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4 @settitle Red Gnus 0.54 Manual
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233 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
240 \thispagestyle{empty}
242 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
244 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
245 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
246 are preserved on all copies.
248 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
249 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
250 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
251 permission notice identical to this one.
253 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
254 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
263 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
265 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
267 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
268 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
269 are preserved on all copies.
272 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
273 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
274 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
275 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
278 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
279 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
280 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
281 permission notice identical to this one.
283 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
284 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
290 @title Red Gnus 0.54 Manual
292 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
295 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
296 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
302 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
303 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
304 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
305 permission notice identical to this one.
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
308 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
317 @top The Red Gnus Newsreader
321 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
322 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
323 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
335 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
336 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
338 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
339 being accused of plagiarism:
341 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
342 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
343 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
344 even read news with it!
346 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
347 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
348 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
349 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
350 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
357 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
358 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
359 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
360 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
361 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
362 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
363 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
364 * Various:: General purpose settings.
365 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
366 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
367 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
368 * Key Index:: Key Index.
372 @chapter Starting Gnus
377 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
378 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
381 @findex gnus-other-frame
382 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
383 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
384 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
386 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
390 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
391 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
392 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
393 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
394 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
395 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
396 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
397 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
398 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
399 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
400 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
404 @node Finding the News
405 @section Finding the News
408 @vindex gnus-select-method
410 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
411 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
412 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
413 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
416 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
417 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
420 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
423 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
426 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
429 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
430 certainly be much faster.
432 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
434 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
435 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
436 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
437 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
438 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
439 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
440 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
442 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
443 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
444 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
445 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
447 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
448 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
449 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
450 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
451 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
452 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
454 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
456 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
457 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
458 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
459 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
460 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
461 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
463 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
465 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
466 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
467 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
468 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
469 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
470 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
473 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
474 would typically set this variable to
477 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
482 @section The First Time
483 @cindex first time usage
485 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
486 be subscribed by default.
488 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
489 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
490 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
491 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
494 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
495 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
496 defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
498 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
499 help you with most common problems.
501 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
502 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
506 @node The Server is Down
507 @section The Server is Down
508 @cindex server errors
510 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
511 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
512 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
514 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
515 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
516 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
517 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
518 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
519 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
520 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
522 @findex gnus-no-server
523 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
525 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
526 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
527 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
528 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
529 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
530 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
535 @section Slave Gnusae
538 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
539 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
540 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
541 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
543 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
546 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
547 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
548 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
549 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
550 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
551 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
552 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
554 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
555 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
556 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
557 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
558 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
559 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
560 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
561 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
563 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
564 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
567 @node Fetching a Group
568 @section Fetching a Group
569 @cindex fetching a group
571 @findex gnus-fetch-group
572 It it sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
573 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
574 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
575 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
576 It takes the group name as a parameter.
584 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
585 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
586 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
587 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
588 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
589 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
590 is @code{t} by default.
593 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
594 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
595 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
599 @node Checking New Groups
600 @subsection Checking New Groups
602 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
603 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
604 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
605 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
606 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
607 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
608 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
609 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
610 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
611 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
613 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
614 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
615 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
616 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
617 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
618 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
619 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
620 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
621 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
622 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
623 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
625 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
626 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
627 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
628 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
629 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
630 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
633 @node Subscription Methods
634 @subsection Subscription Methods
636 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
637 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
638 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
640 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
645 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
646 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
647 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
648 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
649 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
651 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
652 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
653 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
655 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
656 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
657 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
659 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
660 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
661 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
662 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
663 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
664 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
665 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
666 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
667 up. Or something like that.
669 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
670 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
671 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
672 you about @strong{all} new groups.
674 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
675 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
680 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
681 A closely related variable is
682 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
683 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
684 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
685 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
688 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
689 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
690 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
693 @node Filtering New Groups
694 @subsection Filtering New Groups
696 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
697 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
698 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
701 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
704 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
705 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
706 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
707 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
708 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
709 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
710 subscribing these groups.
711 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
712 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
714 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
715 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
716 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
717 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
718 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
719 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
720 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
721 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
723 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
724 Yet another variable that meddles here is
725 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
726 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
727 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
728 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
729 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
730 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
731 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
732 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
735 @node Changing Servers
736 @section Changing Servers
737 @cindex changing servers
739 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
740 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
741 very flaky and you want to use another.
743 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
744 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
748 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
749 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
750 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
751 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
754 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
755 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
756 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
757 functions more than absolutely necessary.
759 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
760 @findex gnus-change-server
761 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
762 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
763 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
764 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
765 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
767 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
768 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
769 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
770 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
771 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
773 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
774 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
775 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
776 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
777 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
778 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
782 @section Startup Files
783 @cindex startup files
788 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
789 information is traditionally stored in this file.
791 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
792 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
793 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
794 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
795 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
796 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
797 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
799 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
800 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
801 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
802 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
804 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
805 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
806 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
807 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
808 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
809 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
811 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
812 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
813 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
814 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
815 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
816 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
817 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
818 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
819 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
820 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
821 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
822 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
824 @vindex gnus-startup-file
825 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
826 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
827 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
829 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
830 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
831 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
832 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
833 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
834 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
835 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
836 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
837 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
838 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
841 (defun turn-off-backup ()
842 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
844 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
845 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
848 @vindex gnus-init-file
849 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
850 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus.el} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
851 (@file{~/.gnus.el} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
852 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{.emacs} and
853 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff.
861 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
862 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
863 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
864 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
865 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
868 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
869 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
872 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
873 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
874 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
876 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
877 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
878 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
879 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
880 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
881 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
884 @node The Active File
885 @section The Active File
887 @cindex ignored groups
889 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
890 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
891 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
893 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
894 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
895 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
896 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
897 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
898 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
899 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
902 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
903 @c if you set it to anything else.
905 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
907 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
908 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
909 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
911 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
912 you actually subscribe to.
914 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
915 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
916 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
917 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
919 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
920 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
921 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
922 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
923 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
924 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
926 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
927 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
928 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
929 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
930 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
931 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
933 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
934 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
937 @node Startup Variables
938 @section Startup Variables
943 @vindex gnus-load-hook
944 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
945 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
946 times you start Gnus.
948 @item gnus-startup-hook
949 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
950 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
952 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
953 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
954 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
955 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
956 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
957 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
958 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
959 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
961 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
962 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
963 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
964 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
965 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
966 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
968 @item gnus-no-groups-message
969 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
970 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
972 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
973 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
974 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
976 @item gnus-startup-jingle
977 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
978 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
979 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
984 @node The Group Buffer
985 @chapter The Group Buffer
988 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
989 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
990 long as Gnus is active.
993 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
994 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
995 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
996 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
997 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
998 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
999 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1000 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1001 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1002 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1003 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1004 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1005 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1006 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1007 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1008 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1009 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1013 @node Group Buffer Format
1014 @section Group Buffer Format
1017 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1018 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1019 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1023 @node Group Line Specification
1024 @subsection Group Line Specification
1025 @cindex group buffer format
1027 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1028 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1030 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1033 25: news.announce.newusers
1034 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1039 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1040 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1041 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1042 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
1044 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1045 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1046 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1047 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1048 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1049 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1051 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1053 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1054 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1055 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1056 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1059 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1060 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1061 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1063 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1068 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1071 Whether the group is subscribed.
1074 Level of subscribedness.
1077 Number of unread articles.
1080 Number of dormant articles.
1083 Number of ticked articles.
1086 Number of read articles.
1089 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1090 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1093 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1096 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1105 Newsgroup description.
1108 @samp{m} if moderated.
1111 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1120 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1124 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1127 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1128 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1129 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1130 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1131 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1134 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1136 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1140 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1144 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1145 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
1146 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1147 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1148 paratere as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1149 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1154 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1155 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1156 group, or a bogus native group.
1159 @node Group Modeline Specification
1160 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1161 @cindex group modeline
1163 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1164 The mode line can be changed by setting
1165 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1166 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1170 The native news server.
1172 The native select method.
1176 @node Group Highlighting
1177 @subsection Group Highlighting
1178 @cindex highlighting
1179 @cindex group highlighting
1181 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1182 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1183 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1184 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1185 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1187 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1191 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1193 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1194 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1195 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1197 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1199 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1201 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1205 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1212 The number of unread articles in the group.
1216 Whether the group is a mail group.
1218 The level of the group.
1220 The score of the group.
1222 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1224 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1227 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1228 topic being inserted.
1231 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1232 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1233 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1235 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1236 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1237 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1238 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1239 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1242 @node Group Maneuvering
1243 @section Group Maneuvering
1244 @cindex group movement
1246 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1247 expected, hopefully.
1253 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1254 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1255 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1261 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1262 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1263 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1267 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1268 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1272 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1273 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1277 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1278 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1279 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1283 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1284 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1285 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1288 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1294 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1295 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1296 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1301 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1302 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1303 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1307 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1308 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1309 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1312 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1313 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1314 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1315 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1319 @node Selecting a Group
1320 @section Selecting a Group
1321 @cindex group selection
1326 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1327 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1328 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1329 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1330 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1331 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1332 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1333 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1334 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1335 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1339 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1340 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1341 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1342 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1343 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1347 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1348 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1349 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1350 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1351 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1352 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1353 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1354 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer.
1355 This might be useful if you want to toggle threading before entering the
1359 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1360 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1361 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1362 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1363 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1367 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1368 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1369 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1370 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1371 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1372 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1373 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1374 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1377 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1378 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1379 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1380 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1385 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1386 full summary buffer.
1389 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1392 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1396 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1397 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1398 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1402 @node Subscription Commands
1403 @section Subscription Commands
1404 @cindex subscription
1412 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1413 Toggle subscription to the current group
1414 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1420 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1421 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1422 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1423 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1429 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1430 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1436 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1437 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1440 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1441 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1442 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1443 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1444 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1450 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1451 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1455 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1456 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1459 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1460 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1461 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1462 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1463 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1464 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1465 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1466 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1467 @file{.newsrc} file.
1471 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1481 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1482 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1483 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1484 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1485 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1490 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1491 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1492 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1496 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1497 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1498 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1500 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1501 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1502 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1503 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1504 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1505 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1512 @section Group Levels
1516 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1517 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1518 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1519 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1520 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1522 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1528 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1529 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1530 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1531 prompted for a level.
1534 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1535 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1536 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1537 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1538 Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
1539 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1540 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1541 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1542 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1543 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
1544 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1545 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1546 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1547 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1548 for reasons of efficiency.
1550 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1551 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1553 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1554 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1555 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1557 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1558 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1559 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1560 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1561 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1562 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1563 relevant legal ranges.
1565 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1566 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1567 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1568 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1569 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1570 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1573 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1574 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1575 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1578 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1579 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1580 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1581 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1584 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1585 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1586 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1587 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1589 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1590 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1591 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1592 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1593 5. The default is 6.
1597 @section Group Score
1600 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1601 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1602 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1605 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1606 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1607 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1608 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1609 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1610 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1611 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1613 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1614 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1615 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1616 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1617 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1618 action after each summary exit, you can add
1619 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1620 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1621 slow things down somewhat.
1624 @node Marking Groups
1625 @section Marking Groups
1626 @cindex marking groups
1628 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1629 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1630 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1631 bidding on those groups.
1633 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1634 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1635 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1643 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1644 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1650 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1651 Remove the mark from the current group
1652 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1656 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1657 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1661 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1662 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1666 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1667 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1671 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1672 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1673 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1676 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1678 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1679 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1680 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1681 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1682 the command to be executed.
1685 @node Foreign Groups
1686 @section Foreign Groups
1687 @cindex foreign groups
1689 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1690 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1691 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1692 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1699 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1700 @cindex making groups
1701 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1702 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1703 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1707 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1708 @cindex renaming groups
1709 Rename the current group to something else
1710 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some
1711 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1717 @findex gnus-group-customize
1718 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1722 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1723 @cindex renaming groups
1724 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1725 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1729 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1730 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1731 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1735 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1736 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1737 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1741 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1743 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1744 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1749 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1750 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1754 @cindex (ding) archive
1755 @cindex archive group
1756 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1757 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1758 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1759 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1760 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1761 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1762 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1766 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1768 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1769 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1770 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1771 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1775 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1777 Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1778 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1779 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1783 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1784 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1786 Make a group based on some file or other
1787 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1788 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1789 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1790 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1791 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1792 guess at the file type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1796 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1801 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1802 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1803 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1804 search engine type and the search string. Legal search engine types
1805 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1806 @xref{Web Searches}.
1809 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1810 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1811 This function will delete the current group
1812 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1813 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1814 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1815 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1819 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1820 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1821 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1825 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1826 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1827 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1830 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1833 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1834 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1835 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1836 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1837 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1840 @node Group Parameters
1841 @section Group Parameters
1842 @cindex group parameters
1844 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1849 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1850 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1851 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1852 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1853 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1854 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1855 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1856 copies of your followups.
1858 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1859 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1860 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1861 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1862 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1863 list address instead.
1867 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1868 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1869 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1870 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1871 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1873 @item broken-reply-to
1874 @cindex broken-reply-to
1875 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1876 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1877 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1878 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1879 broken behavior. So there!
1883 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
1884 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
1888 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
1889 @code{t}, new composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
1890 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
1891 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
1892 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence over
1893 any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later).
1897 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all articles that
1898 are read will be marked as expirable. For an alternative approach,
1899 @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1902 @cindex total-expire
1903 If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through the
1904 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1909 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1910 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1911 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1912 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1913 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1914 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1917 @cindex score file group parameter
1918 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1919 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1920 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1923 @cindex adapt file group parameter
1924 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
1925 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
1926 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
1929 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1930 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1931 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1932 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1935 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} says which articles to
1936 display on entering the group. Legal values are:
1940 Display all articles, both read and unread.
1943 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
1948 This parameter allows you to enter an arbitrary comment on the group.
1950 @item @var{(variable form)}
1951 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1952 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
1953 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
1954 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
1955 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
1956 @code{eval}ed there.
1958 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1959 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
1960 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
1961 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
1962 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
1966 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
1968 Also @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
1971 @node Listing Groups
1972 @section Listing Groups
1973 @cindex group listing
1975 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
1983 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
1984 List all groups that have unread articles
1985 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
1986 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
1987 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
1988 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
1995 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
1996 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
1997 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
1998 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
1999 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2000 unsubscribed groups).
2004 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2005 List all unread groups on a specific level
2006 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2007 with no unread articles.
2011 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2012 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2013 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2014 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2019 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2020 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2024 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2025 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2026 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2030 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2031 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2035 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2036 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
2037 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2038 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2039 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2040 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list group that
2041 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they are killed groups.
2042 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2046 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2047 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2048 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2052 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2053 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2054 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2058 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2059 @cindex visible group parameter
2060 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2061 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2062 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2063 get the same effect.
2065 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2066 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2067 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2068 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2069 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2072 @node Sorting Groups
2073 @section Sorting Groups
2074 @cindex sorting groups
2076 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2077 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2078 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2079 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2080 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2081 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2086 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2087 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2088 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2090 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2091 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2092 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2094 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2095 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2096 Sort by group level.
2098 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2099 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2100 Sort by group score.
2102 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2103 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2104 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2105 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
2107 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2108 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2109 Sort by number of unread articles.
2111 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2112 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2113 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2118 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2119 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2123 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2124 some sorting criteria:
2128 @kindex G S a (Group)
2129 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2130 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2131 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2134 @kindex G S u (Group)
2135 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2136 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2137 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2140 @kindex G S l (Group)
2141 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2142 Sort the group buffer by group level
2143 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2146 @kindex G S v (Group)
2147 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2148 Sort the group buffer by group score
2149 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
2152 @kindex G S r (Group)
2153 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2154 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2155 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2158 @kindex G S m (Group)
2159 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2160 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2161 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2165 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2167 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2171 @kindex G P a (Group)
2172 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2173 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2174 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2177 @kindex G P u (Group)
2178 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2179 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2180 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2183 @kindex G P l (Group)
2184 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2185 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2186 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2189 @kindex G P v (Group)
2190 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2191 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2192 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
2195 @kindex G P r (Group)
2196 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2197 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2198 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
2201 @kindex G P m (Group)
2202 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2203 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2204 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2210 @node Group Maintenance
2211 @section Group Maintenance
2212 @cindex bogus groups
2217 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2218 Find bogus groups and delete them
2219 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2223 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
2224 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
2225 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
2229 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2230 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2231 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2232 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2235 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2236 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2237 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2238 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2243 @node Browse Foreign Server
2244 @section Browse Foreign Server
2245 @cindex foreign servers
2246 @cindex browsing servers
2251 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2252 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2253 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2254 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2257 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2258 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2259 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2260 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2262 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2267 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2268 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2272 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2273 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2276 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2277 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2278 Enter the current group and display the first article
2279 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2282 @kindex RET (Browse)
2283 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2284 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2288 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2289 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2290 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2296 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2297 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2301 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2302 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2303 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2308 @section Exiting Gnus
2309 @cindex exiting Gnus
2311 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2316 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2317 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2318 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2319 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2323 @findex gnus-group-exit
2324 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2328 @findex gnus-group-quit
2329 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2330 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2333 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2334 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2335 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2336 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2337 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2342 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2343 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2344 trying to customize meta-variables.
2349 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2350 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2351 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2357 @section Group Topics
2360 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2361 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2362 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2363 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2364 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2365 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2373 2: alt.religion.emacs
2376 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2378 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2379 13: comp.sources.unix
2382 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2384 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2385 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2386 is a toggling command.)
2388 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2389 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2390 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2391 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2394 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2395 the hook for the group mode:
2398 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2402 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2403 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2404 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2405 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2406 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2410 @node Topic Variables
2411 @subsection Topic Variables
2412 @cindex topic variables
2414 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2415 really neat, I think.
2417 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2418 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2419 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2432 Number of groups in the topic.
2434 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2436 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2439 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2440 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2441 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2444 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2445 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2447 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2448 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2449 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2452 @node Topic Commands
2453 @subsection Topic Commands
2454 @cindex topic commands
2456 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2457 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2458 definitions slightly.
2464 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2465 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2466 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2470 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2471 Move the current group to some other topic
2472 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2473 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2477 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2478 Copy the current group to some other topic
2479 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2480 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2484 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2485 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2486 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2487 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2491 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2492 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2493 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2497 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2498 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2499 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2503 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2504 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2505 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2508 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2509 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2510 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2511 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2515 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2517 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2518 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2519 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2520 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2521 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2522 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2525 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2526 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2527 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2528 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2529 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2533 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2534 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2535 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2539 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2540 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2541 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2546 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2547 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2550 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2551 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2552 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2556 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2557 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2558 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2562 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2563 @cindex group parameters
2564 @cindex topic parameters
2566 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2567 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2573 @subsection Topic Sorting
2574 @cindex topic sorting
2576 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2582 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2583 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2584 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2585 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2588 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2589 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2590 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2591 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2594 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2595 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2596 Sort the current topic by group level
2597 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2600 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2601 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2602 Sort the current topic by group score
2603 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
2606 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2607 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2608 Sort the current topic by group rank
2609 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2612 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2613 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2614 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2615 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2619 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2622 @node Topic Topology
2623 @subsection Topic Topology
2624 @cindex topic topology
2627 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2633 2: alt.religion.emacs
2636 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2638 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2639 13: comp.sources.unix
2642 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2643 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2644 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2649 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2650 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2654 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2655 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2656 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2657 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2658 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2659 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2661 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2662 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2663 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2666 @node Topic Parameters
2667 @subsection Topic Parameters
2668 @cindex topic parameters
2670 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2671 ancestor) topic parameters. All legal group parameters are legal topic
2672 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2674 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2675 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2676 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2677 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2683 2: alt.religion.emacs
2687 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2689 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2690 13: comp.sources.unix
2694 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2695 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2696 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2697 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2698 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2699 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2701 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2702 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2703 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2704 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2705 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2707 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2708 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2709 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2710 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2711 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2712 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2713 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2714 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2717 @node Misc Group Stuff
2718 @section Misc Group Stuff
2721 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2722 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2723 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2724 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2731 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2732 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2733 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2737 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2738 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2739 group name will be used as the default.
2743 @findex gnus-group-mail
2744 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2748 Variables for the group buffer:
2752 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2753 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2754 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2757 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2758 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2759 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2760 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2763 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2764 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2765 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2766 whether they are empty or not.
2771 @node Scanning New Messages
2772 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2773 @cindex new messages
2774 @cindex scanning new news
2780 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2781 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2782 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2783 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2784 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2789 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2790 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2791 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2792 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2793 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2794 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2796 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2797 @cindex activating groups
2799 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2800 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2805 @findex gnus-group-restart
2806 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}).
2810 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2811 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2813 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2814 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2818 @node Group Information
2819 @subsection Group Information
2820 @cindex group information
2821 @cindex information on groups
2829 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2830 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
2833 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2834 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2835 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2836 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
2837 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
2838 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
2839 for fetching the file.
2841 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
2842 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
2847 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
2848 @cindex describing groups
2849 @cindex group description
2850 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2851 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2852 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2856 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2857 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2858 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2863 @findex gnus-version
2864 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2868 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2869 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2872 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2875 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2876 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2880 @node Group Timestamp
2881 @subsection Group Timestamp
2883 @cindex group timestamps
2885 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
2886 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
2887 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
2890 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
2893 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
2895 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
2896 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
2899 (setq gnus-group-line-format
2900 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
2903 This will result in lines looking like:
2906 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
2907 0: custom 19961002T012713
2910 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
2911 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
2915 (setq gnus-group-line-format
2916 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
2921 @subsection File Commands
2922 @cindex file commands
2928 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2929 @vindex gnus-init-file
2930 @cindex reading init file
2931 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2932 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2936 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2937 @cindex saving .newsrc
2938 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2939 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2940 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2943 @c @kindex Z (Group)
2944 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2945 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2950 @node The Summary Buffer
2951 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2952 @cindex summary buffer
2954 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2955 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2957 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
2958 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
2960 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
2963 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2964 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2965 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2966 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2967 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2968 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2969 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2970 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2971 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2972 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
2973 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
2974 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
2975 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
2976 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
2977 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
2978 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
2979 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
2980 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
2981 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
2982 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
2983 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
2984 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
2985 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
2986 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
2987 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
2988 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
2992 @node Summary Buffer Format
2993 @section Summary Buffer Format
2994 @cindex summary buffer format
2997 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
2998 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
2999 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3002 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3003 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3004 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3005 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3006 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3007 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
3008 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3009 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3010 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3011 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3012 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3014 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3015 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3016 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3017 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
3020 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3021 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3023 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3024 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3025 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3026 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3027 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3029 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3031 The following format specification characters are understood:
3039 Subject if the article is the root or the previous article had a
3040 different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3041 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
3043 Full @code{From} header.
3045 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3047 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3048 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3049 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3050 may be more thorough.
3052 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3055 Number of lines in the article.
3057 Number of characters in the article.
3059 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3061 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3062 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3064 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3065 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3067 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3068 for adopted articles.
3070 One space for each thread level.
3072 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3080 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3081 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3082 default level. If the difference between
3083 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
3084 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3092 The @code{Date} in @code{YY-MMM} format.
3094 The @code{Date} in @code{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS} format.
3100 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3101 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3103 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3104 article has any children.
3108 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3109 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
3110 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3111 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3112 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3113 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3116 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3117 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3118 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3119 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
3120 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3121 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3123 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3124 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3126 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3129 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3130 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3132 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3133 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3134 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3135 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3137 Here are the elements you can play with:
3143 Unprefixed group name.
3145 Current article number.
3149 Number of unread articles in this group.
3151 Number of unselected articles in this group.
3153 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3154 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3155 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3156 and no unselected ones.
3158 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3159 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3161 Subject of the current article.
3165 Name of the current score file.
3167 Number of dormant articles.
3169 Number of ticked articles.
3171 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3173 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3177 @node Summary Highlighting
3178 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3182 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3183 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3184 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3185 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3186 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3188 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3189 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3190 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3191 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3193 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3194 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3195 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
3196 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3198 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3199 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3200 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3201 list where the elements are on the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3202 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3203 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3205 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3206 ((> score default) . bold))
3208 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3209 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3213 @node Summary Maneuvering
3214 @section Summary Maneuvering
3215 @cindex summary movement
3217 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3218 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3220 None of these commands select articles.
3225 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3226 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3227 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3228 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3229 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3233 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3234 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3235 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3236 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3237 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3242 @kindex G j (Summary)
3243 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3244 Ask for an article number and then go to that article
3245 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3248 @kindex G g (Summary)
3249 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3250 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
3251 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3254 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3255 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3256 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3257 to the group buffer.
3259 Variables related to summary movement:
3263 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3264 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3265 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3266 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3267 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3268 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3269 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3270 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3271 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3272 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3273 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3274 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3275 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3276 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3278 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3279 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3280 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3281 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3282 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3283 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3284 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3286 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3287 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3288 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3289 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3290 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3292 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3293 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3294 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3295 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3296 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3297 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3298 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3299 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3305 @node Choosing Articles
3306 @section Choosing Articles
3307 @cindex selecting articles
3310 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3311 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3315 @node Choosing Commands
3316 @subsection Choosing Commands
3318 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3319 and they all select and display an article.
3323 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3324 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3325 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3326 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3331 @kindex G n (Summary)
3332 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3333 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3338 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3339 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3344 @kindex G N (Summary)
3345 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3346 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3351 @kindex G P (Summary)
3352 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3353 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3356 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3357 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3358 Go to the next article with the same subject
3359 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3362 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3363 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3364 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3365 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3369 @kindex G f (Summary)
3371 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3372 Go to the first unread article
3373 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3377 @kindex G b (Summary)
3379 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3380 Go to the article with the highest score
3381 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3386 @kindex G l (Summary)
3387 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3388 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3391 @kindex G p (Summary)
3392 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3393 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3394 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3395 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3396 history as you like.
3400 @node Choosing Variables
3401 @subsection Choosing Variables
3403 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3406 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3407 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3408 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3409 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3410 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3411 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3413 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3414 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3415 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3416 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3418 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3419 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3420 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3421 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3422 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3423 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3424 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3425 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3426 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3427 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3428 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3429 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3430 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3431 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3436 @node Paging the Article
3437 @section Scrolling the Article
3438 @cindex article scrolling
3443 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3444 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3445 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3446 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3447 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3450 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3451 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3452 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3455 @kindex RET (Summary)
3456 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3457 Scroll the current article one line forward
3458 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3462 @kindex A g (Summary)
3464 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3465 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3466 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3467 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3468 the way it came from the server.
3473 @kindex A < (Summary)
3474 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3475 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3476 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3481 @kindex A > (Summary)
3482 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3483 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3487 @kindex A s (Summary)
3489 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3490 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3491 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3496 @node Reply Followup and Post
3497 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3500 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3501 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3505 @node Summary Mail Commands
3506 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3508 @cindex composing mail
3510 Commands for composing a mail message:
3516 @kindex S r (Summary)
3518 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3519 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3520 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3525 @kindex S R (Summary)
3526 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3527 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3528 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3529 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3532 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3533 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3534 Forward the current article to some other person
3535 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3536 headers of the forwarded article.
3541 @kindex S m (Summary)
3542 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3543 Send a mail to some other person
3544 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3547 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3548 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3549 @cindex bouncing mail
3550 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3551 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3552 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3553 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3554 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3555 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3556 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3557 very well fail, though.
3560 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3561 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3562 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3563 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3564 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3565 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3566 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3567 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3568 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3569 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3571 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3572 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3573 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3574 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3575 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3578 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3579 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3580 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3581 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3582 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3585 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3586 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3587 @cindex crossposting
3588 @cindex excessive crossposting
3589 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3590 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3592 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3593 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3594 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3595 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3596 command understands the process/prefix convention
3597 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3602 @node Summary Post Commands
3603 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3605 @cindex composing news
3607 Commands for posting a news article:
3613 @kindex S p (Summary)
3614 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3615 Post an article to the current group
3616 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3621 @kindex S f (Summary)
3622 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3623 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3627 @kindex S F (Summary)
3629 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3630 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3631 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3632 process/prefix convention.
3635 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3636 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3637 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3638 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3639 headers of the forwarded article.
3642 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3643 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3644 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3645 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3648 @kindex S u (Summary)
3649 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3650 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3651 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3655 @node Canceling and Superseding
3656 @section Canceling Articles
3657 @cindex canceling articles
3658 @cindex superseding articles
3660 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3661 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3663 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3665 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3667 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3668 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3669 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3670 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3672 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3673 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3676 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3677 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3678 your original article.
3680 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3682 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3683 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3684 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3687 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3688 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3689 have posted almost the same article twice.
3691 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3692 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3693 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3694 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*post-buf*}). There you will
3695 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3696 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3697 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3698 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3699 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3700 canceled/superseded.
3702 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3705 @node Marking Articles
3706 @section Marking Articles
3707 @cindex article marking
3708 @cindex article ticking
3711 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3713 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3714 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3715 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3717 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3720 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3721 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3722 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3726 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3730 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3731 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3735 @node Unread Articles
3736 @subsection Unread Articles
3738 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
3743 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3744 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
3746 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3747 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3748 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3749 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3750 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
3754 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3755 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
3757 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
3758 are followups to it.
3761 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3762 Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
3764 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
3769 @subsection Read Articles
3770 @cindex expirable mark
3772 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3777 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3778 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
3779 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
3782 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3783 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3786 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3787 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
3788 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3791 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3792 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3795 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3796 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3799 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3800 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3803 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3804 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3807 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3808 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3811 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3812 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
3815 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3816 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
3820 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
3821 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
3822 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
3826 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3827 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
3829 One more special mark, though:
3833 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3834 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3836 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
3837 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
3838 control the expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
3839 articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
3845 @subsection Other Marks
3846 @cindex process mark
3849 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3855 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3856 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3857 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3858 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3859 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
3862 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3863 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3864 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3865 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3868 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3869 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3870 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3873 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3874 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3875 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3876 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3879 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3880 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3881 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3882 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3883 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3886 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3887 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3888 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3889 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3890 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3891 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3895 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3896 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3897 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3899 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3900 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3901 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3905 @subsection Setting Marks
3906 @cindex setting marks
3908 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3914 @kindex M t (Summary)
3915 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3916 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3921 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3922 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3923 Mark the current article as dormant
3924 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3928 @kindex M d (Summary)
3930 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3931 Mark the current article as read
3932 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3936 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
3937 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
3938 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
3943 @kindex M k (Summary)
3944 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3945 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3946 and then select the next unread article
3947 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3951 @kindex M K (Summary)
3952 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3953 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3954 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3955 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
3958 @kindex M C (Summary)
3959 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
3960 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
3963 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
3964 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
3965 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
3966 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
3969 @kindex M H (Summary)
3970 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
3971 Catchup the current group to point
3972 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
3975 @kindex C-w (Summary)
3976 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
3977 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
3978 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
3981 @kindex M V k (Summary)
3982 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
3983 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
3984 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
3988 @kindex M c (Summary)
3989 @kindex M-u (Summary)
3990 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
3991 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
3992 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
3996 @kindex M e (Summary)
3998 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
3999 Mark the current article as expirable
4000 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4003 @kindex M b (Summary)
4004 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4005 Set a bookmark in the current article
4006 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4009 @kindex M B (Summary)
4010 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4011 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4012 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4015 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4016 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4017 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4018 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4021 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4022 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4023 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4024 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4027 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4028 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4029 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4030 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4031 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4034 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4035 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4036 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4037 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4038 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4039 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4040 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4041 The default is @code{t}.
4044 @node Setting Process Marks
4045 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4046 @cindex setting process marks
4053 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4054 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4055 Mark the current article with the process mark
4056 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4057 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4061 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4062 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4063 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4064 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4067 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4068 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4069 Remove the process mark from all articles
4070 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4073 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4074 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4075 Invert the list of process marked articles
4076 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4079 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4080 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4081 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4084 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4085 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4086 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4089 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4090 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4091 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4092 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4095 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4096 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4097 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4098 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4101 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4102 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4103 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4104 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4107 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4108 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4109 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4112 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4113 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4114 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4115 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4118 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4119 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4120 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4123 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4124 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4125 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4126 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4129 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4130 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4131 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4132 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4135 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4136 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4137 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4138 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4141 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4142 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4143 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4144 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4153 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4154 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4155 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4162 @kindex / / (Summary)
4163 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4164 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4165 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4168 @kindex / a (Summary)
4169 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4170 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4171 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4175 @kindex / u (Summary)
4177 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4178 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
4179 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4180 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4181 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4184 @kindex / m (Summary)
4185 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4186 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
4187 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4190 @kindex / n (Summary)
4191 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4192 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4193 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4194 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4197 @kindex / w (Summary)
4198 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4199 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4200 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4204 @kindex / v (Summary)
4205 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4206 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4207 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4211 @kindex M S (Summary)
4212 @kindex / E (Summary)
4213 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4214 Display all expunged articles
4215 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4218 @kindex / D (Summary)
4219 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4220 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4223 @kindex / d (Summary)
4224 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4225 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4228 @kindex / c (Summary)
4229 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4230 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4231 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4234 @kindex / C (Summary)
4235 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4236 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4237 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4238 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4246 @cindex article threading
4248 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
4249 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
4253 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4254 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4258 @node Customizing Threading
4259 @subsection Customizing Threading
4260 @cindex customizing threading
4266 @item gnus-show-threads
4267 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4268 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4269 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4270 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4271 slower and more awkward.
4273 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4274 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4275 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4276 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
4277 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4278 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4279 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4280 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4281 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4282 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4283 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4284 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4286 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4287 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4288 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4289 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4290 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4291 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
4292 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4293 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4294 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4295 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4296 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4297 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4298 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4299 @code{nil} by default.
4301 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4302 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4303 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4304 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4305 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4306 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4307 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
4308 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4309 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4310 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4311 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4313 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4314 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4315 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
4317 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4318 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4319 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4320 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4321 simplification is used.
4323 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4324 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4325 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4326 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4328 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4330 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4336 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4337 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4338 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4339 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4344 (mapconcat 'identity
4345 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4347 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4350 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4353 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4354 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4355 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4356 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4357 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4358 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4359 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
4360 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4362 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4363 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4364 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4365 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4366 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4367 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4368 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
4369 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
4370 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4374 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4375 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4376 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4377 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4379 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4380 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4381 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4384 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4388 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4389 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4392 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4393 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4394 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4395 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4396 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4397 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4399 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4400 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4401 There are four possible values:
4403 @cindex adopting articles
4408 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4409 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4410 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4411 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4414 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4415 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4416 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4417 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4418 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4419 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4420 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4423 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4424 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4425 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4429 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4430 display them after one another.
4433 Don't gather loose threads.
4436 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4437 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4438 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4441 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4442 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4443 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4446 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4447 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4448 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4449 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4450 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4453 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4454 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4455 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4460 @node Thread Commands
4461 @subsection Thread Commands
4462 @cindex thread commands
4468 @kindex T k (Summary)
4469 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4470 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4471 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4472 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4473 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4478 @kindex T l (Summary)
4479 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4480 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4481 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4482 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4485 @kindex T i (Summary)
4486 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4487 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4488 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4491 @kindex T # (Summary)
4492 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4493 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4494 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4497 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4498 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4499 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4500 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4503 @kindex T T (Summary)
4504 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4505 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4508 @kindex T s (Summary)
4509 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4510 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4511 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4514 @kindex T h (Summary)
4515 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4516 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4519 @kindex T S (Summary)
4520 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4521 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4524 @kindex T H (Summary)
4525 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4526 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4529 @kindex T t (Summary)
4530 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4531 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
4532 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4533 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4536 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4537 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4538 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4539 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
4543 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4544 understand the numeric prefix.
4549 @kindex T n (Summary)
4550 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4551 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4554 @kindex T p (Summary)
4555 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4556 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4559 @kindex T d (Summary)
4560 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4561 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4564 @kindex T u (Summary)
4565 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4566 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4569 @kindex T o (Summary)
4570 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4571 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4574 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4575 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4576 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4577 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4578 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4579 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4580 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4581 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4582 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4583 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4584 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4585 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4591 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4592 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4593 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4594 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4595 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4596 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4597 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4598 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4599 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4600 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4601 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4602 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4603 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4604 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4606 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
4607 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4608 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4609 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4610 in the list. You should probably always include
4611 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4612 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4613 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4614 ascending article order.
4616 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4617 number, you could do something like:
4620 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4621 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4622 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4623 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4626 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4627 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4628 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4629 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4630 which the articles arrived.
4632 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4636 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4638 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
4639 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4642 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4643 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4644 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4645 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4648 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4649 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4650 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4651 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4652 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4653 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4654 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4655 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4656 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4657 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4658 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4659 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4660 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4662 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4666 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4667 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4668 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4673 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4674 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4675 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4676 @cindex article pre-fetch
4679 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4680 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4681 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4682 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4683 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4685 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4686 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4688 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4689 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4690 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4691 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4692 connection is blocked.
4694 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4695 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4696 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4697 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4699 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4700 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4701 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4702 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4705 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4708 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4709 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4710 happen automatically.
4712 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
4713 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4714 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
4715 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
4716 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
4717 pre-fetch all the articles that it can without bound. If it is
4718 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be made.
4720 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
4721 @findex gnus-async-read-p
4722 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
4723 articles, for instance. Which articles to pre-fetch is controlled by
4724 the @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable. This function should
4725 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
4726 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
4727 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
4728 data structure as the only parameter.
4730 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles that are
4731 shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
4734 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
4735 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
4736 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
4737 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
4740 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
4743 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
4744 preferrably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
4745 It's also probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
4747 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
4748 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
4749 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
4750 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
4754 Remove articles when they are read.
4757 Remove articles when exiting the group.
4760 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
4762 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
4763 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
4764 from the next group.
4767 @node Article Caching
4768 @section Article Caching
4769 @cindex article caching
4772 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4773 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4774 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4775 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4776 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4778 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4780 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4781 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4782 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4783 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4784 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4785 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4786 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4787 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4789 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4790 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4791 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4792 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4793 as dormant, and don't worry.
4795 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4797 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4798 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4799 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4800 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4801 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4802 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4803 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4804 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4805 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4806 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4808 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4809 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4810 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4811 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4812 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
4813 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4814 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4816 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4817 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4818 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4819 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4820 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4821 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4822 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4825 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4826 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4827 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4828 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4829 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4830 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4831 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4832 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4833 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4837 @node Persistent Articles
4838 @section Persistent Articles
4839 @cindex persistent articles
4841 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4842 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4843 useful in my opinion.
4845 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4846 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4847 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4848 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4849 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4850 the expiry going on at the news server.
4852 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4853 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4854 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4860 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4861 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4864 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4865 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4866 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4867 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4871 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4873 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4874 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4875 interested in persistent articles:
4878 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4882 @node Article Backlog
4883 @section Article Backlog
4885 @cindex article backlog
4887 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4888 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4889 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4890 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4891 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4892 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4893 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4894 increase memory usage some.
4896 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4897 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4898 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4899 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4900 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4901 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4902 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4904 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4907 @node Saving Articles
4908 @section Saving Articles
4909 @cindex saving articles
4911 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4912 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4913 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4914 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4915 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4917 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4918 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4919 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4921 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4922 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4923 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4924 deleted before saving.
4930 @kindex O o (Summary)
4932 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4933 Save the current article using the default article saver
4934 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4937 @kindex O m (Summary)
4938 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4939 Save the current article in mail format
4940 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4943 @kindex O r (Summary)
4944 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4945 Save the current article in rmail format
4946 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4949 @kindex O f (Summary)
4950 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4951 Save the current article in plain file format
4952 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4955 @kindex O F (Summary)
4956 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
4957 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
4958 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
4961 @kindex O b (Summary)
4962 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
4963 Save the current article body in plain file format
4964 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
4967 @kindex O h (Summary)
4968 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
4969 Save the current article in mh folder format
4970 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
4973 @kindex O v (Summary)
4974 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
4975 Save the current article in a VM folder
4976 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
4979 @kindex O p (Summary)
4980 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
4981 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
4982 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
4985 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
4986 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
4987 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
4988 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
4989 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
4990 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
4991 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
4992 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
4993 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
4994 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
4995 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
4996 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5000 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5001 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5002 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5003 functions below, or you can create your own.
5007 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5008 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5009 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5010 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5011 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5012 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5013 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5015 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5016 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5017 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5018 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5019 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5020 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5022 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5023 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5024 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5025 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5026 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5027 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5028 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5030 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5031 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5032 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5033 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5034 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5036 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5037 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5038 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5039 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5040 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5043 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5044 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5045 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5046 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5047 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
5048 the latter does not.
5050 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5051 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5052 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5053 reader to use this setting.
5056 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5057 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5058 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5059 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5062 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5063 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5064 available functions that generate names:
5068 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5069 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5070 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5072 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5073 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5074 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5076 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5077 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5078 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5080 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5081 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5082 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5085 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5086 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5087 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5088 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5089 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5093 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5094 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5095 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5096 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5099 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5100 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5101 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5102 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5103 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5104 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5105 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5106 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5107 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5109 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5110 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5111 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5112 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5114 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5115 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5116 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5119 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5120 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5121 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5122 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5123 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5124 all the files in the toplevel directory
5125 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5126 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5127 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5128 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5130 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5131 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5132 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5133 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5134 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5137 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5141 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5142 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5145 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5146 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5147 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5148 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5151 @node Decoding Articles
5152 @section Decoding Articles
5153 @cindex decoding articles
5155 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5156 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5159 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5160 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
5161 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5162 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5163 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5166 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5167 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5168 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5169 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5170 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5172 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5173 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5174 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5176 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5177 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5178 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5180 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5181 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5182 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5185 @node Uuencoded Articles
5186 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5188 @cindex uuencoded articles
5193 @kindex X u (Summary)
5194 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5195 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5198 @kindex X U (Summary)
5199 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5200 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5201 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5204 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5205 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5206 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5209 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5210 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5211 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5212 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5215 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5216 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5217 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5218 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5219 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5221 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5222 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5223 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5224 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5227 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5228 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5229 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5230 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5231 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5232 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5236 @node Shared Articles
5237 @subsection Shared Articles
5239 @cindex shared articles
5244 @kindex X s (Summary)
5245 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5246 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5249 @kindex X S (Summary)
5250 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5251 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5254 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5255 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5256 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5259 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5260 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5261 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5262 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5266 @node PostScript Files
5267 @subsection PostScript Files
5273 @kindex X p (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5275 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5278 @kindex X P (Summary)
5279 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5280 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5281 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5284 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5286 View the current PostScript series
5287 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5290 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5291 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5292 View and save the current PostScript series
5293 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5297 @node Decoding Variables
5298 @subsection Decoding Variables
5300 Adjective, not verb.
5303 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5304 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5305 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5309 @node Rule Variables
5310 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5311 @cindex rule variables
5313 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5314 variables are on the form
5317 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5324 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5325 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5327 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5328 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5331 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5332 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5335 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5336 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5337 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5338 user and default view rules.
5340 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5341 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5342 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5347 @node Other Decode Variables
5348 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5351 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5353 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5354 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
5355 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5356 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5357 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5361 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5362 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5365 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5366 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5367 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5370 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5371 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5372 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5373 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5374 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5377 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5378 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5379 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5381 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5382 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5383 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5384 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5385 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5388 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5389 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5390 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5392 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5393 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5394 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5395 looking for files to display.
5397 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5398 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5399 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5402 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5403 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5404 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5407 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5408 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5409 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5412 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5413 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5414 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5417 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5418 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5419 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
5420 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
5422 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5423 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5424 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5425 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5427 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5428 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5430 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5431 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5432 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5433 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5435 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5436 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5437 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5438 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5439 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5440 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5441 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5442 simply dropped them.
5447 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5448 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5452 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5453 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5454 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5455 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5456 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5457 for you when you post the article.
5459 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5460 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5461 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5462 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5464 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5465 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5466 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5467 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
5468 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5469 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5470 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5472 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5473 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5474 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5475 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5476 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5477 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5478 Default is @code{t}.
5484 @subsection Viewing Files
5485 @cindex viewing files
5486 @cindex pseudo-articles
5488 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5489 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5490 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5491 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5492 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5493 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5494 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5496 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5497 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5498 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5499 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5501 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5502 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5503 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5505 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5506 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5507 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5508 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5509 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5511 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5512 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5513 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5514 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5515 a list of parameters to that command.
5517 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5518 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5519 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5521 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5522 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5523 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5526 @node Article Treatment
5527 @section Article Treatment
5529 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5530 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
5531 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
5532 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
5533 these articles easier.
5536 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
5537 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
5538 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
5539 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
5540 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
5541 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
5545 @node Article Highlighting
5546 @subsection Article Highlighting
5549 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
5550 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
5555 @kindex W H a (Summary)
5556 @findex gnus-article-highlight
5557 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
5560 @kindex W H h (Summary)
5561 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
5562 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
5563 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
5564 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
5565 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
5566 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
5567 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
5568 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
5569 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
5570 prepended---Gnus will add one.
5573 @kindex W H c (Summary)
5574 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
5575 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
5577 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
5580 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5582 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5583 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
5584 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
5586 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5587 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5588 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
5590 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
5591 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
5592 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
5594 @item gnus-cite-face-list
5595 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
5596 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
5597 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
5598 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
5601 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
5602 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
5603 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
5605 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5606 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5607 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
5609 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5610 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5611 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
5612 that it's a citation.
5614 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5615 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5616 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
5618 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5619 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5620 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
5622 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
5623 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
5624 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5625 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5631 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5632 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5633 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5634 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5635 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5636 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
5637 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
5638 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
5644 @node Article Hiding
5645 @subsection Article Hiding
5646 @cindex article hiding
5648 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5649 too much cruft in most articles.
5654 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5655 @findex gnus-article-hide
5656 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5659 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5660 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5661 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5665 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5666 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5667 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5668 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5671 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5672 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5673 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
5677 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5678 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5679 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5682 @kindex W W P (Summary)
5683 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
5684 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) gruft
5685 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
5688 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5689 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5690 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5691 customizing the hiding:
5695 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5696 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5697 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5698 50), hide the cited text.
5700 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5701 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5702 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5705 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5706 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5707 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5708 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5709 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
5714 Start point of the hidden text.
5716 End point of the hidden text.
5718 Length of the hidden text.
5721 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5722 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5723 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5728 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5729 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5730 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5731 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5732 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5733 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5737 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5738 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5739 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5741 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5742 citation customization.
5745 @node Article Washing
5746 @subsection Article Washing
5748 @cindex article washing
5750 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5751 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5753 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5754 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5760 @kindex W l (Summary)
5761 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5762 Remove page breaks from the current article
5763 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5766 @kindex W r (Summary)
5767 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5768 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5769 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5772 @kindex W t (Summary)
5773 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5774 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5775 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5778 @kindex W v (Summary)
5779 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5780 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5781 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5784 @kindex W m (Summary)
5785 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5786 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5787 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5790 @kindex W o (Summary)
5791 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5792 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5795 @kindex W w (Summary)
5796 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5797 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
5798 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
5799 late and certainly after any highlighting.
5802 @kindex W c (Summary)
5803 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5804 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5807 @kindex W q (Summary)
5808 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5809 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5812 @kindex W f (Summary)
5814 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5815 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5816 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5817 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5818 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5819 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5820 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
5821 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
5822 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
5823 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
5824 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
5825 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
5826 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
5827 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
5828 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
5829 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
5830 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
5831 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
5835 @kindex W b (Summary)
5836 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5837 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5840 @kindex W B (Summary)
5841 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5842 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5843 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5846 @kindex W E l (Summary)
5847 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
5848 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
5849 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
5852 @kindex W E m (Summary)
5853 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
5854 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
5855 lines with a single empty line.
5856 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
5859 @kindex W E t (Summary)
5860 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5861 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5862 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5865 @kindex W E a (Summary)
5866 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
5867 Do all the three commands above
5868 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
5873 @node Article Buttons
5874 @subsection Article Buttons
5877 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5878 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5879 with the minimum of fuzz.
5881 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5882 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5883 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5888 @item gnus-button-alist
5889 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5890 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5893 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5899 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5900 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5901 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5904 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
5905 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
5906 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
5909 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
5910 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
5911 avoid false matches.
5914 This function will be called when you click on this button.
5917 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
5918 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
5922 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
5925 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
5928 @item gnus-header-button-alist
5929 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
5930 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
5931 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
5932 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
5935 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5938 @var{header} is a regular expression.
5940 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
5941 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
5942 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
5943 default values of the variables above.
5945 @item gnus-article-button-face
5946 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
5947 Face used on buttons.
5949 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
5950 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
5951 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
5957 @subsection Article Date
5959 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
5960 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
5961 when the article was sent.
5966 @kindex W T u (Summary)
5967 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
5968 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
5969 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
5972 @kindex W T l (Summary)
5973 @findex gnus-article-date-local
5974 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
5977 @kindex W T e (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
5979 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
5980 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
5983 @kindex W T o (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-article-date-original
5985 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
5986 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
5987 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
5988 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
5989 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
5994 @node Article Signature
5995 @subsection Article Signature
5997 @cindex article signature
5999 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6000 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6001 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6002 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6003 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6004 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6005 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6006 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6007 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6010 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6011 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6012 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6013 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6014 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6015 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6016 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6017 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6020 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6023 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6024 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6029 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6032 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6035 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6036 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6038 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6039 in question is not a signature.
6042 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6046 @node Summary Sorting
6047 @section Summary Sorting
6048 @cindex summary sorting
6050 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6051 can't really see why you'd want that.
6056 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6057 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6058 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6061 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6062 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6063 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6066 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6067 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6068 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6071 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6072 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6073 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6076 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6077 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6078 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6081 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6082 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6083 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6084 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6085 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6089 @node Finding the Parent
6090 @section Finding the Parent
6091 @cindex parent articles
6092 @cindex referring articles
6094 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6096 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6097 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6098 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6099 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6100 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6101 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6102 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6103 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6105 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6106 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6107 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6108 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6109 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6112 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6113 @kindex A R (Summary)
6114 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
6115 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
6116 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6118 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6119 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6121 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6122 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6123 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6124 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6125 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6126 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6127 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6129 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6130 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6131 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6132 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6133 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
6134 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
6135 not really necessary.
6137 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6138 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6139 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6140 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6141 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6142 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6145 @node Alternative Approaches
6146 @section Alternative Approaches
6148 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6149 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6152 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6153 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6158 @subsection Pick and Read
6159 @cindex pick and read
6161 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
6162 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
6163 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
6164 an article buffer displayed.
6166 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6167 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6168 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6169 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6170 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6171 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
6174 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6179 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6180 Pick the article on the current line
6181 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6182 go to the article on that line and pick that article. (The line number
6183 is normally displayed on the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6186 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6187 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6188 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6189 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6193 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6194 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6198 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6199 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6203 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6204 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6208 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6209 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6213 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6214 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6218 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6219 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6223 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6224 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6228 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6229 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6233 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6234 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6238 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6239 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6243 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6244 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6245 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6246 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6247 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6248 will still be visible when you are reading.
6252 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6255 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6258 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6259 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6261 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6262 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6263 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6265 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6266 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different than the
6267 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6268 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6269 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6270 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6271 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6275 @subsection Binary Groups
6276 @cindex binary groups
6278 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6279 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6280 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6281 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6282 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6283 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6284 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6287 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6288 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
6289 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6291 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6292 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6296 @section Tree Display
6299 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6300 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6301 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6302 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6305 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6308 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6309 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6310 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6312 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6313 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6314 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6315 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
6318 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6319 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6320 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6321 default is @code{modeline}.
6323 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6324 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6325 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6326 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6327 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6328 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6329 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6335 The name of the poster.
6337 The @code{From} header.
6339 The number of the article.
6341 The opening bracket.
6343 The closing bracket.
6348 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6350 Variables related to the display are:
6353 @item gnus-tree-brackets
6354 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
6355 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
6356 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
6357 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
6358 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
6360 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6361 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6362 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
6363 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
6367 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
6368 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
6369 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
6370 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
6371 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
6372 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
6374 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
6375 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
6376 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6377 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
6378 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
6379 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
6380 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
6384 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
6387 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
6397 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
6401 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
6402 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
6404 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
6406 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
6412 @node Mail Group Commands
6413 @section Mail Group Commands
6414 @cindex mail group commands
6416 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
6417 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
6419 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
6420 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6425 @kindex B e (Summary)
6426 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
6427 Expire all expirable articles in the group
6428 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
6431 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
6432 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
6433 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
6434 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
6435 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
6436 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
6439 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
6440 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
6441 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
6442 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
6443 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
6446 @kindex B m (Summary)
6448 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
6449 Move the article from one mail group to another
6450 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6453 @kindex B c (Summary)
6455 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
6456 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
6457 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
6460 @kindex B C (Summary)
6461 @cindex crosspost mail
6462 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
6463 Crosspost the current article to some other group
6464 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
6465 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
6466 be properly updated.
6469 @kindex B i (Summary)
6470 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
6471 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
6472 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
6473 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
6476 @kindex B r (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
6478 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6482 @kindex B w (Summary)
6484 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
6485 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
6486 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
6487 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
6488 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
6491 @kindex B q (Summary)
6492 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
6493 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
6494 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
6495 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
6498 @kindex B p (Summary)
6499 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
6500 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
6501 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
6502 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
6503 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
6504 article from your news server (or rather, from
6505 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
6506 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
6507 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
6508 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
6509 just not have arrived yet.
6513 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
6514 @cindex moving articles
6515 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
6516 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
6517 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
6518 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
6519 suggestions you find reasonable.
6522 @node Various Summary Stuff
6523 @section Various Summary Stuff
6526 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
6527 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
6528 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
6529 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
6533 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
6534 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
6535 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
6537 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
6538 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
6539 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
6540 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
6541 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
6542 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
6545 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6546 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6547 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
6548 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
6549 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
6554 @node Summary Group Information
6555 @subsection Summary Group Information
6560 @kindex H f (Summary)
6561 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
6562 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
6563 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
6564 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
6565 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
6566 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
6567 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
6568 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
6572 @kindex H d (Summary)
6573 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
6574 Give a brief description of the current group
6575 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
6576 rereading the description from the server.
6579 @kindex H h (Summary)
6580 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
6581 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
6582 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
6585 @kindex H i (Summary)
6586 @findex gnus-info-find-node
6587 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
6591 @node Searching for Articles
6592 @subsection Searching for Articles
6597 @kindex M-s (Summary)
6598 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
6599 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
6600 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
6603 @kindex M-r (Summary)
6604 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
6605 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
6606 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
6610 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
6611 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
6612 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
6613 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
6616 @kindex M-& (Summary)
6617 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
6618 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
6619 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
6622 @node Summary Generation Commands
6623 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
6628 @kindex Y g (Summary)
6629 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
6630 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
6633 @kindex Y c (Summary)
6634 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
6635 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
6636 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
6641 @node Really Various Summary Commands
6642 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
6647 @kindex C-d (Summary)
6648 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
6649 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
6650 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
6651 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
6652 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
6653 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
6654 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
6655 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
6659 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
6660 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
6661 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
6662 several documents into one biiig group
6663 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
6664 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
6665 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
6666 command understands the process/prefix convention
6667 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6670 @kindex C-t (Summary)
6671 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
6672 Toggle truncation of summary lines
6673 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
6674 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
6675 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
6679 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
6680 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
6681 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
6686 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
6687 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
6688 @cindex summary exit
6689 @cindex exiting groups
6691 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
6692 group and return you to the group buffer.
6698 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
6700 @findex gnus-summary-exit
6701 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
6702 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
6703 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
6704 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
6705 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
6706 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
6707 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
6712 @kindex Z E (Summary)
6714 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
6715 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
6716 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
6720 @kindex Z c (Summary)
6722 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
6723 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
6724 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
6727 @kindex Z C (Summary)
6728 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
6729 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
6730 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
6733 @kindex Z n (Summary)
6734 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
6735 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
6736 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
6739 @kindex Z R (Summary)
6740 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
6741 Exit this group, and then enter it again
6742 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
6743 all articles, both read and unread.
6747 @kindex Z G (Summary)
6748 @kindex M-g (Summary)
6749 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
6750 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
6751 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
6752 articles, both read and unread.
6755 @kindex Z N (Summary)
6756 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
6757 Exit the group and go to the next group
6758 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
6761 @kindex Z P (Summary)
6762 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
6763 Exit the group and go to the previous group
6764 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
6767 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
6768 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
6771 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
6772 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
6773 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
6774 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
6775 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
6776 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
6777 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
6778 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6779 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6780 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6781 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6782 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6784 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6786 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6787 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6788 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6789 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6790 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6791 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6792 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6793 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6794 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
6797 @node Crosspost Handling
6798 @section Crosspost Handling
6802 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6803 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6804 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6805 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6806 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6807 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
6810 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6811 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
6812 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
6813 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
6814 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
6816 @cindex cross-posting
6819 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6820 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6821 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6822 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6823 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6824 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6825 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6826 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6827 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6828 the cross reference mechanism.
6830 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6831 @cindex overview.fmt
6832 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6833 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
6834 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
6835 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
6836 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
6837 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
6840 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6841 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6842 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6847 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6850 @node Duplicate Suppression
6851 @section Duplicate Suppression
6853 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
6854 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
6855 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
6856 approach may not work satisfactorily for some users for various
6861 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
6862 is evil and not very common.
6865 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
6866 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
6869 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
6870 different @sc{nntp} servers.
6873 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
6876 I'm sure there are other situations that @code{Xref} handling fails as
6877 well, but these four are the most common situations.
6879 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
6880 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
6881 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
6882 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
6883 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
6884 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
6885 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
6888 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
6889 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
6890 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
6891 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
6892 article as read the the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
6896 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
6897 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
6898 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
6900 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
6901 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
6902 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
6903 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
6904 However, this means that only duplicate articles that is read in a
6905 single Gnus session are suppressed.
6907 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
6908 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
6909 This variables says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
6910 suppression list. The default is 10000.
6912 @item gnus-duplicate-file
6913 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
6914 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list. The
6915 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
6918 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
6919 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
6920 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
6921 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
6922 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
6923 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
6924 to you to figure out, I think.
6927 @node The Article Buffer
6928 @chapter The Article Buffer
6929 @cindex article buffer
6931 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
6932 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
6933 tell Gnus otherwise.
6936 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
6937 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
6938 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
6939 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
6940 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
6944 @node Hiding Headers
6945 @section Hiding Headers
6946 @cindex hiding headers
6947 @cindex deleting headers
6949 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
6950 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
6952 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
6953 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
6954 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
6955 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
6956 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
6957 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
6958 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
6959 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
6960 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
6962 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
6966 @item gnus-visible-headers
6967 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
6968 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
6969 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
6970 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
6972 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
6973 the article and the subject, you'd say:
6976 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
6979 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6982 @item gnus-ignored-headers
6983 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
6984 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
6985 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
6986 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
6987 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
6989 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
6990 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
6993 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
6996 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6999 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7000 variable will have no effect.
7004 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7005 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7006 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7007 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7008 the headers are to be displayed.
7010 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7011 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7014 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7017 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7018 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
7019 are listed in this variable.
7021 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7022 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7023 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7024 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7025 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7026 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7027 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7028 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7029 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7031 These conditions are:
7034 Remove all empty headers.
7036 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7039 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7040 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7042 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7045 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7049 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7052 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7053 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7056 This is also the default value for this variable.
7060 @section Using @sc{mime}
7063 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7064 while people stand around yawning.
7066 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7067 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7069 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7070 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7071 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7073 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7074 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7075 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7076 @findex metamail-buffer
7077 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7078 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7079 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7080 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7081 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7082 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7083 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7084 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7086 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7087 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7088 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7089 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7090 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7091 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7092 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7093 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7094 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7096 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7099 @node Customizing Articles
7100 @section Customizing Articles
7101 @cindex article customization
7103 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7104 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7105 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7106 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7108 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7109 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7110 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7111 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7112 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7113 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7114 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7115 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7116 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7118 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7119 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7120 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7121 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7122 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7125 @node Article Keymap
7126 @section Article Keymap
7128 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7129 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7130 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7131 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7134 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7139 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7140 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7141 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7144 @kindex DEL (Article)
7145 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7146 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7149 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7150 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7151 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7152 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7153 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7156 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7157 @findex gnus-article-mail
7158 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7159 given a prefix, include the mail.
7163 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7164 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7165 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7169 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7170 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7171 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7174 @kindex TAB (Article)
7175 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7176 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
7177 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7180 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7181 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7182 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
7188 @section Misc Article
7192 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7193 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7194 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7195 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7198 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7199 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7200 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7201 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7202 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7203 the contents of the article buffer.
7205 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7206 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7207 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7208 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7209 hiding headers, and the like.
7211 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7212 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7213 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7215 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7216 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7217 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7218 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7219 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7223 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7224 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7228 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7230 @item gnus-break-pages
7231 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7232 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7233 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7234 paging will not be done.
7236 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7237 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7238 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7243 @node Composing Messages
7244 @chapter Composing Messages
7249 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7250 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7251 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7252 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7253 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7254 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7255 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7258 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
7259 * Post:: Posting and following up.
7260 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
7261 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
7262 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
7263 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
7264 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
7265 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
7268 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
7269 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
7275 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
7278 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
7279 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
7280 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
7281 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
7289 Variables for composing news articles:
7292 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7293 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7294 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
7295 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
7296 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
7297 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
7298 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
7299 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
7300 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
7303 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7304 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7305 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
7306 file. It is 1000 by default.
7311 @node Posting Server
7312 @section Posting Server
7314 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
7315 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
7317 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
7319 @vindex gnus-post-method
7321 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
7322 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
7323 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
7324 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
7325 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
7328 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
7331 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
7332 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
7333 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
7334 the ``current'' server for posting.
7336 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
7337 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
7339 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
7340 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
7345 @section Mail and Post
7347 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
7351 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7352 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7353 @cindex mailing lists
7355 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
7356 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7357 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7358 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7359 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7360 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
7361 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7362 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7363 still a pain, though.
7367 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
7368 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
7369 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
7372 @findex ispell-message
7374 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
7378 @node Archived Messages
7379 @section Archived Messages
7380 @cindex archived messages
7381 @cindex sent messages
7383 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
7384 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
7385 the mail. If you want to disable this completely, you should set
7386 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}.
7388 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
7389 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
7390 use to store sent messages. The default is:
7394 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))
7397 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
7398 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
7399 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
7400 directory chosen, you could say something like:
7403 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
7404 '(nnfolder "archive"
7405 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
7406 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
7407 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
7410 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
7412 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
7413 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
7414 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
7416 This variable can be:
7420 Messages will be saved in that group.
7421 @item a list of strings
7422 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
7423 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
7424 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
7426 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
7431 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
7433 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
7436 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
7438 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
7441 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
7443 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7444 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
7445 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
7446 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
7451 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7452 '((if (message-news-p)
7457 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
7458 messages in one file per month:
7461 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7462 '((if (message-news-p)
7464 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
7465 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
7468 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
7469 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
7470 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
7471 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
7472 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
7473 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
7474 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
7475 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
7476 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
7477 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
7479 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also a different
7480 way for the people who don't like the default method. In that case you
7481 should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}; this will
7484 XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
7485 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
7488 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
7489 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
7490 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
7491 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
7492 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
7495 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
7496 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
7497 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
7502 @c @node Posting Styles
7503 @c @section Posting Styles
7504 @c @cindex posting styles
7507 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
7509 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
7510 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
7511 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
7514 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
7515 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
7516 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
7517 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
7518 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
7523 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
7524 @c (organization . "What me?"))
7526 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
7527 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
7528 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
7531 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
7532 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
7533 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
7534 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
7535 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
7536 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
7537 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
7538 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
7540 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
7541 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
7542 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
7543 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
7544 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
7545 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
7548 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
7549 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
7550 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
7551 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
7552 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
7555 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
7556 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
7557 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
7559 @c So here's a new example:
7562 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
7564 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
7565 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
7566 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
7567 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
7569 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
7570 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
7571 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
7572 @c (posting-from-work-p
7573 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
7574 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
7575 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
7577 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
7584 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
7585 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
7586 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
7587 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
7588 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
7590 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
7591 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
7592 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
7593 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
7594 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
7598 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
7599 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
7600 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
7601 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
7602 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
7603 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
7604 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
7605 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
7607 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
7610 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
7611 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
7612 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
7613 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
7614 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
7615 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
7616 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
7617 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
7618 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
7619 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
7620 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
7621 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
7622 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
7623 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
7625 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
7626 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
7627 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
7629 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
7630 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
7631 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
7632 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
7633 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
7635 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
7638 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
7639 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
7640 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
7641 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
7642 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7645 @c @node Rejected Articles
7646 @c @section Rejected Articles
7647 @c @cindex rejected articles
7649 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
7650 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
7651 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
7652 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
7654 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
7655 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
7656 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
7657 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
7658 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
7660 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
7661 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
7662 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
7665 @node Select Methods
7666 @chapter Select Methods
7667 @cindex foreign groups
7668 @cindex select methods
7670 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
7671 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
7672 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
7673 personal mail group.
7675 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
7676 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
7677 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
7678 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
7679 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
7680 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
7682 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
7683 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
7685 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
7688 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
7689 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
7690 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
7691 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
7692 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
7694 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
7697 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
7698 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
7699 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
7700 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
7701 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
7705 @node The Server Buffer
7706 @section The Server Buffer
7708 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
7709 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
7710 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
7711 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
7712 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
7713 backend represents a virtual server.
7715 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
7716 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
7717 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
7718 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
7720 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
7721 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
7722 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
7723 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
7724 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
7725 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
7726 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
7728 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
7729 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
7732 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
7733 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
7734 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
7735 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
7736 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
7737 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
7740 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
7741 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
7744 @node Server Buffer Format
7745 @subsection Server Buffer Format
7746 @cindex server buffer format
7748 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
7749 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
7750 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
7751 variable, with some simple extensions:
7756 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
7759 The name of this server.
7762 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
7765 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
7768 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
7769 The mode line can also be customized by using the
7770 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
7781 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
7784 @node Server Commands
7785 @subsection Server Commands
7786 @cindex server commands
7792 @findex gnus-server-add-server
7793 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
7797 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
7798 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
7801 @kindex SPACE (Server)
7802 @findex gnus-server-read-server
7803 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
7807 @findex gnus-server-exit
7808 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
7812 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
7813 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
7817 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
7818 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
7822 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
7823 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
7827 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
7828 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
7832 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
7833 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
7834 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
7840 @node Example Methods
7841 @subsection Example Methods
7843 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
7846 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
7849 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
7855 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
7856 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
7859 After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
7860 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
7862 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
7863 port 15 from that machine. This is what the select method should
7867 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
7870 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
7871 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
7873 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
7874 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
7875 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
7879 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
7882 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
7885 Here's the method for a public spool:
7889 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
7890 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
7894 @node Creating a Virtual Server
7895 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
7897 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
7898 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
7900 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
7901 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
7902 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
7904 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
7906 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
7907 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
7908 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
7909 will contain the following:
7919 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
7920 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
7921 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
7924 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
7925 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
7926 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
7929 @node Servers and Methods
7930 @subsection Servers and Methods
7932 Wherever you would normally use a select method
7933 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
7934 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
7935 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
7939 @node Unavailable Servers
7940 @subsection Unavailable Servers
7942 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
7943 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
7944 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
7945 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
7946 actually the case or not.
7948 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
7949 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
7950 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
7951 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
7952 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
7953 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
7954 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
7955 regard that server as ``down''.
7957 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
7958 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
7960 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
7961 with the following commands:
7967 @findex gnus-server-open-server
7968 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
7969 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
7973 @findex gnus-server-close-server
7974 Close the connection (if any) to the server
7975 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
7979 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
7980 Mark the current server as unreachable
7981 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
7984 @kindex M-o (Server)
7985 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
7986 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
7987 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
7990 @kindex M-c (Server)
7991 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
7992 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
7993 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
7997 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
7998 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
7999 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8005 @section Getting News
8006 @cindex reading news
8007 @cindex news backends
8009 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8010 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8011 or it can read from a local spool.
8014 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8015 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8020 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8023 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8024 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8025 server as the, uhm, address.
8027 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8028 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8029 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8030 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8032 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8033 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8034 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8036 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8041 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8042 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8043 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8045 @cindex authentification
8046 @cindex nntp authentification
8047 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8048 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8049 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
8050 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
8051 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
8052 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function.
8054 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8055 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8056 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8057 server. Available functions include:
8060 @item nntp-send-authinfo
8061 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8062 This function will used you current login name as the user name and will
8063 prompt you for the password. This is the default.
8065 @item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8066 @findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8067 This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
8069 @item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8070 @findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8071 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
8072 read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
8075 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8076 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8077 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8078 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8079 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8082 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8086 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8088 The default value is
8091 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8092 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8095 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8096 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8098 @item nntp-maximum-request
8099 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8100 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8101 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8102 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8103 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8104 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
8105 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
8107 @item nntp-connection-timeout
8108 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
8109 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
8110 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
8111 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8112 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8113 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8114 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
8115 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
8116 no timeouts are done.
8118 @item nntp-command-timeout
8119 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
8120 @cindex PPP connections
8121 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
8122 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
8123 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
8124 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
8125 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
8126 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
8127 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
8128 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
8129 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
8130 likely number is 30 seconds.
8132 @item nntp-retry-on-break
8133 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
8134 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
8135 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
8138 @item nntp-server-hook
8139 @vindex nntp-server-hook
8140 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
8143 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
8144 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
8145 @item nntp-open-server-function
8146 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
8147 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
8148 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
8149 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
8150 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
8151 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
8153 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
8154 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
8155 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
8156 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
8157 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
8159 @item nntp-end-of-line
8160 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
8161 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
8162 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
8163 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
8165 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8166 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8167 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
8171 @vindex nntp-address
8172 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
8174 @item nntp-port-number
8175 @vindex nntp-port-number
8176 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
8179 @item nntp-buggy-select
8180 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
8181 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
8183 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
8184 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
8185 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
8186 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
8187 can be used automatically.
8189 @item nntp-xover-commands
8190 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
8193 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
8194 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
8198 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
8199 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
8200 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
8201 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
8202 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
8203 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
8204 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
8205 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
8206 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
8207 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
8208 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
8210 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
8211 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
8212 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
8214 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8215 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8216 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
8217 server closes connection.
8223 @subsection News Spool
8227 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
8228 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
8229 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
8232 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
8233 anything else) as the address.
8235 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
8236 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
8237 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
8238 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
8242 @item nnspool-inews-program
8243 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
8244 Program used to post an article.
8246 @item nnspool-inews-switches
8247 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
8248 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
8250 @item nnspool-spool-directory
8251 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
8252 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
8253 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
8255 @item nnspool-nov-directory
8256 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
8257 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
8258 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
8260 @item nnspool-lib-dir
8261 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
8262 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
8264 @item nnspool-active-file
8265 @vindex nnspool-active-file
8266 The path of the active file.
8268 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
8269 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
8270 The path of the group descriptions file.
8272 @item nnspool-history-file
8273 @vindex nnspool-history-file
8274 The path of the news history file.
8276 @item nnspool-active-times-file
8277 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
8278 The path of the active date file.
8280 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
8281 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
8282 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
8285 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8286 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8288 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
8289 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
8290 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
8296 @section Getting Mail
8297 @cindex reading mail
8300 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
8304 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
8305 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
8306 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
8307 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
8308 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
8309 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
8310 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
8311 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
8312 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
8313 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
8314 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
8318 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
8319 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
8321 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
8322 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
8323 and things will happen automatically.
8325 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
8326 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
8329 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
8330 '((nnml "private")))
8333 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
8334 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
8335 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
8336 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
8337 like any other group.
8339 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
8342 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8343 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8344 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8348 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
8349 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
8350 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
8353 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
8354 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
8355 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
8358 @node Splitting Mail
8359 @subsection Splitting Mail
8360 @cindex splitting mail
8361 @cindex mail splitting
8363 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
8364 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
8365 to be split into groups.
8368 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8369 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8370 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8374 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
8375 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
8376 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
8377 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
8378 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
8380 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
8381 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
8384 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
8385 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
8386 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
8387 mail belongs in that group.
8389 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
8390 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
8391 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
8393 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
8394 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
8395 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
8396 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
8397 thinks should carry this mail message.
8399 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
8400 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
8401 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
8402 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
8404 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
8405 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
8406 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
8407 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
8408 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
8410 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
8413 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
8414 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
8415 links. If that's the case for you, set
8416 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
8417 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
8419 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
8420 @kindex nnmail-split-history
8421 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
8422 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
8424 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
8425 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
8426 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
8427 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
8428 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
8429 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
8430 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
8431 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
8435 @node Mail Backend Variables
8436 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
8438 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
8442 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8443 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8444 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
8445 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
8447 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
8448 @item nnmail-spool-file
8452 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
8453 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
8454 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
8455 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
8456 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
8457 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
8458 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
8459 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
8460 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
8461 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
8462 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
8463 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
8464 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
8465 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
8466 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
8468 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
8469 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
8472 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
8473 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
8474 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
8475 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
8476 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
8477 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
8479 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
8480 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8481 @item nnmail-use-procmail
8482 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
8483 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
8484 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
8485 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
8488 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
8489 @item nnmail-crash-box
8490 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
8491 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
8492 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
8495 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8496 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8497 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
8498 used for, well, anything, really.
8500 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
8501 @item nnmail-split-hook
8502 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
8503 @findex RFC1522 decoding
8504 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
8505 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
8506 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
8507 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
8508 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{article-decode-rfc1522}
8509 is one likely function to add to this hook.
8511 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8512 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8513 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8514 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8515 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
8516 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
8517 starting to handle the new mail) and
8518 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
8519 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
8520 default file modes the new mail files get:
8523 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8524 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
8526 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
8527 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
8530 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
8531 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
8532 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
8533 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
8534 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
8535 it will be used instead.
8537 @item nnmail-movemail-program
8538 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
8539 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
8540 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
8542 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
8543 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
8546 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
8547 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
8548 @cindex incoming mail files
8549 @cindex deleting incoming files
8550 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
8551 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
8552 default for reasons of security.
8554 Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
8555 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
8556 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point.) By not deleting the
8557 Incoming* files, one can be sure to not lose mail -- if Gnus totally
8558 whacks out, one can always recover what was lost.
8560 Delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
8562 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
8563 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
8564 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
8565 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
8566 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
8569 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
8570 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
8572 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
8577 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
8578 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
8579 @cindex mail splitting
8580 @cindex fancy mail splitting
8582 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
8583 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
8584 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
8585 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
8586 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
8587 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
8589 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
8592 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
8593 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
8594 ;; from real errors.
8595 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
8597 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
8598 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
8599 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
8600 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
8601 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
8602 ;; Other mailing lists...
8603 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
8604 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
8606 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
8607 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
8611 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
8612 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
8613 the five possible split syntaxes:
8618 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
8621 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
8622 element is a string, then that means that if header FIELD (a regexp)
8623 contains VALUE (also a regexp), then store the message as specified by
8627 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8628 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
8629 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
8630 be stored in one or more groups.
8633 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8634 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
8637 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
8638 this message anywhere.
8642 In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name. VALUE must
8643 match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
8644 You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial field names or
8647 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
8648 FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are expanded
8649 as specified by the variable @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is
8650 an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the key, and
8651 the cdr contains a string.
8653 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
8654 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
8655 when all this splitting is performed.
8658 @node Mail and Procmail
8659 @subsection Mail and Procmail
8664 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
8665 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
8666 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
8667 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
8668 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
8670 This also means that you probably don't want to set
8671 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
8674 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
8675 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
8676 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
8677 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
8678 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
8679 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
8681 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
8684 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
8686 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
8687 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
8689 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
8690 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
8691 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
8692 to include all your mail groups.
8694 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
8695 method will be created automatically.
8697 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8698 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
8699 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
8700 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
8701 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
8702 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
8703 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
8704 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
8706 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
8707 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
8708 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
8709 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
8710 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
8712 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8713 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
8714 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
8715 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
8716 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
8719 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
8720 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i. e., the incoming
8721 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
8722 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
8723 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
8726 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
8727 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
8728 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
8729 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
8730 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
8734 @node Incorporating Old Mail
8735 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
8737 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
8738 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
8739 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
8742 Doing so can be quite easy.
8744 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
8745 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
8746 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
8747 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
8748 your @code{nnml} groups.
8754 Go to the group buffer.
8757 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
8758 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8761 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
8764 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
8768 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
8769 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8772 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
8773 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
8774 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
8775 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
8776 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
8778 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
8779 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
8780 using the new mail backend.
8784 @subsection Expiring Mail
8785 @cindex article expiry
8787 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
8788 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
8789 different approach to mail reading.
8791 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
8792 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
8793 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
8794 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
8795 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
8796 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
8799 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
8800 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
8801 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
8802 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
8803 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
8804 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
8805 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
8806 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
8808 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8809 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
8810 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
8811 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
8812 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
8813 column in the summary buffer.
8815 Note that making a group auto-expirable don't mean that all read
8816 articles are expired---only the articles that are marked as expirable
8817 will be expired. Also note the using the @kbd{d} command won't make
8818 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
8819 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
8821 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
8822 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
8825 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8826 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
8829 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
8830 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
8832 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
8833 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
8834 doesn't really mix very well.
8836 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
8837 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
8838 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
8840 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
8841 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
8842 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
8843 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
8846 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8848 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8850 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
8852 ((string= group "mail.junk")
8854 ((string= group "important")
8860 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
8861 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
8863 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
8864 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
8865 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
8868 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
8869 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8871 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8872 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
8873 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
8874 easier for procmail users.
8876 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
8877 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
8878 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
8879 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
8880 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
8881 caution. Even more dangerous is the
8882 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
8883 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
8884 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
8885 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
8886 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
8887 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
8888 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
8891 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
8895 @subsection Washing Mail
8896 @cindex mail washing
8897 @cindex list server brain damage
8898 @cindex incoming mail treatment
8900 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
8901 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
8902 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
8903 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
8904 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
8905 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
8907 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
8908 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
8909 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
8912 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
8913 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
8914 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
8915 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
8918 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8919 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8920 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
8921 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
8924 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
8925 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
8926 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
8927 Emacs running on MS machines.
8931 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
8932 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
8933 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
8934 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
8937 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
8938 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
8939 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
8940 headers too make them look nice. Aaah.
8942 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
8943 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
8944 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
8945 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
8946 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
8947 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
8948 also be a list of regexp.
8950 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
8951 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
8954 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
8955 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
8958 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
8959 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
8960 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
8964 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
8965 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
8966 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
8970 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
8971 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
8972 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
8979 @subsection Duplicates
8981 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
8982 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
8983 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
8984 @cindex duplicate mails
8985 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
8986 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
8987 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
8988 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
8989 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
8990 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
8991 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
8992 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
8993 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
8994 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
8995 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
8996 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
8997 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
8998 duplicate of a different message.
9000 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
9001 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
9002 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
9003 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
9005 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
9008 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
9009 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
9013 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
9014 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
9015 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
9016 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
9017 (any mail "mail.misc")
9024 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9025 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
9030 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
9031 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
9032 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
9033 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
9034 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
9037 @node Not Reading Mail
9038 @subsection Not Reading Mail
9040 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
9041 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
9042 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
9044 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
9045 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
9047 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9048 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9049 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9050 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9051 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9052 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
9053 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
9054 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
9055 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
9056 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
9057 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
9059 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
9060 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
9064 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
9065 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
9067 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
9068 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
9069 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
9072 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
9073 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
9074 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
9075 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
9076 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
9081 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
9083 @cindex unix mail box
9085 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9086 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9087 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
9088 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
9089 which group it belongs in.
9091 Virtual server settings:
9094 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
9095 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9096 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
9098 @item nnmbox-active-file
9099 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9100 The name of the active file for the mail box.
9102 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
9103 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9104 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
9110 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
9114 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9115 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9116 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
9117 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
9118 article to say which group it belongs in.
9120 Virtual server settings:
9123 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
9124 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9125 The name of the rmail mbox file.
9127 @item nnbabyl-active-file
9128 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9129 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
9131 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9132 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9133 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
9138 @subsubsection Mail Spool
9140 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
9142 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
9143 format. It should be used with some caution.
9145 @vindex nnml-directory
9146 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
9147 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
9148 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
9149 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
9151 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
9154 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
9155 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
9156 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
9157 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
9158 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
9159 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
9160 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
9161 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
9163 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
9164 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
9165 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
9166 backend when it comes to reading mail.
9168 Virtual server settings:
9171 @item nnml-directory
9172 @vindex nnml-directory
9173 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
9175 @item nnml-active-file
9176 @vindex nnml-active-file
9177 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
9179 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
9180 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
9181 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
9184 @item nnml-get-new-mail
9185 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9186 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
9188 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
9189 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
9190 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
9192 @item nnml-nov-file-name
9193 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
9194 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
9196 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9197 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9198 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
9202 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
9203 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
9204 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
9205 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
9206 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
9207 might take a while to complete.
9211 @subsubsection MH Spool
9213 @cindex mh-e mail spool
9215 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
9216 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
9217 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
9218 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
9220 Virtual server settings:
9223 @item nnmh-directory
9224 @vindex nnmh-directory
9225 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
9227 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
9228 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9229 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
9232 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
9233 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
9234 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
9235 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
9236 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
9237 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
9238 to set this variable to @code{t}.
9243 @subsubsection Mail Folders
9245 @cindex mbox folders
9246 @cindex mail folders
9248 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
9249 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
9250 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
9253 Virtual server settings:
9256 @item nnfolder-directory
9257 @vindex nnfolder-directory
9258 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
9260 @item nnfolder-active-file
9261 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
9262 The name of the active file.
9264 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9265 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9266 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
9268 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
9269 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9270 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
9273 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
9274 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
9275 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
9276 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
9277 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
9278 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
9282 @section Other Sources
9284 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
9285 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
9289 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
9290 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
9291 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
9292 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
9293 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
9294 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
9298 @node Directory Groups
9299 @subsection Directory Groups
9301 @cindex directory groups
9303 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
9304 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
9307 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
9308 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
9309 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
9311 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
9312 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
9313 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the the directory name,
9314 @code{ange-ftp} will actually allow you to read this directory over at
9315 @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
9317 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
9319 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
9320 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
9321 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
9322 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
9325 @node Anything Groups
9326 @subsection Anything Groups
9329 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
9330 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
9331 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
9334 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
9335 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
9336 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
9337 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
9338 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
9339 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
9340 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
9341 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
9342 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
9343 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
9346 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
9347 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
9348 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
9349 in the article buffer, just as usual.
9351 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
9352 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
9353 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
9354 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
9356 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
9357 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
9358 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
9359 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
9360 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
9361 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
9362 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
9363 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
9368 @item nneething-map-file-directory
9369 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
9370 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
9371 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
9373 @item nneething-exclude-files
9374 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
9375 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
9376 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
9378 @item nneething-map-file
9379 @vindex nneething-map-file
9380 Name of the map files.
9384 @node Document Groups
9385 @subsection Document Groups
9387 @cindex documentation group
9390 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
9391 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
9398 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
9403 The standard Unix mbox file.
9405 @cindex MMDF mail box
9407 The MMDF mail box format.
9410 Several news articles appended into a file.
9413 @cindex rnews batch files
9414 The rnews batch transport format.
9415 @cindex forwarded messages
9424 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
9425 @cindex RFC 341 digest
9426 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
9428 @item standard-digest
9429 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
9432 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
9435 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
9436 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
9437 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
9440 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
9441 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
9442 group. And that's it.
9444 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
9445 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
9446 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
9447 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
9448 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
9449 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
9450 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
9451 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
9452 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
9453 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
9455 Virtual server variables:
9458 @item nndoc-article-type
9459 @vindex nndoc-article-type
9460 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
9461 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
9462 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
9464 @item nndoc-post-type
9465 @vindex nndoc-post-type
9466 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
9467 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
9472 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
9476 @node Document Server Internals
9477 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
9479 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
9480 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
9481 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
9482 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
9484 First, here's an example document type definition:
9488 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
9489 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
9492 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
9493 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
9494 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
9495 types can be defined with very few settings:
9499 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
9500 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
9504 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
9505 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
9507 @item head-begin-function
9508 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
9511 @item nndoc-head-begin
9512 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
9515 @item nndoc-head-end
9516 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
9517 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
9519 @item body-begin-function
9520 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
9524 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
9527 @item body-end-function
9528 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
9532 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
9534 @item nndoc-file-end
9535 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
9536 regexp will be totally ignored.
9540 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
9541 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
9542 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
9543 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
9544 something that's palatable for Gnus:
9547 @item prepare-body-function
9548 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
9549 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
9550 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
9552 @item article-transform-function
9553 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
9554 meant to be used how more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
9555 body of the article.
9557 @item generate-head-function
9558 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
9559 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
9560 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
9561 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
9565 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
9570 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9571 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9572 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
9573 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
9575 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
9576 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
9577 (subtype digest guess))
9580 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
9581 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
9582 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
9583 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
9584 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
9586 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
9587 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
9588 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
9589 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
9590 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for each
9591 type. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
9592 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
9593 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
9594 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
9595 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
9596 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest legal number.
9604 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
9605 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
9606 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
9608 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
9609 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
9610 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
9613 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
9614 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
9615 that interested in doing things properly.
9617 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
9618 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
9621 First some terminology:
9626 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
9627 get news and/or mail from.
9630 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
9631 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
9634 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
9638 @item message packets
9639 These are packets made at the server, and typically contains lots of
9640 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
9641 default, where @var{X} is a number.
9643 @item response packets
9644 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
9645 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
9646 default, where @var{X} is a number.
9656 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
9657 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
9658 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
9659 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
9662 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
9665 You put the packet in your home directory.
9668 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
9669 the native or secondary server.
9672 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
9673 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
9676 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
9680 You transfer this packet to the server.
9683 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
9686 You then repeat until you die.
9690 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
9691 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
9694 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
9695 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
9696 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
9701 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
9703 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
9707 @kindex G s b (Group)
9708 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
9709 Pack all unread articles in the current group
9710 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
9711 process/prefix convention.
9714 @kindex G s w (Group)
9715 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
9716 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
9719 @kindex G s s (Group)
9720 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
9721 Send all replies from the replies packet
9722 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
9725 @kindex G s p (Group)
9726 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
9727 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
9730 @kindex G s r (Group)
9731 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
9732 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
9735 @kindex O s (Summary)
9736 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
9737 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
9738 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
9739 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9744 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
9749 @item gnus-soup-directory
9750 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
9751 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
9752 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
9754 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
9755 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
9756 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
9757 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
9759 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
9760 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
9761 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
9764 @item gnus-soup-packer
9765 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
9766 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9767 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
9769 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
9770 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
9771 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9772 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9774 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
9775 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
9776 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
9778 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9779 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9780 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
9781 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
9787 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
9790 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
9791 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
9792 you can read them at leisure.
9794 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
9798 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
9799 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
9800 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
9801 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
9803 @item nnsoup-directory
9804 @vindex nnsoup-directory
9805 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
9806 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
9808 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
9809 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
9810 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
9811 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
9813 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
9814 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
9815 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
9816 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
9817 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
9819 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
9820 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
9821 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
9822 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
9824 @item nnsoup-active-file
9825 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
9826 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
9827 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
9828 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
9829 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
9832 @vindex nnsoup-packer
9833 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
9834 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
9836 @item nnsoup-unpacker
9837 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
9838 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
9839 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9841 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
9842 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
9843 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
9846 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
9847 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
9848 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
9855 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
9857 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
9858 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
9859 more for that to happen.
9861 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
9862 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
9863 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
9866 In specific, this is what it does:
9869 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
9870 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
9873 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
9874 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
9875 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
9879 @subsection Web Searches
9884 @cindex Usenet searches
9885 @cindex searching the Usenet
9887 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
9888 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
9889 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
9890 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
9891 searches without having to use a browser.
9893 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
9894 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
9895 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
9896 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
9897 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
9899 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
9900 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
9901 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
9902 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
9903 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@code{Duplicate
9904 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
9905 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
9906 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
9907 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
9908 header---mark all articles that were posted before the last date you
9909 read the group as read.
9911 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
9912 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
9913 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
9914 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
9915 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
9916 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
9918 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
9919 to use @code{nnweb}.
9921 Virtual server variables:
9926 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
9927 are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
9930 @vindex nnweb-search
9931 The search string to feed to the search engine.
9933 @item nnweb-max-hits
9934 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
9935 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
9938 @item nnweb-type-definition
9939 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
9940 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
9941 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
9946 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
9950 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
9953 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
9956 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
9960 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
9967 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
9968 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
9969 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
9972 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
9973 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
9974 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
9976 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
9982 @item nngateway-address
9983 @vindex nngateway-address
9984 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
9986 @item nngateway-header-transformation
9987 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
9988 News headers have often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
9989 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
9990 transformation should be called, and defaults to
9991 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
9992 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
9995 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
9996 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address---an article with this
9997 @code{Newsgroups} header:
10000 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
10003 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
10006 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
10011 So, to use this, simply say something like:
10014 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
10018 @node Combined Groups
10019 @section Combined Groups
10021 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
10025 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
10026 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
10030 @node Virtual Groups
10031 @subsection Virtual Groups
10033 @cindex virtual groups
10035 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
10038 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
10039 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
10040 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
10042 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
10043 regexp to match component groups.
10045 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
10046 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
10047 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
10048 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
10049 the virtual group.)
10051 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
10052 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
10055 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
10058 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
10059 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
10061 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
10062 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
10063 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
10064 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
10067 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
10070 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
10071 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
10072 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
10073 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
10074 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
10076 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
10077 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
10078 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
10080 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
10081 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
10082 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
10083 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
10084 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
10085 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
10086 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
10087 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
10088 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
10089 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
10090 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
10093 @node Kibozed Groups
10094 @subsection Kibozed Groups
10098 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
10099 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
10100 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
10101 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
10103 @kindex G k (Group)
10104 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
10107 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
10108 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
10109 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
10110 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
10112 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
10113 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
10114 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
10116 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
10117 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
10118 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
10119 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
10120 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
10121 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
10122 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
10123 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
10125 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
10126 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
10127 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
10128 Stranger things have happened.
10130 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
10131 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
10133 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
10134 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
10135 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
10136 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
10137 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
10138 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
10141 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
10142 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
10149 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
10150 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
10151 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
10154 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
10155 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
10156 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
10157 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
10158 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
10160 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
10161 before generating the summary buffer.
10163 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
10164 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
10165 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
10167 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
10168 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
10169 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
10170 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
10173 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
10174 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
10175 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
10176 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
10177 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
10178 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
10179 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
10180 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
10181 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
10182 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
10183 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
10184 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
10185 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
10186 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
10187 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
10188 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
10192 @node Summary Score Commands
10193 @section Summary Score Commands
10194 @cindex score commands
10196 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
10197 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
10198 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
10199 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
10200 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
10202 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
10203 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
10204 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
10205 score file the current one.
10207 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
10212 @kindex V s (Summary)
10213 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
10214 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
10217 @kindex V S (Summary)
10218 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
10219 Display the score of the current article
10220 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
10223 @kindex V t (Summary)
10224 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
10225 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
10226 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
10229 @kindex V R (Summary)
10230 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
10231 Run the current summary through the scoring process
10232 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
10233 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
10234 effect you're having.
10237 @kindex V a (Summary)
10238 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
10239 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
10240 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
10243 @kindex V c (Summary)
10244 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
10245 Make a different score file the current
10246 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
10249 @kindex V e (Summary)
10250 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
10251 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
10252 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
10256 @kindex V f (Summary)
10257 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
10258 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
10259 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
10262 @kindex V F (Summary)
10263 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10264 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
10265 after editing score files.
10268 @kindex V C (Summary)
10269 @findex gnus-score-customize
10270 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
10271 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
10274 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
10275 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
10276 Increase the score of the current article
10277 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
10280 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
10281 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
10282 Lower the score of the current article
10283 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
10286 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
10291 @kindex V m (Summary)
10292 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
10293 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
10294 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
10297 @kindex V x (Summary)
10298 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
10299 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
10300 expunge all articles below this score
10301 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
10304 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
10305 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
10310 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
10311 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
10313 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
10314 keys are available:
10318 Score on the author name.
10321 Score on the subject line.
10324 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
10327 Score on thread---the References line.
10333 Score on the number of lines.
10336 Score on the Message-ID.
10339 Score on followups.
10349 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
10350 what headers you are scoring on.
10362 Substring matching.
10394 Greater than number.
10399 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
10400 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
10401 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
10405 Temporary score entry.
10408 Permanent score entry.
10411 Immediately scoring.
10416 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
10417 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
10418 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
10419 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
10421 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
10422 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
10423 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
10424 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
10425 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
10427 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
10428 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
10429 pretend they are keymaps or not.
10432 @node Group Score Commands
10433 @section Group Score Commands
10434 @cindex group score commands
10436 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
10441 @kindex W f (Group)
10442 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10443 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
10444 all the time. This command will flush the cache
10445 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
10450 @node Score Variables
10451 @section Score Variables
10452 @cindex score variables
10456 @item gnus-use-scoring
10457 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
10458 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
10459 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
10461 @item gnus-kill-killed
10462 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
10463 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
10464 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
10465 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
10466 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
10467 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
10468 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
10470 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
10471 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
10472 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
10473 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
10474 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
10476 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
10477 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
10478 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
10479 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
10481 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10482 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10483 @cindex score cache
10484 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
10485 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
10486 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
10487 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
10488 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
10489 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
10490 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
10493 @item gnus-save-score
10494 @vindex gnus-save-score
10495 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
10496 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
10497 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
10499 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10500 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10501 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
10502 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
10503 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
10504 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
10505 manually entered data.
10507 @item gnus-summary-default-score
10508 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
10509 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
10511 @item gnus-score-over-mark
10512 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
10513 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
10514 default. Default is @samp{+}.
10516 @item gnus-score-below-mark
10517 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
10518 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
10519 default. Default is @samp{-}.
10521 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10522 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10523 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
10524 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
10526 Predefined functions available are:
10529 @item gnus-score-find-single
10530 @findex gnus-score-find-single
10531 Only apply the group's own score file.
10533 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
10534 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
10535 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
10536 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
10537 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
10538 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
10539 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
10540 then a regexp match is done.
10542 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
10543 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
10545 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
10546 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
10547 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
10548 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
10550 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10551 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10552 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
10553 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
10554 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
10557 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
10558 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
10559 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
10560 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
10561 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
10562 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
10565 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
10566 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
10567 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
10568 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
10569 are expired. It's 7 by default.
10571 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10572 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10573 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
10574 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
10575 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
10576 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
10577 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
10580 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10581 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10582 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
10587 @node Score File Format
10588 @section Score File Format
10589 @cindex score file format
10591 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
10592 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
10593 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
10595 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
10599 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
10601 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
10603 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
10605 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
10610 (mark-and-expunge -10)
10614 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
10615 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
10616 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
10617 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
10621 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
10623 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
10624 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
10625 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
10627 Six keys are supported by this alist:
10632 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
10633 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
10634 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
10635 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
10636 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
10637 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
10638 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
10639 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
10640 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
10641 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
10642 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
10643 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
10644 to articles that matches these score entries.
10646 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
10647 score entry has one to four elements.
10651 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
10652 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
10656 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
10657 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
10658 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
10659 is successful. If this element is not present, the
10660 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
10661 instead. This is 1000 by default.
10664 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
10665 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
10666 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
10667 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
10668 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
10671 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
10672 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
10673 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
10674 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
10677 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
10678 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
10679 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
10680 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
10681 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
10682 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
10683 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
10684 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
10685 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
10686 instead, if you feel like.
10689 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
10690 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
10691 careful because some backends (like @code{nndir}) do not generate
10692 @code{Lines} header, so every article ends up being marked as having 0
10693 lines. This can lead to strange results if you happen to lower score of
10694 the articles with few lines.
10697 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
10698 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
10699 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
10700 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
10701 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
10702 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
10703 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
10707 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
10708 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
10709 ISO8601 compact format first---@samp{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS}. If you want to
10710 match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in every year, you
10711 could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string, for instance.
10712 (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so this will
10713 match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where the article
10714 was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the whole
10717 @item Head, Body, All
10718 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
10722 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
10723 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
10724 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
10725 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
10726 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
10727 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
10731 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
10732 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread that is
10733 started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
10734 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
10735 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
10736 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
10737 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
10738 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
10739 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
10740 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread.
10745 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10746 lower than this number will be marked as read.
10749 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10750 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
10752 @item mark-and-expunge
10753 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10754 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
10757 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
10758 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
10759 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
10760 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
10761 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
10764 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
10765 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
10768 @item exclude-files
10769 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
10770 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
10774 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
10775 ignored when handling global score files.
10778 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
10779 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
10782 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
10783 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
10784 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
10785 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
10787 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
10791 (mark-and-expunge -100)
10794 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
10795 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
10796 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
10797 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
10798 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
10800 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
10801 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
10802 ordinary scoring rules.
10805 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
10806 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
10807 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
10808 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
10809 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
10810 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
10811 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10812 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
10813 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
10814 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
10815 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
10819 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
10820 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
10821 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
10822 file for a number of groups.
10825 @cindex local variables
10826 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
10827 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
10828 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
10829 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
10834 @node Score File Editing
10835 @section Score File Editing
10837 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
10838 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
10839 with a mode for that.
10841 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
10842 additional commands:
10847 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
10848 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
10849 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
10850 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
10853 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
10854 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
10855 Insert the current date in numerical format
10856 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
10857 you were wondering.
10860 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
10861 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
10862 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
10863 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
10864 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
10869 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
10871 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
10872 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
10874 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
10875 e} to begin editing score files.
10878 @node Adaptive Scoring
10879 @section Adaptive Scoring
10880 @cindex adaptive scoring
10882 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
10883 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
10884 stupidity, to be precise.
10886 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
10887 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
10888 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
10889 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
10890 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10891 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
10892 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
10893 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
10894 variable to @code{(word line)}.
10896 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10897 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
10898 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
10899 might look something like this:
10902 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10903 '((gnus-unread-mark)
10904 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
10905 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
10906 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
10907 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
10908 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
10909 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
10910 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
10911 (gnus-ancient-mark)
10912 (gnus-low-score-mark)
10913 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
10916 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
10917 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
10918 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
10919 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
10920 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
10921 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
10924 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
10925 will be applied to each article.
10927 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
10928 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
10929 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
10930 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
10932 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
10933 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
10934 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
10935 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
10937 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
10938 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
10939 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
10940 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
10942 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
10943 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
10944 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
10945 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
10946 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
10947 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
10949 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
10950 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
10951 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
10952 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
10953 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
10954 aspirins afterwards.)
10956 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
10957 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
10958 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
10960 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
10961 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
10962 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
10964 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
10965 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
10966 let you use different rules in different groups.
10968 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
10969 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
10970 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
10973 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
10974 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
10975 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
10976 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
10977 the length of the match is less than
10978 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
10979 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
10982 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
10983 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
10984 headers. If you adapt on words, the
10985 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
10986 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
10989 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
10990 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
10991 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
10992 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
10993 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
10996 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
10997 word that appears in subjects of articles that are marked with
10998 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
10999 score with 30 points.
11001 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
11002 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
11003 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
11004 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
11005 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
11007 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
11008 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
11009 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
11010 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
11012 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
11013 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
11014 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
11017 @node Home Score File
11018 @section Home Score File
11020 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
11021 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
11022 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
11023 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
11025 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
11026 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
11027 could perhaps use the same home score file.
11029 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
11030 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
11035 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
11039 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
11040 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
11044 A list. The elements in this list can be:
11048 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
11049 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
11052 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
11053 the home score file.
11056 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
11059 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
11064 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
11067 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11068 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
11071 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
11072 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
11075 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11076 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
11079 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
11081 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
11082 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
11083 their own home score files:
11086 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11087 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
11088 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
11089 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
11090 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
11093 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
11094 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
11095 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
11096 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
11097 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
11099 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
11100 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
11101 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
11102 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
11103 precedence over this variable.
11106 @node Followups To Yourself
11107 @section Followups To Yourself
11109 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
11110 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
11111 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
11112 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
11113 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
11114 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
11118 @item gnus-score-followup-article
11119 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
11120 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
11123 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
11124 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
11125 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
11129 @vindex message-sent-hook
11130 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
11131 @code{message-sent-hook}.
11133 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
11134 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
11138 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
11139 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
11142 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
11143 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
11148 "<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r)
11151 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
11152 is system-dependent.
11156 @section Scoring Tips
11157 @cindex scoring tips
11163 @cindex scoring crossposts
11164 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
11165 the @code{Xref} header.
11167 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
11170 @item Multiple crossposts
11171 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
11172 more than, say, 3 groups:
11174 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
11177 @item Matching on the body
11178 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
11179 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
11180 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
11181 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
11182 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
11183 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
11184 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
11187 @item Marking as read
11188 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
11189 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
11190 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
11194 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
11196 @item Negated character classes
11197 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
11198 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
11199 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
11203 @node Reverse Scoring
11204 @section Reverse Scoring
11205 @cindex reverse scoring
11207 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
11208 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
11209 like this in your score file:
11213 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
11218 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
11219 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
11222 @node Global Score Files
11223 @section Global Score Files
11224 @cindex global score files
11226 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
11227 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
11228 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
11230 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
11231 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
11232 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
11234 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
11235 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
11236 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
11237 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
11238 files are applicable to which group.
11240 Say you want to use the score file
11241 @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
11242 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
11245 (setq gnus-global-score-files
11246 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
11247 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
11250 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
11251 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
11252 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
11253 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
11254 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
11256 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
11257 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
11259 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
11260 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
11261 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
11262 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
11263 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
11264 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
11266 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
11272 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
11274 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
11276 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
11278 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
11279 lowered out of existence.
11281 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
11282 articles completely.
11285 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
11286 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
11287 old articles for a long time.
11290 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
11291 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
11292 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
11293 holding our breath yet?
11297 @section Kill Files
11300 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
11301 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
11302 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
11304 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
11305 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
11306 files into score files.
11308 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
11309 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
11310 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
11311 that isn't a very good idea.
11313 Normal kill files look like this:
11316 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11317 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
11321 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
11322 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
11324 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
11325 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
11328 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
11333 @kindex M-k (Summary)
11334 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
11335 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
11338 @kindex M-K (Summary)
11339 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
11340 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
11343 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
11348 @kindex M-k (Group)
11349 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
11350 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
11353 @kindex M-K (Group)
11354 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
11355 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
11358 Kill file variables:
11361 @item gnus-kill-file-name
11362 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
11363 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
11364 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
11365 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
11366 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
11367 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
11369 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11370 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11371 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
11372 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
11375 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
11376 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
11377 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
11378 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
11379 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
11380 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
11381 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
11382 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
11383 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
11385 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11386 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11387 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
11392 @node Converting Kill Files
11393 @section Converting Kill Files
11395 @cindex converting kill files
11397 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
11398 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
11399 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
11402 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
11403 You can fetch it from
11404 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
11406 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
11407 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
11408 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
11416 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
11417 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
11418 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
11420 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
11421 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
11422 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
11423 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
11424 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
11425 Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
11426 the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
11427 this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
11431 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
11432 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
11433 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
11434 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
11438 @node Using GroupLens
11439 @subsection Using GroupLens
11441 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
11443 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
11444 better bit in town is at the moment.
11446 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
11450 @item gnus-use-grouplens
11451 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
11452 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
11453 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
11455 @item grouplens-pseudonym
11456 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
11457 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
11458 with the Better Bit Bureau.
11460 @item grouplens-newsgroups
11461 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
11462 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
11466 Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
11467 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
11468 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
11469 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
11470 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
11471 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
11474 @node Rating Articles
11475 @subsection Rating Articles
11477 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
11478 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
11479 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
11480 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
11483 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
11488 @kindex r (GroupLens)
11489 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
11490 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
11493 @kindex k (GroupLens)
11494 @findex grouplens-score-thread
11495 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
11496 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
11497 threads in rec.humor.
11501 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
11502 the score of the article you're reading.
11507 @kindex n (GroupLens)
11508 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
11509 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
11512 @kindex , (GroupLens)
11513 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
11514 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
11518 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
11519 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
11522 @node Displaying Predictions
11523 @subsection Displaying Predictions
11525 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
11526 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
11527 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
11528 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
11529 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
11531 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
11532 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
11533 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
11534 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
11535 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
11536 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
11537 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
11538 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
11539 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
11540 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
11541 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
11542 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
11543 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
11545 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
11546 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
11547 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
11548 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
11550 The following are legal values for that variable.
11553 @item prediction-spot
11554 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
11557 @item confidence-interval
11558 A numeric confidence interval.
11560 @item prediction-bar
11561 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
11563 @item confidence-bar
11564 Numerical confidence.
11566 @item confidence-spot
11567 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
11569 @item prediction-num
11570 Plain-old numeric value.
11572 @item confidence-plus-minus
11573 Prediction +/i confidence.
11578 @node GroupLens Variables
11579 @subsection GroupLens Variables
11583 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
11584 The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
11585 enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
11586 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
11587 @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
11589 @item grouplens-bbb-host
11590 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
11593 @item grouplens-bbb-port
11594 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
11596 @item grouplens-score-offset
11597 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
11598 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
11601 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
11602 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
11603 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
11608 @node Advanced Scoring
11609 @section Advanced Scoring
11611 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
11612 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
11613 about a particular subject? Or what about if you really don't want to
11614 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
11615 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
11617 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
11621 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
11622 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
11623 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
11627 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
11628 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
11630 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
11631 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
11632 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
11633 non-@code{nil} value.
11635 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
11636 operator, and various match operators.
11643 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11644 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
11645 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
11650 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11651 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
11652 then this operator will return @code{false}.
11657 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
11658 inverse of the value of its argument.
11662 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
11663 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
11664 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
11665 current article. @code{2-} will make score fules apply to the
11666 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
11667 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) say how far back into
11668 the ancestry you want to go.
11670 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
11671 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
11672 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
11673 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
11674 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
11677 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
11678 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
11680 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
11681 when he's talking about Gnus:
11685 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11686 ("subject" "Gnus"))
11692 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
11696 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11703 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
11704 really don't want to read what he's written:
11708 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11709 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
11713 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
11714 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
11715 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
11722 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
11723 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
11724 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
11725 ("body" "white.*socks"))
11729 The possibilities are endless.
11732 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
11733 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
11735 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
11736 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
11737 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
11738 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
11739 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
11740 (@samp{body}, @code{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
11741 @samp{subject}) first.
11743 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
11744 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
11755 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
11756 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
11762 ("subject" "Gnus")))
11769 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
11770 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
11775 @section Score Decays
11776 @cindex score decays
11779 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
11780 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
11781 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
11782 use them in any sensible way.
11784 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
11785 @findex gnus-decay-score
11786 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
11787 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
11788 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
11789 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
11790 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
11791 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
11792 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
11793 definition of that function:
11796 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
11799 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
11801 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
11803 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
11806 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
11807 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
11808 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
11809 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
11813 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
11816 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
11819 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
11823 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
11824 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
11825 the new score, which should be an integer.
11827 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
11828 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
11835 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
11836 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
11837 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
11838 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
11839 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
11840 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
11841 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
11842 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
11843 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
11844 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
11845 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
11846 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
11847 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
11848 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
11849 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
11853 @node Process/Prefix
11854 @section Process/Prefix
11855 @cindex process/prefix convention
11857 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
11858 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
11860 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
11861 command to be performed on.
11865 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
11866 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
11867 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
11868 with the current one.
11870 @vindex transient-mark-mode
11871 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
11872 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
11874 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
11875 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
11878 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
11879 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
11881 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
11884 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
11885 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
11886 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
11887 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11889 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
11890 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
11891 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
11892 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
11893 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
11894 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
11895 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
11896 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
11900 @section Interactive
11901 @cindex interaction
11905 @item gnus-novice-user
11906 @vindex gnus-novice-user
11907 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
11908 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
11909 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
11910 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
11913 @item gnus-expert-user
11914 @vindex gnus-expert-user
11915 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
11916 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
11917 matter how strange.
11919 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
11920 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
11921 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
11922 is @code{t} by default.
11924 @item gnus-interactive-exit
11925 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
11926 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
11931 @node Formatting Variables
11932 @section Formatting Variables
11933 @cindex formatting variables
11935 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
11936 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
11937 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
11938 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
11939 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
11942 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
11943 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
11944 lots of percentages everywhere.
11947 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
11948 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
11949 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
11950 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
11953 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
11954 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
11955 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
11956 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
11957 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
11958 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
11959 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
11960 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
11962 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
11963 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
11965 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
11966 @findex gnus-update-format
11967 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
11968 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
11969 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
11970 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
11974 @node Formatting Basics
11975 @subsection Formatting Basics
11977 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
11978 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
11979 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
11981 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
11982 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
11983 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
11984 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
11985 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
11988 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
11989 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
11990 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
11991 less than 4 characters wide.
11994 @node Advanced Formatting
11995 @subsection Advanced Formatting
11997 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
11998 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
11999 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
12000 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
12002 These are the legal modifiers:
12007 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
12011 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
12016 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
12019 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
12024 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
12027 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
12030 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
12033 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
12037 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
12038 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
12039 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
12040 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
12041 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
12042 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
12043 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
12045 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
12046 last operation, padding.
12048 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
12049 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
12050 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
12051 @xref{Compilation}.
12054 @node User-Defined Specs
12055 @subsection User-Defined Specs
12057 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
12058 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
12059 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
12060 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
12061 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
12062 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
12063 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
12064 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
12065 should protect against that.
12067 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
12068 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
12069 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
12070 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
12074 @node Formatting Fonts
12075 @subsection Formatting Fonts
12077 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
12078 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
12079 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
12080 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
12083 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
12084 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
12085 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
12086 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
12087 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
12088 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
12090 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
12093 ;; Create three face types.
12094 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
12095 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
12097 ;; We want the article count to be in
12098 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
12099 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
12100 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
12102 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
12103 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
12105 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
12106 (setq gnus-group-line-format
12107 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
12110 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
12111 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
12113 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
12114 mode-line variables.
12117 @node Windows Configuration
12118 @section Windows Configuration
12119 @cindex windows configuration
12121 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
12123 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
12124 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
12125 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
12126 @code{t} by default.
12128 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
12129 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
12130 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
12133 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
12134 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
12135 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
12139 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
12140 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
12141 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
12142 possible names is listed below.
12144 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
12145 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
12148 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
12152 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
12153 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
12154 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
12155 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
12156 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
12157 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
12158 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
12159 size spec per split.
12161 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
12164 Here's a more complicated example:
12167 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
12168 (summary 0.25 point)
12169 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
12173 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
12174 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
12175 occupy, not a percentage.
12177 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
12178 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
12179 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
12180 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
12181 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
12184 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
12187 (article (horizontal 1.0
12192 (summary 0.25 point)
12197 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
12198 @code{horizontal} thingie?
12200 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
12201 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
12202 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
12203 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
12204 the screen is to be given to this strip.
12206 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
12207 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
12208 lines from the splits.
12210 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
12214 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
12215 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
12216 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
12217 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
12218 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
12219 size = number | frame-params
12220 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
12223 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
12224 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
12225 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
12226 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
12228 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
12229 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
12230 @cindex window height
12231 @cindex window width
12232 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
12233 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
12234 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
12235 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
12236 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
12237 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
12239 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
12240 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
12241 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
12242 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
12244 @findex gnus-configure-frame
12245 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
12246 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
12247 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
12248 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
12249 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
12250 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
12251 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
12252 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
12253 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
12254 configuration list.
12257 (gnus-configure-frame
12261 (article 0.3 point))
12269 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
12270 @code{frame} split:
12273 (gnus-configure-frame
12276 (summary 0.25 point)
12278 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
12279 (user-position . t)
12280 (left . -1) (top . 1))
12285 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
12286 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
12287 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
12288 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
12289 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
12290 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
12293 Here's a list of all possible keys for
12294 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
12296 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
12297 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
12298 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
12299 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
12300 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft},
12301 @code{pipe}, @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
12303 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
12304 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
12305 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
12309 (message (horizontal 1.0
12310 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
12312 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
12317 @findex gnus-add-configuration
12318 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
12319 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
12320 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
12321 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
12324 (gnus-add-configuration
12325 '(article (vertical 1.0
12327 (summary .25 point)
12331 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
12332 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
12333 Gnus has been loaded.
12335 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
12336 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
12337 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
12338 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
12339 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
12343 @section Compilation
12344 @cindex compilation
12345 @cindex byte-compilation
12347 @findex gnus-compile
12349 Remember all those line format specification variables?
12350 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
12351 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
12352 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
12353 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
12354 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
12357 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
12358 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
12359 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
12360 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
12361 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
12362 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
12363 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
12367 @section Mode Lines
12370 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
12371 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
12372 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
12373 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
12374 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
12375 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
12376 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
12379 @cindex display-time
12381 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
12382 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
12383 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
12384 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
12385 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
12386 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
12387 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
12388 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
12391 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
12393 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
12394 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
12396 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
12397 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
12398 (length display-time-string)))))
12401 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
12402 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
12405 @node Highlighting and Menus
12406 @section Highlighting and Menus
12408 @cindex highlighting
12411 @vindex gnus-visual
12412 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
12413 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
12414 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
12417 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
12418 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
12421 @item group-highlight
12422 Do highlights in the group buffer.
12423 @item summary-highlight
12424 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
12425 @item article-highlight
12426 Do highlights in the article buffer.
12428 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
12430 Create menus in the group buffer.
12432 Create menus in the summary buffers.
12434 Create menus in the article buffer.
12436 Create menus in the browse buffer.
12438 Create menus in the server buffer.
12440 Create menus in the score buffers.
12442 Create menus in all buffers.
12445 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
12446 buffers, you could say something like:
12449 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
12452 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
12455 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
12458 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
12459 in all Gnus buffers.
12461 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
12464 @item gnus-mouse-face
12465 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
12466 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
12467 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
12469 @item gnus-display-type
12470 @vindex gnus-display-type
12471 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
12472 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
12473 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
12474 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
12475 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12477 @item gnus-background-mode
12478 @vindex gnus-background-mode
12479 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
12480 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
12481 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
12482 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12483 `gnus-display-type'.
12486 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
12490 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
12491 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
12492 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
12494 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
12495 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
12496 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
12498 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
12499 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
12500 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
12502 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
12503 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
12504 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
12506 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
12507 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
12508 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
12510 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
12511 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
12512 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
12523 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
12524 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
12525 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
12526 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
12527 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
12531 @vindex gnus-carpal
12532 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
12533 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
12534 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
12539 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12540 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12541 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
12543 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
12544 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
12545 Face used on buttons.
12547 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
12548 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
12549 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
12551 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12552 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12553 Buttons in the group buffer.
12555 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12556 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12557 Buttons in the summary buffer.
12559 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12560 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12561 Buttons in the server buffer.
12563 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12564 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12565 Buttons in the browse buffer.
12568 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
12569 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
12570 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
12578 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
12579 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
12580 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
12581 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
12582 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
12584 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
12585 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
12586 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
12588 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
12589 been idle for thirty minutes:
12592 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12595 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
12599 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
12602 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
12603 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
12604 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12606 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
12607 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
12608 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
12609 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12611 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
12612 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
12613 @var{idle} minutes.
12615 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
12616 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
12619 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
12620 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
12621 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
12623 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
12624 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
12625 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
12626 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
12628 @vindex gnus-use-demon
12629 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
12630 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
12632 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
12633 your @file{.gnus} file:
12635 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
12637 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12640 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
12641 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
12642 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
12643 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
12644 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
12645 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
12646 @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just
12647 put those functions in your @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
12649 @findex gnus-demon-init
12650 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
12651 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
12652 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
12653 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
12654 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
12656 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
12657 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
12658 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
12667 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
12668 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
12670 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
12671 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
12672 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
12673 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
12676 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
12677 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
12678 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
12679 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
12681 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
12682 this will make spam disappear.
12684 There are some variables to customize, of course:
12687 @item gnus-use-nocem
12688 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
12689 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
12692 @item gnus-nocem-groups
12693 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
12694 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
12695 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
12697 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
12698 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
12699 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
12700 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
12701 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
12702 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
12704 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
12707 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
12708 @cindex Chris Lewis
12709 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
12710 usenet abuse than anybody else.
12713 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
12714 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
12715 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
12717 @item jem@@xpat.com;
12719 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
12722 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
12723 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
12724 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
12727 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
12728 ones you want to listen to.
12730 @item gnus-nocem-directory
12731 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
12732 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
12733 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
12735 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12736 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12737 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
12738 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
12739 might then see old spam.
12747 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
12748 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
12749 over your shoulder as you read news.
12752 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
12753 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
12754 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
12755 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
12756 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
12761 @subsection Picon Basics
12763 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
12766 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
12767 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
12768 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
12769 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
12770 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
12771 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
12772 @code{GIF} formats.
12775 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases, point
12776 your Web browser at
12777 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
12779 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12780 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
12781 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
12784 @node Picon Requirements
12785 @subsection Picon Requirements
12787 To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
12788 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
12791 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
12793 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12794 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
12795 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
12796 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
12800 @subsection Easy Picons
12802 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
12803 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
12806 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
12807 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12808 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
12809 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
12814 @subsection Hard Picons
12816 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
12817 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
12818 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
12819 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
12820 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
12824 @item gnus-picons-display-where
12825 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12826 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
12827 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
12828 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
12829 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
12830 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
12831 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
12835 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
12836 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
12838 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
12839 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
12840 displayed at the right time.
12842 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
12843 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12845 @item gnus-article-display-picons
12846 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12847 Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
12848 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
12849 the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
12851 @item gnus-group-display-picons
12852 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12853 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
12854 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
12855 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
12856 is set to @code{article}.
12858 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
12859 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12860 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
12861 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
12865 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
12866 to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
12869 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12873 @node Picon Configuration
12874 @subsection Picon Configuration
12876 The following variables offer further control over how things are
12877 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
12878 don't need to worry about.
12881 @item gnus-picons-database
12882 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12883 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
12884 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
12885 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
12887 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
12888 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
12889 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
12892 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
12893 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
12894 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
12895 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")} is the default.
12897 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
12898 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
12899 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
12900 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
12901 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
12903 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12904 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12905 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
12906 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
12907 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
12908 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
12910 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
12911 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
12912 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
12913 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
12915 @item gnus-picons-buffer
12916 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
12917 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
12918 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
12927 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
12928 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
12929 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
12931 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
12932 Gnus---it's all just data that is designed to look nice to the user.
12933 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
12934 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
12935 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
12936 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
12937 @code{undo} function.
12939 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
12940 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
12941 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
12942 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
12943 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
12944 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
12945 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
12946 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
12947 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
12948 never be totally undoable.
12950 @findex gnus-undo-mode
12951 @vindex gnus-use-undo
12953 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
12954 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
12955 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
12956 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
12961 @section Moderation
12964 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
12965 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
12966 @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
12969 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
12973 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
12976 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
12978 If you are the moderation of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
12983 You split your incoming mail by matching on
12984 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
12985 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
12988 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
12989 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
12992 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
12993 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
12997 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
13000 (setq gnus-moderated-list
13001 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
13005 @node XEmacs Enhancements
13006 @section XEmacs Enhancements
13009 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
13010 advantage of that. Relevant variables include:
13013 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
13014 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
13015 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
13016 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
13017 unusual directory structure.
13019 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
13020 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
13021 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
13022 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
13024 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
13025 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
13026 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
13027 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
13028 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
13029 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
13031 @item gnus-use-toolbar
13032 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
13033 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
13034 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
13035 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
13037 @item gnus-group-toolbar
13038 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
13039 The toolbar in the group buffer.
13041 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
13042 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
13043 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
13045 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
13046 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
13047 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
13049 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
13050 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
13051 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
13057 @node Various Various
13058 @section Various Various
13064 @item gnus-directory
13065 @vindex gnus-directory
13066 All Gnus directories will be initialized from this variable, which
13067 defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or @file{~/News/}
13068 if that variable isn't set.
13070 @item gnus-default-directory
13071 @vindex gnus-default-directory
13072 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
13073 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
13074 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
13075 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13076 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
13077 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
13080 @vindex gnus-verbose
13081 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
13082 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
13083 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
13084 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
13085 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
13087 @item gnus-verbose-backends
13088 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
13089 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
13090 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
13092 @item nnheader-max-head-length
13093 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
13094 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
13095 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
13096 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
13097 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
13098 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
13099 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
13100 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
13103 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
13104 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
13105 This variable says how big a piece of each article to read when doing
13106 the operation described above.
13108 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13109 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13111 @cindex illegal characters in file names
13112 @cindex characters in file names
13113 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
13114 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
13115 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
13118 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13122 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
13123 Windows (phooey) systems.
13125 @item gnus-hidden-properties
13126 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
13127 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
13128 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
13129 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
13131 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
13132 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
13133 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
13134 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
13135 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
13137 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
13138 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
13139 String used to separate to shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
13148 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
13149 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
13151 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
13153 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
13159 Not because of victories @*
13162 but for the common sunshine,@*
13164 the largess of the spring.
13168 but for the day's work done@*
13169 as well as I was able;@*
13170 not for a seat upon the dais@*
13171 but at the common table.@*
13176 @chapter Appendices
13179 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
13180 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
13181 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
13182 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
13183 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
13184 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
13185 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
13193 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
13194 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
13196 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
13197 can point your (feh!) web browser to
13198 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
13199 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
13200 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
13202 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
13203 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
13204 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
13205 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
13206 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
13207 appropriate name, don't you think?)
13209 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
13210 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
13211 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
13212 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
13214 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
13215 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
13217 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'') was
13218 released under the name ``Gnus 5.2''.
13220 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun.
13222 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a name that is prefixed --
13223 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Mamey Sapote Gnus''
13224 -- don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
13225 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
13226 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
13230 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
13231 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
13232 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
13233 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
13234 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
13235 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
13236 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
13243 What's the point of Gnus?
13245 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
13246 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
13247 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
13248 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
13249 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
13250 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
13251 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
13252 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
13253 keep track of millions of people who post?
13255 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
13256 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
13257 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
13258 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
13259 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
13260 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
13261 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
13262 of you to explore and invent.
13264 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
13267 @node Compatibility
13268 @subsection Compatibility
13270 @cindex compatibility
13271 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
13272 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
13273 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
13278 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
13282 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
13285 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
13288 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
13289 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
13290 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
13291 important variables have their values copied into their global
13292 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
13293 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
13295 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
13296 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
13297 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
13298 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
13299 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
13303 @cindex highlighting
13304 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
13305 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
13306 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
13307 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
13308 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
13309 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
13312 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
13313 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
13314 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
13315 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
13317 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
13318 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
13319 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
13320 to stop doing it the old way.
13322 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
13324 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
13326 @cindex reporting bugs
13328 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
13329 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
13330 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
13334 @subsection Conformity
13336 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
13337 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
13344 There are no known breaches of this standard.
13348 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
13350 @item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13351 @cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13352 Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
13353 the next inspection.
13355 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
13356 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
13357 We do have some breaches to this one.
13362 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
13363 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
13366 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
13367 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
13368 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
13369 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
13370 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
13373 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
13374 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
13375 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
13376 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
13377 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
13378 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
13383 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
13384 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
13389 @subsection Emacsen
13395 Gnus should work on :
13400 Emacs 19.30 and up.
13403 XEmacs 19.13 and up.
13406 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.30 and up.
13410 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
13411 reliably, at least.
13413 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various platforms:
13418 The mouse-face on Gnus lines under Emacs and Mule is delimited to
13419 certain parts of the lines while they cover the entire line under
13423 The same with current-article marking---XEmacs puts an underline under
13424 the entire summary line while Emacs and Mule are nicer and kinder.
13427 XEmacs features more graphics---a logo and a toolbar.
13430 Citation highlighting us better under Emacs and Mule than under XEmacs.
13433 Emacs 19.26-19.28 have tangible hidden headers, which can be a bit
13440 @subsection Contributors
13441 @cindex contributors
13443 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
13444 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
13445 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
13446 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
13447 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
13448 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
13449 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
13450 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
13451 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
13452 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
13454 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
13460 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
13463 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
13464 well as numerous other things).
13467 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
13470 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
13473 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
13474 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
13477 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
13478 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13481 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
13484 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
13487 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
13490 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
13493 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
13494 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
13497 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
13500 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
13503 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
13506 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
13510 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
13513 Ricardo Nassif, Mark Borges, and Jost Krieger---proof-reading.
13516 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
13519 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
13523 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
13532 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
13536 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
13547 Massimo Campostrini,
13551 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
13565 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
13566 Francois Felix Ingrand,
13570 Thor Kristoffersen,
13581 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
13586 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
13610 Katsumi Yamaoka. @c Yamaoka
13612 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
13615 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
13616 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
13620 @subsection New Features
13621 @cindex new features
13624 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
13625 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
13626 * Red Gnus:: The future---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
13629 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
13630 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
13631 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
13635 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
13637 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
13642 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
13643 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
13646 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
13647 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
13650 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
13653 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
13654 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
13655 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
13658 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
13659 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
13660 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
13661 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13664 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
13665 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13668 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
13669 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
13670 (@pxref{The Active File}).
13673 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
13674 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
13677 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
13678 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
13679 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
13682 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
13683 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
13684 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
13687 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
13688 the @file{.emacs} file.
13691 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
13692 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13695 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
13696 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
13699 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
13700 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13703 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
13704 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
13707 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
13708 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
13711 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
13714 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
13715 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
13718 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
13719 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
13722 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
13723 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
13726 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
13729 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
13730 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13733 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
13737 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
13741 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
13742 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
13745 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
13751 @node September Gnus
13752 @subsubsection September Gnus
13754 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
13759 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
13760 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
13764 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
13765 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
13769 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
13773 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
13774 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
13777 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
13781 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13784 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
13787 A @code{trn}-line tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
13790 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
13794 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
13795 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
13798 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
13802 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
13806 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
13810 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
13814 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
13817 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
13818 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
13821 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
13825 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
13826 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
13829 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
13832 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
13833 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
13834 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13837 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
13841 The Gnus cache is much faster.
13844 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
13848 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-address and
13849 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13852 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
13853 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
13856 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
13857 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13860 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
13861 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
13862 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
13865 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
13866 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
13869 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
13872 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
13875 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
13876 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
13880 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
13883 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
13886 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
13887 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
13890 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
13894 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
13897 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
13900 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
13904 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13907 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
13911 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
13914 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
13917 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
13918 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13921 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
13922 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
13926 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
13927 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
13930 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
13934 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
13935 buffer to allow easier treatment.
13938 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
13941 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
13945 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
13949 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
13950 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
13953 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
13957 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
13958 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
13961 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
13962 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
13965 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
13969 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
13972 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
13973 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
13977 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
13980 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
13986 @subsubsection Red Gnus
13988 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
13993 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
13996 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
13997 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
14000 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
14001 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
14005 Article washing status can be displayed in the
14006 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
14009 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
14012 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
14013 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
14016 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
14020 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
14021 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}).
14024 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
14025 Server Internals}).
14028 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
14032 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
14035 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
14036 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
14039 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
14040 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
14041 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
14044 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
14045 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
14048 A way to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed when
14049 generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
14052 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
14056 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
14057 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
14060 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
14061 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
14064 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
14068 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
14071 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
14075 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
14076 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
14079 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
14080 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
14083 A new command for reading collections of documents
14084 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
14085 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
14088 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
14092 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
14093 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
14096 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
14097 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
14098 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
14101 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
14102 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
14106 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
14110 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
14114 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
14118 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
14122 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
14123 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
14128 @node Newest Features
14129 @subsection Newest Features
14132 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
14135 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
14139 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
14141 Really do unbinhexing.
14144 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
14145 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
14147 @file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/rgnus/todo>} is where the actual
14148 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
14149 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
14154 @section The Manual
14158 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
14159 either @code{texi2dvi}
14161 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
14162 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
14164 to get what you hold in your hands now.
14166 The following conventions have been used:
14171 This is a @samp{string}
14174 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
14177 This is a @file{file}
14180 This is a @code{symbol}
14184 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
14188 (setq flargnoze "yes")
14191 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
14194 (setq flumphel 'yes)
14197 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
14198 ever get them confused.
14202 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
14203 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
14204 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
14205 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
14206 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
14207 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
14208 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
14215 @section Terminology
14217 @cindex terminology
14222 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
14223 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
14224 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
14225 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
14226 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
14230 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
14231 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
14232 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
14233 not posting, and replying is not following up.
14237 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
14241 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
14246 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
14247 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
14248 is all done by the backends.
14252 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
14253 default, way of getting news.
14257 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
14258 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
14262 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
14263 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
14267 A message that has been posted as news.
14270 @cindex mail message
14271 A message that has been mailed.
14275 A mail message or news article
14279 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
14284 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
14289 A line from the head of an article.
14293 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
14294 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
14298 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
14299 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
14300 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
14301 normal @sc{head} format.
14305 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
14306 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
14307 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
14308 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
14309 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
14310 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
14312 @item killed groups
14313 @cindex killed groups
14314 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
14315 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
14317 @item zombie groups
14318 @cindex zombie groups
14319 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
14322 @cindex active file
14323 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
14324 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
14325 is rather large, as you might surmise.
14328 @cindex bogus groups
14329 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
14330 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
14331 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
14335 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
14337 @item select method
14338 @cindex select method
14339 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
14342 @item virtual server
14343 @cindex virtual server
14344 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
14345 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the things as a
14346 whole is a virtual server.
14350 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
14351 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
14354 @item ephemeral groups
14355 @cindex ephemeral groups
14356 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
14357 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
14358 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
14361 @cindex solid groups
14362 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
14363 group buffer are solid groups.
14368 @node Customization
14369 @section Customization
14370 @cindex general customization
14372 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
14373 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
14374 for some quite common situations.
14377 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
14378 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
14379 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
14380 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
14384 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
14385 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
14387 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
14388 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
14389 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
14393 @item gnus-read-active-file
14394 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
14395 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
14396 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-news} and
14397 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
14398 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
14400 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
14401 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
14402 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
14403 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
14407 @node Slow Terminal Connection
14408 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
14410 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
14411 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
14412 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
14416 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
14417 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
14418 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
14419 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
14420 horizontal and vertical recentering.
14422 @item gnus-visible-headers
14423 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
14424 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
14425 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
14426 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
14428 @item gnus-article-display-hook
14429 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
14431 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
14432 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
14433 gnus-article-hide-citation))
14436 @item gnus-use-full-window
14437 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
14438 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
14439 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
14440 want to read them anyway.
14442 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
14443 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
14446 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
14447 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
14448 lines, which might save some time.
14452 @node Little Disk Space
14453 @subsection Little Disk Space
14456 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
14457 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
14461 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
14462 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
14463 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
14464 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14467 @item gnus-save-killed-list
14468 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
14469 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
14470 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
14471 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
14477 @subsection Slow Machine
14478 @cindex slow machine
14480 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
14481 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
14483 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
14484 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
14486 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
14487 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
14488 summary buffer faster.
14490 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
14491 processing a bit faster.
14494 @node Troubleshooting
14495 @section Troubleshooting
14496 @cindex troubleshooting
14498 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
14506 Make sure your computer is switched on.
14509 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
14510 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
14514 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
14515 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
14516 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
14517 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
14520 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
14524 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
14525 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
14526 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
14527 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
14528 something like that.
14531 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
14534 @cindex reporting bugs
14536 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
14538 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
14539 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
14540 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
14541 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
14543 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
14544 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
14545 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
14546 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
14549 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
14550 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
14551 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
14552 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
14553 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
14554 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
14556 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
14557 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
14558 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
14561 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
14562 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
14564 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
14565 @cindex ding mailing list
14566 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
14567 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
14570 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
14571 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
14573 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
14574 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
14575 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
14576 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
14579 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
14580 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
14581 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
14582 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
14583 and general method of operations.
14586 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
14587 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
14588 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
14589 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
14590 * Group Info:: The group info format.
14591 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
14592 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
14596 @node Backend Interface
14597 @subsection Backend Interface
14599 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
14600 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
14601 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
14602 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
14603 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
14604 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
14606 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
14607 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
14608 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
14609 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
14610 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
14611 been opened, the function should fail.
14613 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
14614 name. Take this example:
14618 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
14619 (nntp-port-number 4324))
14622 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
14623 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
14625 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
14626 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
14627 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
14629 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
14630 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
14631 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
14633 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
14634 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
14635 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
14636 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
14637 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
14638 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
14641 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
14642 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
14643 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
14644 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
14647 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
14650 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
14653 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
14654 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
14655 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
14656 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
14657 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
14658 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
14662 @node Required Backend Functions
14663 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
14667 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
14669 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
14670 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
14671 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
14672 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
14674 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
14675 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
14676 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
14677 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
14679 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
14680 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
14681 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
14682 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
14683 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
14684 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
14685 number, do maximum fetches.
14687 Here's an example HEAD:
14690 221 1056 Article retrieved.
14691 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
14692 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
14693 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
14694 Subject: Re: Something very droll
14695 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
14696 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
14698 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
14699 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
14700 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
14704 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
14705 these in the data buffer.
14707 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
14711 head = error / valid-head
14712 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
14713 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
14714 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
14715 header = <text> eol
14718 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
14719 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
14723 nov-buffer = *nov-line
14724 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
14725 field = <text except TAB>
14728 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
14732 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
14734 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
14735 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
14737 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
14738 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
14739 server. In fact, it should do so.
14741 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
14742 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
14745 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
14747 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
14748 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
14751 There should be no data returned.
14754 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
14756 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
14757 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
14758 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
14759 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
14761 There should be no data returned.
14764 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
14766 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
14767 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
14768 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
14769 attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
14771 There should be no data returned.
14774 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
14776 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
14778 There should be no data returned.
14781 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
14783 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
14784 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
14785 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
14786 it would be nice if that were possible.
14788 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
14789 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
14790 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
14791 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
14792 its article buffer.
14794 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
14795 the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
14796 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
14797 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
14798 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
14799 on successful article retrievement.
14802 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14804 Make @var{group} the current group.
14806 There should be no data returned by this function.
14809 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
14811 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
14812 making @var{group} the current group.
14814 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
14817 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
14820 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
14823 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
14824 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
14825 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
14826 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
14827 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
14828 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
14829 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
14830 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
14833 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
14834 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
14835 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
14839 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14841 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
14842 a no-op on most backends.
14844 There should be no data returned.
14847 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
14849 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
14852 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
14855 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
14856 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
14859 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
14860 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
14863 active-file = *active-line
14864 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
14866 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
14869 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
14870 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
14871 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
14874 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
14876 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
14877 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
14878 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
14879 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
14880 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
14881 clear if the posting could not be completed.
14883 There should be no result data from this function.
14888 @node Optional Backend Functions
14889 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
14893 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
14895 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
14896 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
14897 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
14899 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
14900 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
14901 former is in the same format as the data from
14902 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
14903 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
14906 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
14910 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
14912 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
14913 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
14914 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
14915 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
14916 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
14917 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
14919 There should be no result data from this function.
14922 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
14924 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
14925 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
14926 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
14927 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
14928 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
14929 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
14930 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
14931 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
14933 There should be no result data from this function.
14936 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
14938 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
14939 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
14940 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
14941 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
14942 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
14944 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
14945 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
14946 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
14949 There should be no result data from this function.
14952 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
14954 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
14955 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
14956 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
14957 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
14958 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
14959 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
14960 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
14962 There should be no result data from this function.
14965 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
14967 The result data from this function should be a description of
14971 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
14973 description = <text>
14976 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
14978 The result data from this function should be the description of all
14979 groups available on the server.
14982 description-buffer = *description-line
14986 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
14988 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
14989 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
14990 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
14993 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14995 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
14997 There should be no return data.
15000 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
15002 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
15003 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
15004 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
15005 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
15006 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
15009 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
15012 There should be no result data returned.
15015 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
15018 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
15019 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
15021 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
15022 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
15023 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
15024 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
15025 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
15026 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
15028 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
15029 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
15032 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
15033 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
15035 There should be no data returned.
15038 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
15040 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
15041 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
15042 this function in short order.
15044 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
15045 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
15047 There should be no data returned.
15050 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
15052 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
15053 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
15055 There should be no data returned.
15058 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
15060 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
15061 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
15062 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
15064 There should be no data returned.
15067 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
15069 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
15070 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
15072 There should be no data returned.
15077 @node Error Messaging
15078 @subsubsection Error Messaging
15080 @findex nnheader-report
15081 @findex nnheader-get-report
15082 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
15083 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
15084 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
15085 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
15086 there are many of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
15087 This function always returns @code{nil}.
15090 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
15092 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
15095 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
15096 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
15097 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
15098 takes one argument---the server symbol.
15100 Internally, these function access @var{backend}@code{-status-string}, so
15101 the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
15102 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
15105 @node Writing New Backends
15106 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
15108 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
15109 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
15110 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
15111 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
15112 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
15115 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
15116 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
15117 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
15119 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
15120 package called @code{nnoo}.
15122 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
15123 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
15130 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
15131 parameters. For instance:
15134 (nnoo-declare nndir
15138 @code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
15139 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
15142 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
15143 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
15144 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
15146 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
15147 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
15148 a function in those backends.
15151 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
15152 "Where nndir will look for groups."
15153 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
15156 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
15157 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
15158 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
15160 @item nnoo-define-basics
15161 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
15165 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
15169 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
15170 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
15171 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
15173 @item nnoo-map-functions
15174 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
15175 functions from the parent backends.
15178 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
15179 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15180 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
15183 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
15184 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
15185 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
15186 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
15189 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
15190 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
15191 haven't already been defined.
15197 nnmh-request-newgroups)
15201 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
15202 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
15203 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
15208 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
15211 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
15212 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
15216 (require 'nnheader)
15220 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
15222 (nnoo-declare nndir
15225 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
15226 "Where nndir will look for groups."
15227 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
15229 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
15230 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
15233 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
15234 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
15235 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
15237 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
15238 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
15240 ;;; Interface functions.
15242 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
15244 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
15245 (setq nndir-directory
15246 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
15248 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
15249 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
15250 (push `(nndir-current-group
15251 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15253 (push `(nndir-top-directory
15254 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15256 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
15258 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
15259 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15260 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15261 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
15262 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
15266 nnmh-status-message
15268 nnmh-request-newgroups))
15274 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15275 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15277 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
15278 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
15279 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
15280 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
15282 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
15283 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
15288 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
15291 The abilities can be:
15295 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
15297 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
15299 This backend supports both mail and news.
15301 This is neither a post or mail backend---it's something completely
15304 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
15305 articles and groups.
15307 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
15308 true for almost all backends.
15309 @item prompt-address
15310 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
15311 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
15312 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
15316 @node Mail-like Backends
15317 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
15319 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
15320 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
15321 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
15322 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
15325 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
15326 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
15327 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
15330 It simply just calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will a few parameters,
15331 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
15334 This function takes four parameters.
15338 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
15341 @item exit-function
15342 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
15344 @item temp-directory
15345 Where the temporary files should be stored.
15348 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
15349 performed for one group only.
15352 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
15353 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
15354 find the article number assigned to this article.
15356 The function also uses the following variables:
15357 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
15358 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
15359 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
15360 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
15364 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
15365 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
15369 @node Score File Syntax
15370 @subsection Score File Syntax
15372 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
15373 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
15374 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
15376 Here's a typical score file:
15380 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
15387 BNF definition of a score file:
15390 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
15391 element = rule / atom
15392 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
15393 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
15394 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
15395 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
15397 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
15398 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
15399 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
15400 date-header = "date"
15401 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15402 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15403 score = "nil" / <integer>
15404 date = "nil" / <natural number>
15405 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
15406 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
15407 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
15408 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
15409 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15410 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15411 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
15412 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15413 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
15414 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
15415 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
15416 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
15417 exclude-files / read-only / touched
15418 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
15419 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
15420 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
15421 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
15422 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
15423 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
15424 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
15425 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
15426 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
15427 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
15428 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
15429 eval = "eval" space <form>
15430 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
15433 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
15436 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
15437 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
15438 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
15439 one looong line, then that's ok.
15441 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
15446 @subsection Headers
15448 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
15449 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
15450 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
15451 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
15453 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
15454 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
15455 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
15456 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
15457 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
15458 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
15459 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
15461 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
15462 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
15463 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
15464 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
15465 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
15467 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
15474 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
15475 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
15477 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
15478 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
15479 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
15480 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
15482 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
15486 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
15489 is transformed into
15492 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
15495 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
15496 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
15499 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
15502 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
15503 is slightly tricky:
15506 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
15512 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
15515 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
15521 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
15528 and is equal to the previous range.
15530 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
15531 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
15532 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
15536 range = simple-range / normal-range
15537 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
15538 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
15539 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
15540 number *[ " " contents ]
15543 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
15544 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
15545 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
15546 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
15547 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
15552 @subsection Group Info
15554 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
15555 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
15556 describes the group.
15558 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
15559 second is a more complex one:
15562 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
15564 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
15565 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
15567 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
15570 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
15571 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
15572 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
15573 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
15574 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
15575 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
15576 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
15578 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
15579 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
15580 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
15582 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
15585 info = "(" group space level space read
15586 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
15587 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15588 group = quote <string> quote
15589 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
15591 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
15592 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
15593 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
15594 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
15597 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
15598 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
15602 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
15603 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
15607 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
15608 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
15609 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
15611 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
15612 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
15613 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
15614 Gnus, that's very useful.
15616 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
15617 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
15618 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
15619 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
15620 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
15621 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
15622 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
15623 following function:
15626 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
15630 (,function ,@@args))
15634 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
15635 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
15636 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
15639 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
15640 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
15641 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
15644 @node Various File Formats
15645 @subsection Various File Formats
15648 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
15649 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
15653 @node Active File Format
15654 @subsubsection Active File Format
15656 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
15657 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
15660 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
15663 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
15664 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
15665 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
15666 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
15667 no.general 1000 900 y
15670 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
15673 active = *group-line
15674 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
15675 group = <non-white-space string>
15677 high-number = <non-negative integer>
15678 low-number = <positive integer>
15679 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
15683 @node Newsgroups File Format
15684 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
15686 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
15687 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
15688 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
15691 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
15692 Here's the definition:
15696 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
15697 group = <non-white-space string>
15699 description = <string>
15703 @node Emacs for Heathens
15704 @section Emacs for Heathens
15706 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
15707 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
15708 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
15709 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
15710 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
15711 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
15712 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
15716 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
15717 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
15722 @subsection Keystrokes
15726 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
15729 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
15732 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
15733 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
15734 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
15735 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
15736 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
15737 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
15739 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
15740 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
15741 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
15742 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
15743 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
15744 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
15745 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
15747 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
15748 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
15749 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
15750 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
15751 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
15752 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
15753 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
15755 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
15756 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
15757 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
15758 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
15759 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
15765 @subsection Emacs Lisp
15767 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
15768 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
15769 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
15770 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
15772 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
15773 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
15774 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
15775 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
15776 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
15777 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
15778 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
15781 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
15782 write the following:
15785 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
15788 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
15789 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
15790 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
15793 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
15794 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
15795 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
15796 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
15797 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
15799 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
15800 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
15801 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
15805 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
15809 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
15812 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
15813 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
15816 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
15819 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
15820 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
15823 @include gnus-faq.texi