 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18594 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18595 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18596 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18597 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18598 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18599 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18601 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18602 be found in its default value.
18604 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18605 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18606 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18610 (message (horizontal 1.0
18611 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18613 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18618 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18619 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18620 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18625 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18626 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18627 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18628 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18629 (name . "Message"))
18630 (message 1.0 point))))
18633 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18634 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18635 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18636 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18637 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18640 (gnus-add-configuration
18641 '(article (vertical 1.0
18643 (summary .25 point)
18647 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18648 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18649 Gnus has been loaded.
18651 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18652 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18653 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18654 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18655 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18657 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18658 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18659 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18662 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18666 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18667 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18682 (gnus-add-configuration
18685 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18687 (summary 0.16 point)
18690 (gnus-add-configuration
18693 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18694 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18700 @node Faces and Fonts
18701 @section Faces and Fonts
18706 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18707 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18708 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18713 @section Compilation
18714 @cindex compilation
18715 @cindex byte-compilation
18717 @findex gnus-compile
18719 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18720 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18721 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
18722 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18723 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18724 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18727 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18728 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18729 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18730 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
18731 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
18732 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
18733 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
18737 @section Mode Lines
18740 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18741 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18742 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18743 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18744 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18745 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18746 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18749 @cindex display-time
18751 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18752 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18753 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18754 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18755 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18756 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18757 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18758 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18761 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18763 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18764 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18766 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18767 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18768 (length display-time-string)))))
18771 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18772 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18773 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18774 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18775 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18778 @node Highlighting and Menus
18779 @section Highlighting and Menus
18781 @cindex highlighting
18784 @vindex gnus-visual
18785 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18786 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18787 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18790 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18791 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18794 @item group-highlight
18795 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18796 @item summary-highlight
18797 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18798 @item article-highlight
18799 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18801 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18803 Create menus in the group buffer.
18805 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18807 Create menus in the article buffer.
18809 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18811 Create menus in the server buffer.
18813 Create menus in the score buffers.
18815 Create menus in all buffers.
18818 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
18819 buffers, you could say something like:
18822 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
18825 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
18828 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
18831 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
18832 in all Gnus buffers.
18834 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
18837 @item gnus-mouse-face
18838 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
18839 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
18840 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
18844 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
18848 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
18849 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
18850 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
18852 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
18853 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18854 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18856 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18857 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18858 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18860 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18861 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18862 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18864 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18865 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18866 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18868 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18869 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18870 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
18881 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
18882 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
18883 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
18884 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
18885 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
18889 @vindex gnus-carpal
18890 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
18891 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
18892 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
18897 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18898 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18899 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
18901 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
18902 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
18903 Face used on buttons.
18905 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
18906 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
18907 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
18909 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18910 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18911 Buttons in the group buffer.
18913 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18914 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18915 Buttons in the summary buffer.
18917 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18918 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18919 Buttons in the server buffer.
18921 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18922 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18923 Buttons in the browse buffer.
18926 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
18927 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
18928 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
18936 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
18937 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
18938 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
18939 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
18940 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
18942 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
18943 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
18944 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
18946 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
18947 been idle for thirty minutes:
18950 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
18953 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
18957 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
18960 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
18961 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
18962 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18964 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
18965 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
18966 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
18967 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18969 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
18970 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
18971 @var{idle} minutes.
18973 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
18974 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
18977 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
18978 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
18979 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
18981 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
18982 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
18983 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
18984 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
18986 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
18987 your @file{.gnus} file:
18989 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
18991 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
18994 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
18995 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
18996 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
18997 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
18998 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
18999 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19000 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19001 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19002 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19003 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19004 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19006 @findex gnus-demon-init
19007 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19008 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19009 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19010 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19011 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19013 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19014 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19015 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19024 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19025 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19027 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19028 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19029 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19030 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19033 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19034 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19035 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19036 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19038 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19039 this will make spam disappear.
19041 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19044 @item gnus-use-nocem
19045 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19046 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19049 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19050 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19051 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19052 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19053 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19055 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19056 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19057 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19058 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19059 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19060 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19062 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19063 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19065 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19066 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19067 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19068 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19069 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19070 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19071 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19072 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19073 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19074 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19076 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19077 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19080 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19083 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19084 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19087 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19090 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19093 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19094 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19096 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19097 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19098 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19099 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19101 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19102 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19105 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19107 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19115 This might be dangerous, though.
19117 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19118 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19119 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19120 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19122 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19123 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19124 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19125 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19126 might then see old spam.
19128 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19129 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19130 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19131 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19132 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19135 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19136 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19137 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19138 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19142 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19143 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19144 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19145 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19152 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19153 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19154 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19156 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19157 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19158 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19159 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19160 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19161 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19162 @code{undo} function.
19164 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19165 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19166 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19167 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19168 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19169 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19170 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19171 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19172 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19173 never be totally undoable.
19175 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19176 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19178 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19179 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19180 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19181 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19186 @section Moderation
19189 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19190 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19191 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19194 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19198 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19201 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19203 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19208 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19209 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19210 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19213 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19214 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19217 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19218 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19222 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19225 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19226 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19230 @node XEmacs Enhancements
19231 @section XEmacs Enhancements
19234 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
19238 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
19239 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19240 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19241 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19254 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19255 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19256 over your shoulder as you read news.
19259 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19260 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19261 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19262 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19263 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19268 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19270 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19279 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19280 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19281 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19282 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19283 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19284 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19285 @code{GIF} formats.
19288 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19289 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19290 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19291 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19292 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19294 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19295 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19296 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19297 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19298 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19299 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19302 @node Picon Requirements
19303 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19305 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19306 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19307 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19308 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19310 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19311 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19312 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19313 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19314 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19318 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19320 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19321 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19324 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19325 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19328 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19329 containing the Picons databases.
19331 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19334 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19335 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19340 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19348 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19349 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19350 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19351 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19352 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19357 @item gnus-picons-database
19358 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19359 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19360 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19361 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19362 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19363 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19365 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19366 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19367 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19368 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19369 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19370 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19371 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19373 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19374 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19375 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19376 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19377 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19378 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19379 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19380 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19382 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19383 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19384 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19389 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19390 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19392 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19393 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19396 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19398 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19399 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19400 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19401 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19403 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19404 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19405 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19411 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19412 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19420 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19421 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19422 don't need to worry about.
19426 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19427 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19428 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19429 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19431 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19432 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19433 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19434 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19436 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19437 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19438 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19439 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19440 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19442 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19443 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19444 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19445 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19446 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19447 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19448 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19450 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19451 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19452 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19453 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19455 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19456 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19457 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19458 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19459 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19460 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19461 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19463 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19464 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19465 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19466 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19468 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19469 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19470 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19471 Defaults to @code{t}.
19473 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19474 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19475 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19476 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19478 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19479 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19480 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19482 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19483 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19484 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19485 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19487 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19488 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19490 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19491 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19492 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19493 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19494 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19495 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19496 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19497 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19508 @subsection Smileys
19513 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
19518 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19519 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19521 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19522 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19525 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19528 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19529 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19530 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19531 text and maps that to file names.
19533 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19534 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19535 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19536 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19537 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19538 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19540 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19541 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19543 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19544 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19545 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19547 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19548 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19552 @item smiley-data-directory
19553 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19554 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19556 @item smiley-flesh-color
19557 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19558 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19560 @item smiley-features-color
19561 @vindex smiley-features-color
19562 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19564 @item smiley-tongue-color
19565 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19566 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19568 @item smiley-circle-color
19569 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19570 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19572 @item smiley-mouse-face
19573 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19574 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19580 @subsection Toolbar
19590 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19591 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19592 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19593 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19594 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19596 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19597 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19598 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19600 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19601 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19602 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19604 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19605 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19606 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19612 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19615 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19616 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19617 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19618 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19619 unusual directory structure.
19621 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19622 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19623 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19624 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19626 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19627 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19628 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19629 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19630 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19631 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19633 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19634 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19635 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19649 @node Fuzzy Matching
19650 @section Fuzzy Matching
19651 @cindex fuzzy matching
19653 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19654 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19656 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19657 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19658 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19660 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19661 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19662 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19663 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19664 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19667 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19668 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19672 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19674 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19675 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19676 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19677 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19678 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19679 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19680 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19681 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19684 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19685 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19686 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19687 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19688 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19689 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19693 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19694 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19696 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19697 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19698 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19699 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19700 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19701 part of the mail address.)
19704 (setq message-default-news-headers
19705 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19708 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19709 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19714 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19715 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19716 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19722 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19723 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19724 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19725 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19727 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19728 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19729 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19730 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19731 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19732 your fancy split rule in this way:
19737 (to "larsi" "misc")
19741 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19742 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19743 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19744 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19745 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19747 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19748 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19749 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19750 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19751 cosmic balance somewhat.
19753 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19754 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19755 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19756 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19759 @node Various Various
19760 @section Various Various
19766 @item gnus-home-directory
19767 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19768 defaults to @file{~/}.
19770 @item gnus-directory
19771 @vindex gnus-directory
19772 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19773 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19774 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19776 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19777 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19778 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19779 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19781 @item gnus-default-directory
19782 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19783 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19784 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19785 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19786 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19787 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19788 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19791 @vindex gnus-verbose
19792 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19793 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19794 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19795 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19796 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19798 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19799 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19800 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19801 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
19803 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19804 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19805 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19806 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19807 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
19808 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19809 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19810 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19811 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19812 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
19814 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
19815 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
19816 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
19817 read when doing the operation described above.
19819 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19820 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19822 @cindex invalid characters in file names
19823 @cindex characters in file names
19824 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
19825 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
19826 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
19829 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19833 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
19834 Windows (phooey) systems.
19836 @item gnus-hidden-properties
19837 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
19838 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
19839 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
19840 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
19842 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
19843 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
19844 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
19845 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
19846 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
19848 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
19849 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
19850 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19852 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19853 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19855 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19856 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19857 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19858 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19861 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19869 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
19870 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
19872 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
19874 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
19880 Not because of victories @*
19883 but for the common sunshine,@*
19885 the largess of the spring.
19889 but for the day's work done@*
19890 as well as I was able;@*
19891 not for a seat upon the dais@*
19892 but at the common table.@*
19897 @chapter Appendices
19900 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
19901 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
19902 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
19903 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
19904 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
19905 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
19906 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
19907 * Frequently Asked Questions::
19915 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
19916 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
19918 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
19919 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
19920 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
19921 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
19922 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
19924 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
19925 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
19926 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
19927 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
19928 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
19929 appropriate name, don't you think?)
19931 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
19932 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
19933 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
19934 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
19937 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
19938 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
19939 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
19940 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
19941 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
19942 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
19943 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
19944 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
19945 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
19949 @node Gnus Versions
19950 @subsection Gnus Versions
19951 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
19953 @cindex September Gnus
19954 @cindex Quassia Gnus
19956 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
19957 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
19958 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
19960 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
19961 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
19963 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
19964 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
19966 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
19967 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
19969 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
19970 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
19973 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
19975 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
19976 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
19977 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
19978 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
19979 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
19980 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
19983 @node Other Gnus Versions
19984 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
19987 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
19988 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
19989 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
19990 @sc{mime} capabilities.
19992 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
19993 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
19994 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
19995 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20002 What's the point of Gnus?
20004 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20005 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20006 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20007 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20008 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20009 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20010 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20011 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20012 keep track of millions of people who post?
20014 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20015 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20016 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20017 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20018 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20019 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20020 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20021 every one of you to explore and invent.
20023 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20024 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20027 @node Compatibility
20028 @subsection Compatibility
20030 @cindex compatibility
20031 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20032 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20033 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20038 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20042 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20045 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20048 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20049 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20050 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20051 important variables have their values copied into their global
20052 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20053 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20055 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20056 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20057 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20058 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20059 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20063 @cindex highlighting
20064 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20065 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20066 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20067 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20068 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20069 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20072 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20073 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20074 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20075 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20077 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20078 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20079 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20080 to stop doing it the old way.
20082 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20084 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20086 @cindex reporting bugs
20088 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20089 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20090 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20092 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20093 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20094 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20095 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20100 @subsection Conformity
20102 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20103 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20110 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20114 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20116 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20117 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20118 We do have some breaches to this one.
20124 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20125 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20126 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20127 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20128 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20133 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20134 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20135 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20136 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20140 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20141 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20146 @subsection Emacsen
20152 Gnus should work on :
20160 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
20164 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20165 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20168 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20169 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20170 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20174 @node Gnus Development
20175 @subsection Gnus Development
20177 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20178 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20179 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20180 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20181 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20182 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20183 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20184 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20186 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20187 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20188 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20189 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20190 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20193 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20194 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20195 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20196 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20197 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20199 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20200 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20201 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20202 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20203 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20204 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20205 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20206 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20207 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20208 can't be assumed to do so.
20213 @subsection Contributors
20214 @cindex contributors
20216 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20217 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20218 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20219 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20220 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20221 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20222 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20223 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20224 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20225 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20227 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20233 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20236 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20237 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20238 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20239 functionality and stuff.
20242 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20243 well as numerous other things).
20246 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20249 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20252 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20255 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20258 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20259 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20262 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20265 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20266 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20269 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20272 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20275 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20278 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20281 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20282 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20285 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20288 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20291 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20294 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20298 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20301 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20304 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20307 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20308 well as autoconf support.
20312 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20313 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20315 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20324 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20328 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20338 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20353 Massimo Campostrini,
20358 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20359 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20363 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20366 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20372 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20377 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20381 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20389 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20391 Michelangelo Grigni,
20395 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20397 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20399 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20406 François Felix Ingrand,
20407 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20408 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20410 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20421 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20422 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20424 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20425 Thor Kristoffersen,
20428 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20446 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20447 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20454 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20459 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20463 John McClary Prevost,
20469 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20474 Christian von Roques,
20477 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20484 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20486 Randal L. Schwartz,
20500 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20505 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20521 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20526 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20527 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20528 (550kB and counting).
20530 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20533 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20534 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20538 @subsection New Features
20539 @cindex new features
20542 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20543 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20544 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20545 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20546 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20549 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20550 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20551 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20554 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20556 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20561 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20562 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20565 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20566 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20569 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20572 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20573 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20574 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20577 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20578 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20579 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20580 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20583 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20584 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20587 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20588 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20589 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20592 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20593 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20596 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20597 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20598 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20601 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20602 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20603 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20606 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20607 the @file{.emacs} file.
20610 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20611 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20614 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20615 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20618 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20619 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20622 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20623 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20626 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20627 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20630 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20633 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20634 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20637 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20638 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20641 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20642 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20645 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20648 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20649 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20652 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20656 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20660 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20661 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20664 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20670 @node September Gnus
20671 @subsubsection September Gnus
20675 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
20679 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20684 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20685 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20689 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20690 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20694 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20698 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20699 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20702 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20706 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20709 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20712 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20715 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20719 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20720 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20723 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20727 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20731 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20735 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20739 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20742 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20743 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20746 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20750 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20751 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20754 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20757 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20758 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20759 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20762 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20766 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20769 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20773 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20774 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20777 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20778 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20781 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20782 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20785 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20786 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20787 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20790 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20791 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20794 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20797 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20800 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20803 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20806 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20807 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20810 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
20814 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
20817 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
20822 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
20825 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
20829 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20832 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
20836 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
20839 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
20842 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
20843 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20846 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
20847 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
20851 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
20852 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20855 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20859 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20860 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20863 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20866 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
20870 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
20874 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
20875 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
20878 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
20882 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
20883 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20886 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
20887 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20890 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
20894 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20897 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
20900 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
20906 @subsubsection Red Gnus
20908 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
20912 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
20919 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
20922 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
20923 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20926 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
20927 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
20931 Article washing status can be displayed in the
20932 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
20935 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
20938 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
20939 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
20942 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
20946 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
20947 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
20951 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
20952 Server Internals}).
20955 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
20959 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
20962 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
20963 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
20966 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
20967 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
20968 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
20971 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
20972 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20975 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
20976 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
20979 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
20983 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
20984 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20987 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
20988 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20991 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
20995 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
20998 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21002 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21003 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21006 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21007 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21010 A new command for reading collections of documents
21011 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
21012 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21015 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21019 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21020 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21023 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21024 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21025 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21028 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21029 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21033 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21037 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21041 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21046 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21050 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21054 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21055 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21058 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21064 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21066 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21071 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21072 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21073 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21076 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21077 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21078 group, which is created automatically.
21081 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21085 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21088 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21089 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21092 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21096 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21099 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21100 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21103 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21106 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21107 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21110 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21111 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21114 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21115 control over simplification.
21118 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21121 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21125 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21128 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21131 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21132 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21133 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21136 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21137 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21140 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21144 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21145 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21148 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21149 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21152 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21156 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21159 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21162 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21163 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21166 A new function for citing in Message has been
21167 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21170 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21173 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21177 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21178 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21181 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21182 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21185 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21188 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21192 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21193 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21195 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21200 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21201 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21203 If you used procmail like in
21206 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21207 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21208 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21209 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21212 this now has changed to
21216 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21220 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21221 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21224 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21225 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21228 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21229 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21232 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21233 called to position point.
21236 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21237 summary buffers and NOV files.
21240 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21241 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21244 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21245 subtly different manner.
21248 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21249 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21250 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21253 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21261 @section The Manual
21265 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21266 either @code{texi2dvi}
21268 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21269 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21271 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21273 The following conventions have been used:
21278 This is a @samp{string}
21281 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21284 This is a @file{file}
21287 This is a @code{symbol}
21291 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21295 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21298 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21301 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21304 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21305 ever get them confused.
21309 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21310 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21311 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21312 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21313 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21314 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21315 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21321 @node On Writing Manuals
21322 @section On Writing Manuals
21324 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21325 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21326 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21327 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21328 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21329 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21332 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21333 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21334 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21337 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21338 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21343 @section Terminology
21345 @cindex terminology
21350 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21351 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21352 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21353 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21354 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21358 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21359 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21360 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21361 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21365 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21369 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21374 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
21375 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21376 is all done by the back ends.
21380 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
21381 default, way of getting news.
21385 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21386 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
21391 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21392 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21396 A message that has been posted as news.
21399 @cindex mail message
21400 A message that has been mailed.
21404 A mail message or news article
21408 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21413 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21418 A line from the head of an article.
21422 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21423 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21427 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
21428 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21429 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21430 normal @sc{head} format.
21434 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21435 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21436 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21437 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21438 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21439 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21441 @item killed groups
21442 @cindex killed groups
21443 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21444 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21446 @item zombie groups
21447 @cindex zombie groups
21448 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21451 @cindex active file
21452 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21453 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21454 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21457 @cindex bogus groups
21458 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21459 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21460 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21463 @cindex activating groups
21464 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21465 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21466 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21470 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21472 @item select method
21473 @cindex select method
21474 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
21477 @item virtual server
21478 @cindex virtual server
21479 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21480 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21481 whole is a virtual server.
21485 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21486 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21489 @item ephemeral groups
21490 @cindex ephemeral groups
21491 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21492 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21493 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21496 @cindex solid groups
21497 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21498 group buffer are solid groups.
21500 @item sparse articles
21501 @cindex sparse articles
21502 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21503 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21507 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21508 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21512 @cindex thread root
21513 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21514 articles in the thread.
21518 An article that has responses.
21522 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21526 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21527 specified by RFC 1153.
21533 @node Customization
21534 @section Customization
21535 @cindex general customization
21537 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21538 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21539 for some quite common situations.
21542 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21543 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21544 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21545 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21549 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21550 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21552 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21553 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21554 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21558 @item gnus-read-active-file
21559 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21560 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21561 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21562 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21563 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21565 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21566 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21567 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21568 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21572 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21573 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21575 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21576 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21577 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21581 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21582 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21583 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21584 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21585 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21587 @item gnus-visible-headers
21588 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21589 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21590 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21591 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21593 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21595 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21596 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21597 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21600 @item gnus-use-full-window
21601 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21602 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21603 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21604 want to read them anyway.
21606 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21607 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21610 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21611 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21612 lines, which might save some time.
21616 @node Little Disk Space
21617 @subsection Little Disk Space
21620 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21621 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21625 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21626 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21627 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21628 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21631 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21632 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21633 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21634 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21637 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21638 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21639 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21640 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21641 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21647 @subsection Slow Machine
21648 @cindex slow machine
21650 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21651 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21653 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21654 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21656 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21657 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21658 summary buffer faster.
21662 @node Troubleshooting
21663 @section Troubleshooting
21664 @cindex troubleshooting
21666 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21674 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21677 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21678 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21682 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21683 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21684 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21685 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21688 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21692 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21693 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21694 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21695 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21696 something like that.
21699 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21702 @cindex reporting bugs
21704 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21706 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21707 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21708 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21709 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21711 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21712 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21713 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21714 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21717 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21718 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21719 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21720 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21721 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21722 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21724 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21725 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21726 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21730 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21731 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21733 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21734 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21736 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21737 @cindex ding mailing list
21738 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21739 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21743 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21744 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21746 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21747 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21748 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21749 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21752 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21753 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21754 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21755 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21756 and general methods of operation.
21759 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21760 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21761 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21762 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21763 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21764 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21765 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21766 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21767 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21771 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21772 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21773 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21774 @cindex utility functions
21776 @cindex internal variables
21778 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21779 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21780 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21784 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21785 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21786 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21788 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21789 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21790 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21792 @item gnus-group-real-name
21793 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21794 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21797 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21798 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21799 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21800 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21802 @item gnus-get-info
21803 @findex gnus-get-info
21804 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21806 @item gnus-group-unread
21807 @findex gnus-group-unread
21808 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21812 @findex gnus-active
21813 The active entry for @var{group}.
21815 @item gnus-set-active
21816 @findex gnus-set-active
21817 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21819 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21820 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21821 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21824 @item gnus-continuum-version
21825 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21826 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21827 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21830 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21831 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21832 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21834 @item gnus-news-group-p
21835 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21836 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
21838 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21839 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21840 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21842 @item gnus-server-to-method
21843 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21844 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21846 @item gnus-server-equal
21847 @findex gnus-server-equal
21848 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21850 @item gnus-group-native-p
21851 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21852 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21854 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21855 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21856 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21858 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21859 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21860 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21862 @item group-group-find-parameter
21863 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21864 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21865 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21867 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21868 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21869 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21871 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21872 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21873 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21875 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21876 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21877 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
21878 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21881 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21885 @item gnus-read-method
21886 @findex gnus-read-method
21887 Prompts the user for a select method.
21892 @node Back End Interface
21893 @subsection Back End Interface
21895 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21896 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21897 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
21898 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21899 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21900 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21902 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
21903 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21904 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
21905 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21906 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21907 been opened, the function should fail.
21909 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21910 name. Take this example:
21914 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21915 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21918 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21919 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21921 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21922 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21923 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21925 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21926 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21927 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21929 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21930 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21931 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21932 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21933 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21934 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21937 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
21938 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
21939 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21940 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21943 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
21944 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
21945 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
21946 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
21947 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
21948 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
21949 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
21950 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
21951 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
21952 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
21954 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
21955 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
21956 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
21957 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
21958 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
21959 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
21960 of numbers as long as possible.
21962 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
21965 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21968 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21969 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21970 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21971 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
21972 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21973 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
21977 @node Required Back End Functions
21978 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
21982 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21984 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21985 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
21986 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
21987 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21989 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21990 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21991 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21992 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21994 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21995 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21996 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21997 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21998 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
21999 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22000 number, do maximum fetches.
22002 Here's an example HEAD:
22005 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22006 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22007 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22008 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22009 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22010 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22011 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22013 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22014 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22015 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22019 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22020 these in the data buffer.
22022 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22026 head = error / valid-head
22027 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22028 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22029 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22030 header = <text> eol
22033 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22034 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22038 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22039 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22040 field = <text except TAB>
22043 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22047 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22049 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22050 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22052 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22053 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22054 server. In fact, it should do so.
22056 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22057 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22060 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22062 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22063 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22066 There should be no data returned.
22069 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22071 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22072 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22073 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22074 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22076 There should be no data returned.
22079 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22081 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22082 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22083 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22084 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22086 There should be no data returned.
22089 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22091 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22093 There should be no data returned.
22096 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22098 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22099 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22100 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22101 it would be nice if that were possible.
22103 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22104 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22105 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22106 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22107 into its article buffer.
22109 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22110 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22111 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22112 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22113 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22114 on successful article retrieval.
22117 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22119 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22120 making @var{group} the current group.
22122 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22125 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22128 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22131 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22132 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22133 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22134 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22135 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22136 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22137 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22138 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22141 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22142 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22143 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22147 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22149 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22150 a no-op on most back ends.
22152 There should be no data returned.
22155 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22157 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22160 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22163 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22164 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22167 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22168 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22171 active-file = *active-line
22172 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22174 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22177 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22178 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22179 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22182 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22184 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22185 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22186 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22187 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22188 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22189 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22191 There should be no result data from this function.
22196 @node Optional Back End Functions
22197 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22201 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22203 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22204 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22205 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22207 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22208 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22209 former is in the same format as the data from
22210 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22211 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22214 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22218 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22220 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22221 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22222 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22223 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22224 should return the (altered) group info.
22226 There should be no result data from this function.
22229 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22231 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22232 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22233 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22234 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22235 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22236 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22237 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22238 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22240 There should be no result data from this function.
22243 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22245 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22246 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22247 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22248 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22249 propagate the mark information to the server.
22251 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22254 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22257 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22258 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22259 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22260 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22261 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22262 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22263 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22264 possible, not limit itself to these.
22266 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22267 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22268 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22269 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22271 An example action list:
22274 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22275 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22276 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22279 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22280 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22282 There should be no result data from this function.
22284 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22286 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22287 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22288 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22289 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
22290 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22292 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22293 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22294 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22297 There should be no result data from this function.
22300 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22302 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22303 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
22304 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
22305 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22306 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
22307 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22308 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22310 There should be no result data from this function.
22313 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22315 The result data from this function should be a description of
22319 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22321 description = <text>
22324 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22326 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22327 groups available on the server.
22330 description-buffer = *description-line
22334 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22336 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22337 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22338 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22339 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22340 in the active buffer format.
22342 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
22343 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22344 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
22345 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22346 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
22347 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22348 likely that there can be many groups.
22351 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22353 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22355 There should be no return data.
22358 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22360 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22361 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22362 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
22363 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22364 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22367 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22370 There should be no result data returned.
22373 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22376 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22377 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22379 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22380 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22381 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22382 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22383 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22384 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22386 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22387 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22390 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22391 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22393 There should be no data returned.
22396 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22398 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22399 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22400 this function in short order.
22402 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22403 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22405 There should be no data returned.
22408 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22410 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22411 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22413 There should be no data returned.
22416 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22418 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22419 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22420 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22422 There should be no data returned.
22425 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22427 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22428 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22430 There should be no data returned.
22435 @node Error Messaging
22436 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22438 @findex nnheader-report
22439 @findex nnheader-get-report
22440 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22441 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22442 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
22443 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22444 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22445 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22448 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22450 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22453 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22454 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22455 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
22456 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22458 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
22459 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
22460 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22463 @node Writing New Back Ends
22464 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
22466 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22467 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22468 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22469 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22470 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22473 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22474 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22475 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22477 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22478 package called @code{nnoo}.
22480 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
22481 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
22487 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22488 parameters. For instance:
22491 (nnoo-declare nndir
22495 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22496 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22499 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22500 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22501 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22503 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22504 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
22505 a function in those back ends.
22508 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22509 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22510 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22513 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22514 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22515 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22517 @item nnoo-define-basics
22518 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
22522 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22526 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22527 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22528 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
22530 @item nnoo-map-functions
22531 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
22532 functions from the parent back ends.
22535 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22536 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22537 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22540 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22541 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22542 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22543 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22546 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
22547 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22548 haven't already been defined.
22554 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22558 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22559 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22560 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22565 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
22568 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22569 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22573 (require 'nnheader)
22577 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22579 (nnoo-declare nndir
22582 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22583 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22584 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22586 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22587 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22590 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22592 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22593 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22594 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22596 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22597 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22599 ;;; Interface functions.
22601 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22603 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22604 (setq nndir-directory
22605 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22607 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22608 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22609 (push `(nndir-current-group
22610 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22611 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22613 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22614 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22616 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22618 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22619 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22620 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22621 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22622 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22626 nnmh-status-message
22628 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22634 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22635 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22637 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22638 @findex gnus-declare-backend
22639 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
22640 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22641 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22643 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
22644 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22649 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22652 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
22654 The abilities can be:
22658 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22660 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
22662 This back end supports both mail and news.
22664 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
22667 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22668 articles and groups.
22670 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22671 true for almost all back ends.
22672 @item prompt-address
22673 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22674 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
22675 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22679 @node Mail-like Back Ends
22680 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
22682 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
22683 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
22684 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22685 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22688 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22689 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22690 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22693 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22694 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22697 This function takes four parameters.
22701 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
22704 @item exit-function
22705 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22707 @item temp-directory
22708 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22711 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22712 performed for one group only.
22715 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
22716 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22717 find the article number assigned to this article.
22719 The function also uses the following variables:
22720 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22721 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
22722 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22723 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22727 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22728 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22732 @node Score File Syntax
22733 @subsection Score File Syntax
22735 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22736 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22737 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22739 Here's a typical score file:
22743 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22750 BNF definition of a score file:
22753 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22754 element = rule / atom
22755 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22756 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22757 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22758 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22760 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22761 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22762 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22763 date-header = "date"
22764 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22765 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22766 score = "nil" / <integer>
22767 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22768 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22769 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22770 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22771 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22772 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22773 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22774 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22775 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22776 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22777 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22778 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22779 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22780 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22781 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22782 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22783 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22784 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22785 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22786 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22787 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22788 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22789 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22790 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22791 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22792 eval = "eval" space <form>
22793 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22796 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22799 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22800 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22801 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22802 one looong line, then that's ok.
22804 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22805 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22809 @subsection Headers
22811 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22812 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22813 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22814 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22816 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22817 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22818 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22819 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22820 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22821 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22822 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22824 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22825 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22826 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22827 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22828 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22830 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22831 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22837 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22838 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22840 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22841 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22842 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22843 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22845 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22849 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22852 is transformed into
22855 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22858 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22859 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22862 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22865 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22866 is slightly tricky:
22869 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22875 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22878 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22884 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22891 and is equal to the previous range.
22893 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22894 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22895 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22899 range = simple-range / normal-range
22900 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22901 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22902 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22903 number *[ " " contents ]
22906 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22907 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22908 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22909 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22910 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22915 @subsection Group Info
22917 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22918 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22919 describes the group.
22921 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22922 second is a more complex one:
22925 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22927 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22928 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22930 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22933 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22934 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22935 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22936 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22937 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22938 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22939 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22940 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22941 this section is about.
22943 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22944 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22945 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22947 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22950 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22951 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22952 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22953 group = quote <string> quote
22954 ralevel = rank / level
22955 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22956 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22957 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22959 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22960 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22961 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22962 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22965 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22966 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22969 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22970 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22973 @item gnus-info-group
22974 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22975 @findex gnus-info-group
22976 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22977 Get/set the group name.
22979 @item gnus-info-rank
22980 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22981 @findex gnus-info-rank
22982 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22983 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22985 @item gnus-info-level
22986 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22987 @findex gnus-info-level
22988 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22989 Get/set the group level.
22991 @item gnus-info-score
22992 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22993 @findex gnus-info-score
22994 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22995 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22997 @item gnus-info-read
22998 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22999 @findex gnus-info-read
23000 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23001 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23003 @item gnus-info-marks
23004 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23005 @findex gnus-info-marks
23006 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23007 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23009 @item gnus-info-method
23010 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23011 @findex gnus-info-method
23012 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23013 Get/set the group select method.
23015 @item gnus-info-params
23016 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23017 @findex gnus-info-params
23018 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23019 Get/set the group parameters.
23022 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23023 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23025 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23026 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23027 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23028 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23031 @node Extended Interactive
23032 @subsection Extended Interactive
23033 @cindex interactive
23034 @findex gnus-interactive
23036 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23037 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23038 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23041 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23042 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23047 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23048 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23049 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23050 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23051 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23052 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23053 @code{interactive}.
23055 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23060 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23061 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23065 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23066 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23067 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23070 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23074 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23078 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23084 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23085 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23089 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23090 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23091 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23093 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23094 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23095 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23096 Gnus, that's very useful.
23098 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23099 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23100 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23101 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23102 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23103 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23104 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23105 following function:
23108 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23112 (,function ,@@args))
23116 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23117 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23118 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23121 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23122 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23123 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23125 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23126 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23127 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23130 @node Various File Formats
23131 @subsection Various File Formats
23134 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23135 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23139 @node Active File Format
23140 @subsubsection Active File Format
23142 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23143 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23146 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23149 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23150 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23151 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23152 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23153 no.general 1000 900 y
23156 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23159 active = *group-line
23160 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23161 group = <non-white-space string>
23163 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23164 low-number = <positive integer>
23165 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23168 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23169 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23172 @node Newsgroups File Format
23173 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23175 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23176 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23177 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23180 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23181 Here's the definition:
23185 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23186 group = <non-white-space string>
23188 description = <string>
23193 @node Emacs for Heathens
23194 @section Emacs for Heathens
23196 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23197 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23198 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
23199 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23200 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23201 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23202 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23206 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23207 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23212 @subsection Keystrokes
23216 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23219 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23222 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23223 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23224 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23225 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23226 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23227 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23229 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23230 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23231 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23232 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23233 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23234 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23235 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23237 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23238 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
23239 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23240 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23241 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23242 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23243 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23245 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23246 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23247 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23248 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23249 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23255 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23257 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23258 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23259 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23260 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23262 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23263 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23264 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23265 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23266 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23267 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23268 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23271 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23272 write the following:
23275 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23278 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23279 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23280 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23283 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23284 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23285 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23286 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23287 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23289 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23290 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23291 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23295 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23299 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23302 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23303 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23306 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23309 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23310 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23313 @include gnus-faq.texi
23334 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23335 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23336 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23337 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23338 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref